Kalimeres - Athens

Kalimeres - Athens

Kalimeres - Athens

Kalimeres - Athens

Kalimeres - Athens

Kalimeres - Athens

Kalimeres - Athens

“What was that”, I ask and she responds: “I’m sorry, one more time? My hearing is a little bad”. “So is mine!” I shout pretty excited to the young girl who runs Kalimeres for the day. And that is how we became conversation partners for the next hour or so. Only since last spring, my neuron system has been hanging in balance, so when I met another soul with similar health struggles ánd a passion for coffee, the Halo effect happened and Kalimeres became a treasure to me. Obviously, I prepared the day coffee-wise as I was only on a one-day-trip to the Capital of Greece. It is a simple truth that every big city is oversupplied with cosy places meant for international chatter over roasted beans. Why risk missing out on the best ones? Kalimeres is a tiny hotspot with some clear signature menu choices. First of all, they serve coffee from the μπρίκι which means briki. And what that means? Well, you might have heard from “Turkish coffee” and indeed the word briki stems from the Arabic name Ibrik or Cezve. It is one of the strongest brewing methods and it simply comes down to a small pot with hot water and very fine coffee grounds, that (good to know at front) stay unfiltered at the bottom at your cup. Dangerous for people like me that tend to scoop every last bit out of the cup with a spoon. Luckily, I chose the coffee & spoon option to sweeten this bitter mistake up a bit. Kalimeres’ Spoons embrace an old sweets tradition that is also celebrated in Albania, Cyprus and the Middle-East. Sugary indeed, but a surprisingly good match with coffee and a little yoghurt.

Kalimeres itself is just a tiny open space on a pedestal, but the terrace extends the place to the surrounding area that is filled with other cafés & bars. A grey and white striped sunshade, some sand colours and exotic details are all the place need to look inviting. Besides, Athens it way too hot for me anyway, so it wasn’t too hard to do so. I finished my talk with the girl and read some pages in my dramatic, utopian book. The story suddenly seemed so unrealistic. We western-Europeans worry too much; I hear myself think.

Kalispera,