My Places in Athens: Café Veneti (formerly NEON)

Café/Shop Veneti, formerly: NEON, on Omonia Square

Cycle: My Places in Athens

There is a very famous square in Athens: it is Omonia square (place of consent). This place, according to the probably nineteenth-century purposes, was to become the center of Athens, but the plans were abandoned when it was decided to build the palace of King Otto Another Place (Syntagma). Omonia but from the very beginning it was a great hub of communication and such remains to this day: the crowds of people are moving here daily, and the numbers of passing (or standing in traffic) cars with buses visible between them and bus-do not How to count. The square is surrounded by beautiful neoclassical townhouses: it is worth to raise your head on Omonia Square, to look at it – you may really like it. In some of these townhouses, during the heyday of the square, there were excellent hotels.


Today at Omonia Square [fot. Betaki]

To the existing long queue (Elektriko, also called the Subway-Green line) leading from Piraeus to Kifisii, a few years ago has reached the red line, which of course has increased the intensity of pedestrian traffic, and Omonia station has become a great point Przesiadkowym. The old Metro station is worth a look at the walls: partially covered by a very beautiful, old tile in orange-yellow colors. If you look at the details-you can distinguish those oldest ones from the newer ones. It's one of those subway Athens stations that I like, though there really isn't anything here that can be called amazingly beautiful, but in this station there is something charming, so I like to peek here. The arriving trains very much, but it is very different from those that run the other lines: old, sultry, destroyed wagons, painted outside so that sometimes it would be difficult to tell what were the color.


Green subway station (Elektriko) [fot. Betaki]

For many years this square was a monument of a runner made of Glass ("The Messenger" by Kostas Varotsosa)-was moved (I heard that because of the construction of the red Line of the subway) and for many years is near the Hilton hotel.

Omonia Square times of splendor has long been behind: it has long been here quite poorly, fast and not necessarily safe, although the city has somehow tried to deal with it. This evil glory is Omonią from the days when the place Upatrzyli itself as an excellent drug dealer and cheap prostitutes. Life on the square takes place for years in principle around the clock, because despite the closed at night the Metro-there are always small kiosks (Periptero), stands with various newspapers and dining stations. It is located here, including in the side streets, a few quite cheap hotels, and looking Komunikacyjnie-this is indeed a perfect point to live, but I am so unsurely here today I feel late in the evening and at night, that I live in another area City, but it's very individual after all.


Today at Omonia Square [fot. Betaki]

During the holiday season in the middle of the square there are decorations: a few years ago it was a huge inscription ATINA (in Greek letters), another year I saw some Bałwanków parade, in yet another assembled of the crib here, and in the next appeared a great ship, which after Collapsing dark rozbłyskiwał hundreds of tiny Lampeczek. All this after the holiday season disappears, of course, and the square remains only located there for years fountain.

Omonia Square in the festive robe [fot. Betaki]

When I lived in Athens for a few months 1989 years, I was Omonią and the streets of WP

Growth delighted: In one of the streets, it was at that time a commercial house "Minion", which was a symbol of luxury for me-such shops in Warsaw was not. The palm trees growing on the square were so exotic to me that I liked to come here on Sundays just to sit on the bench under the palm and look at the life that was happening here. And it was then, in the fall of 1989 years, on the ground floor of one of the tenement houses surrounding Omonia Square – I discovered the NEON.

Sitting on bench in Omonia Square before entering the NEON-u [1989] — Sitting on bench in Omonia Square before entering the NEON-U to the end I do not know whether in 1989 was there only Kafeterio-patisserie or restaurant. On some Sundays, when I did not travel in my other favorite Athens angles, siadywałamed under one of the palms on the bench, not far from the entrance to the NEON-U, and I watched how elegantly dressed couples, often with children, disappear in the interior of the premises. Never in the middle then I was not-once I just overturned the door and I peeked: a huge and very high interior seemed to me frighteningly beautiful, like from another world, like from the world of costume films, which sometimes, even before I go to Athens, watched. Śmiałabym not even go further: in the shabby jeans and in the old Sweterku did not fit into this world, except that the conversion of foreign exchange simply could not afford me to come to such places, but sitting on the bench under the palm I felt very well.

The NEON sign was saved in my memory as a place in which I would like to drink my coffee, but I knew that it would never happen, and then the NEON-ie of course I forgot, especially that whenever then, over the years, I went next-windshields were stuck with some Posters, billboards, newspapers… There was no longer my NEON.

When I arrived, I no longer know once which to Athens in December 2013 year, the Friends of the Greeks in whom I stopped, they told me that Omonia Square was relatively not so long ago in old interiors an open cafeteria with an excellent choice of sweets and whether or not Zechciałabym There to drink coffee – of course I wanted. When we in front of the door-oniemiałam! I saw the VENETI signboard, but….
"Wasn't it here for NEON years ago?" – I asked my friends.
Surprised that I remember the NEON – they confirmed.
I learned that the renovation of this site took many years and consumed a lot of resources-so wrote the Greek press.
I went inside… "How beautiful it is to realize our dreams"-I reiterated in mind the phrase that accompanied me for a long time…

Café Veneti today

[caption id="attachment_276" align="aligncenter" width="500"] In Veneti D. Neon. In the background: Omonia Square in the distant past [fot. Betaki]

Sitting on bench in Omonia Square before entering the NEON-U to the end I do not know whether in 1989 was there only Kafeterio-patisserie or restaurant. On some Sundays, when I did not travel in my other favorite Athens angles, siadywałamed under one of the palms on the bench, not far from the entrance to the NEON-U, and I watched how elegantly dressed couples, often with children, disappear in the interior of the premises. Never in the middle then I was not-once I just overturned the door and I peeked: a huge and very high interior seemed to me frighteningly beautiful, like from another world, like from the world of costume films, which sometimes, even before I go to Athens, watched. Śmiałabym not even go further: in the shabby jeans and in the old Sweterku did not fit into this world, except that the conversion of foreign exchange simply could not afford me to come to such places, but sitting on the bench under the palm I felt very well.

The NEON sign was saved in my memory as a place in which I would like to drink my coffee, but I knew that it would never happen, and then the NEON-ie of course I forgot, especially that whenever then, over the years, I went next-windshields were stuck with some Posters, billboards, newspapers… There was no longer my NEON.

When I arrived, I no longer know once which to Athens in December 2013 year, the Friends of the Greeks in whom I stopped, they told me that Omonia Square was relatively not so long ago in old interiors an open cafeteria with an excellent choice of sweets and whether or not Zechciałabym There to drink coffee – of course I wanted. When we in front of the door-oniemiałam! I saw the VENETI signboard, but….
"Wasn't it here for NEON years ago?" – I asked my friends.
Surprised that I remember the NEON – they confirmed.
I learned that the renovation of this site took many years and consumed a lot of resources-so wrote the Greek press.
I went inside… "How beautiful it is to realize our dreams"-I reiterated in mind the phrase that accompanied me for a long time…

Café Veneti today

[caption id="attachment_276" align="aligncenter" width="500"] In Veneti D. Neon. In the background: Omonia Square in the distant past [fot. Betaki]

Rozejrzałam: But here it's nice!
I head: Oh, but high! And what chandeliers like candelabrums, and what decorations on the ceiling!
On the first level there is a shop with many showcases filled to the brim Najprzeróżniejszymi Łakociami-Here I guess you can find everything you want! You can walk between the showcases and watch the Słodkościom, including and chałwom in many kinds of…

Walking between the showcases…. [fot. Betaki]

On the spot there is certainly also a bakery, because you can see and confectioners or bakers, who form a dough with some cakes, braided with the plaits for their decorations… The staff were very friendly and helpful.

[fot. Betaki]

The grand staircase can be accessed on level two: there is a cafeteria with many tables. What we want to taste, you can choose from the card or simply show in the case on the first level.

The café 's unusual interiors make a great impression [fot. Betaki]

Sitting at the table, you can lean out a little beyond the barrier, still watch the countless łakociom visible in the display cases on the first level.

Looking up at the bottom level [fot. Betaki]

I like to come in every time of year for breakfast: I order then bougatsę, which I recently give here on the scoops, because this is now fashion. I like drinking afternoon coffee here during the winter season, because I just like the old, beautiful interior and I feel good in them. The walls are decorated with many photographs of old Athens – I love to watch them and when I'm here I devote to this kind of gallery a little time.

Part of the old photographs of decorating café walls [fot. Betaki]

During the holiday season the warmth and special charm of this interior add a very nice, modest, monochromatic decorations, and the crib can also be seen here.
One of my Athenian places: NEON on Omonia Square….
Maybe it's not nice: after all, I know that it VENETI, but for me the place is always to remain a NEON-em.

[fot. Betaki]

Café/Shop Veneti, formerly: NEON, on Omonia Square

Cycle: My Places in Athens

Café Veneti today