What to wear in Greece: Silver Goth babydoll dress! Pi Athens Hotel Suites, Aegean Airlines, Iron Fist Clothing.
“It’s all Greek to me!” Ready for more from travel adventures from Athens?
In my first post, we went on an eye-opening underground, alternative walking tour. This time, I’ll show you where we stayed, and the intriguing architecture found all throughout the city.
There’s no substitute for coming here yourself — but to give you a sense of the experience, Joey Wong shot this travel video about our Athens trip.
Please take a moment to watch the short vlog above, or on @LaCarmina YouTube.
Joey took these images of me on the rooftop of Pi Athens Suites, a newly-opened luxury hotel. From up here, you can see the Acropolis — and the “golden hour” lighting conditions are perfect as the sun is setting.
Outfit details: My silver baby-doll dress is this exact Iron Fist Gothic dress with a skeleton design, and a metallic clutch by Makeup Junkie Bags.
(Shop my style with a click below:)
I know many of you dream of visiting Greece, and have it as a bucket-list destination. Fortunately, it’s easy to get to Athens by flying on Aegean Airlines. Joey flew here from London (where there are three direct flights daily on Aegean), while I came direct from Amsterdam (on their daily flight) — and it only took us a few hours.
Aegean Airlines uses the latest technology to make the journey smooth: if you download the smartphone app, you can check in, download, and access boarding passes even when offline.
I chose a window seat for incredible views during the entire flight. I watched the Mediterranean waters, ancient Athenian ruins, and tiny islands below me… it was better than any in-flight entertainment!
I had an excellent experience flying with Aegean, which goes to more than 30 destinations within Greece. They also serve 145 international destinations in 40 countries, and are an award-winning Star Alliance member.
From the airport, it was only a short drive to Pi Athens / π Hotel, where we were staying. (Address: 4 Fokianou St, Athens, Greece).
I’m all about living like a local, and was glad to see that these suites were in a non-touristic neighborhood. Pi Suites is run by a family, which gives the stay a personal touch. The owner, Sokratis, greeted me warmly, shared his favorite restaurants, and showed me major sites on a map.
He took me up to the fourth floor, and we walked up to the π Terrace. From the hotel’s rooftop, I got a 360 degree, unobstructed view of the Panathenaic Stadium, Acropolis, the National Gardens, Filopapou Hill… a magic moment.
The hotel’s location is ideal — within walking distance of the landmarks, yet in a neighborhood with an authentic, residential feel.
(In the next post, I’ll take you right up to the Parthenon, the iconic temple dedicated to the goddess Athena.)
Sokratis is passionate about interior design, and did all the decor and furnishings himself. The result: Pi Athens’ interiors are modern and luxurious, with bursts of color.
(If you like my Goth metallic fashion, see more below:)
I particularly loved the interior courtyard of Pi Athens, which looks like a picture-window into a dollhouse. Such a cute place to sip coffee and bask in the sunlight, surrounded by greenery.
π Athens only has six rooms, which gives guests the personalized service of a boutique hotel. The rooms are large, and decorated with modernist minimal accents (my favorite type of interior design, as you’ll recall from my apartment tour).
I slept extremely well in this big, fluffy bed…
(Wearing this exact Iron Fist Wishbone Halo dress, silver high heels from my friend Sandi, and a Makeup Junkie bag.)
Every morning, I looked forward to the home-made breakfast downstairs. Fresh orange juice, Greek honey and orange marmalade with zest, and my beloved “dolmades” or seasoned rice wrapped in grape leaves.
Love the architecture of the suites, which take inspiration from pi. π is the Greek letter that symbolizes the ratio of the circle’s circumference to its diameter.
It’s impossible to square the circle (you get 3.1416… to infinity), but Pi Hotel Athens always aims to give guests a 5-star stay.
(My pink hair is by Stephanie Hoy at Sugar Skull Studio in Vancouver. There’s a buzzcut / undercut / hair tattoo in the back, but you can’t see it if my hair is down.)
Our hotel was right by the Panathenaic Stadium, or “Kallimarmaro” (which means “beautiful marble.”) This is the only stadium in the world built exclusively from marble, making it an architectural marvel as well as a historic monument.
You may recognize this Athenian stadium from TV — it’s where the Olympic flame is first lit, before it goes on a journey by foot, all the way to the hosting city.
● Outfit Details ● I’m wearing this Iron Fist Bone faux fur black coat, and metallic skeleton skirt (click the links to get these exact designs). My Ouija board shirt is from Long Clothing, and my fishnet stockings are similar to these.
This landmark dates back to 330 BC, when it was a racecourse established by the Athenian statesman Lycurgus. It was refurbished in the late 19th century, and became the site of the opening and closing ceremonies of the first modern Olympic Games in 1896.
The stadium became an Olympic venue again, when Athens hosted the games in 2004. Today, it remains a popular site for events, and is the finishing point for the yearly Athens Classic Marathon.
I posed like a champion in front of the marble stands. (Although in the days of ancient Greece, Olympic athletes were always male… and they competed nude!)
Classic, timeless architecture. The ancient Greeks were ahead of their time, in so many fields.
From certain angles, the Panathenaic Stadium reminds me of a stark, alien spaceship.
I stopped in front of the massive Greek columns of the Zappeion. Located by the National Gardens, it was built in the 1880s as a fencing hall, for the first modern Olympic games.
Vertical meets horizontal, light and shadow. For architecture buffs like myself, Athens is a joy to explore on foot.
The city’s neighborhoods have very different vibes, ranging from gritty industrial, to romantic Mediterranean. One of my favorite parts of Athens was Monastiraki, in the winding paths near the Acropolis.
Find a local cafe, bask in the sun, sip a coffee or ouzo (Greek anise-flavored liqueur), and dine on orange cake (made with layers of filo, orange zest, and Greek honey)… Zeus, this is heaven.
It’s rather obvious that I’m a fan of Greek food! I could wax on about the incredible dishes we tried in Athens.
I suggest asking locals for recommendations, and dining on traditional fare from the region. Two of my favorite restaurants were Fish Point (8 Archimidous St, Plastira Square, Pagrati) and Seychelles (Kerameikou 49, Athens 104 36). The grilled sardines with fresh lemon, sea bass, cabbage dolmades with herbs, spanokopita (spinach feta and filo pies)… take me back…
And needless to say, Greek olive oil is beyond compare. In addition to eating it with every meal, I found my new favorite bath product: olive oil soap from Korres. This company creates Greek beauty products with natural ingredients like honey and yogurt; I also picked up an avocado face mask that is a winner.
It’s fascinating to see layers of history in Athens, one of the world’s oldest cities. Above is Mitropolis, or Greece Metropolitan Cathedral, built in the late 19th century.
Walk a little more, and you’ll come across the Panaghia Kapnikarea: a Greek Orthodox church, and one of the oldest in the city. This structure dates back to the 11th century, and it was built over an ancient Greek pagan temple dedicated to either the goddess Demeter or Athena. Today, it’s in the center of a busy, modern shopping area!
Ultra modern meets ancient… Athens is one fascinating city.
(All photography by Joey Wong.)
If you’re planning a visit to Greece, check out the Discover Greece portal for lots of helpful travel tips. You’ll find suggestions for every type of traveler, from family hotels to nature excursions to spas.
How are you enjoying my Athens stories and outfits of the day? Wait until you see what I wore to the Parthenon… you can see glimpses of this in our travel video – come watch!
SHARE & COMMENT
Noord: a hidden, off-the-beaten-track Amsterdam hipster neighborhood! Eye Film Museum, restaurants, art studios.
This girl is all smiles (despite what my Long Clothing top says)… because I’ve discovered an Amsterdam district filled with inspiration!
Have you heard of “Noord,” the waterfront area north of the city center? Home to EDM festivals, artist studios, and transformed warehouses, this is a side of Amsterdam that very few tourists see.
Like intrepid astronauts (or… space cadets), my friends and I will take you to the most cutting-edge hangouts in Noord. It’s incredible to see how these run-down shipyards have been transformed into hipster heaven.
(Above, I’m wearing this Long Clothing Drippy sweatshirt.)
But first, a quick announcement: I had the honor of being interviewed by BBC Radio about Goth lifestyle and culture! The show “talks to Gothic blogger, La Carmina, about the extraordinary and extreme goth scene in Japan that includes body modifications.”
Here’s the link to my BBC Radio Worldwide interview, and you can hear my voice throughout in the entire program for “The Why Factor” show. Thanks everyone for the positive reception so far!
Now, back to Holland. The team at I Amsterdam (the city’s tourism board) matched me with the perfect guide for an insider tour of Noord. I instantly clicked with Faustina, who shared my love of glamorous fashion and cat-eye sunglasses!
She met us at Hotel The Exchange, and did an introduction with maps to get me oriented. (Soon, I’ll take you around this stylish boutique hotel).
We walked to Centraal Station, where Faustina locked her bike next to literally thousands. Notice the “parking lot” above her, filled to the brim. Amsterdam truly is the city of bicycles.
Noord is located only 5 minutes from the central station, making it a convenient yet off-the-beaten-path destination.
Anyone can hop onto the Buiksloterweg ferry. The ride is free, departs every 10 minutes, and can accommodate bicycles and scooters. Before you can figure out how to pronounce the ferry’s name, you’ve crossed IJ Lake and arrived at NDSM wharf.
Step off the little ferry, and you’re arrived in northern, uptown Amsterdam. Right away, you can sense that Noord has an artistic, young vibe. (All photography by Arina Dresviannikova)
“I see a little silhouette of a man”… that’s the one and only Freddie Mercury, next to a decorative wall overlooking the waters.
It’s impossible to miss A’DAM Toren, named for “Amsterdam Dance And Music.” This 22-storey tower looks over the waterfront, and was opened by a creative team that includes EDM pioneers.
As you might expect, this is a one-stop place to party. ADAM Tower contains nightclubs, bars, cafes, hotel rooms, and a revolving restaurant (the square-shaped disc at the top rotates around). The top floor has a 360 degree panoramic terrace, and Europe’s highest swing that sends adrenaline junkies “over the edge.”
There’s another space-age building nearby: EYE Film Museum.
Named after the river IJ (which is pronounced “eye”), this modern structure is a film buff’s dream. You’ll find four cinemas and a restaurant inside, plus an extensive archive, and rotating exhibitions about filmmakers.
The Eye is the vision of architects Delugan Meissl. Like a projected film, the building seems to be in constant motion. As the designers put it, the concept is a “sustained encounter between urban reality and cinematographic fiction.”
When I visited, EYE Film Museum had a fascinating exhibit dedicated to Hungary’s Bela Tarr, auteur of melancholic films about the human condition.
His films played in sets that re-created his world — including a decaying tree surrounded by barbed wire fences, with leaves blasting though the room. (We weren’t allowed to take pictures inside, so you’ll have to use your imagination — or better yet, visit for yourself).
On the ground floor, the Eye has an open-plan cafe with spectacular views of the IJ harbor.
Eye Filmmuseum hosts frequent screenings and lectures. They have an annual Imagine Film Festival, dedicated to exploitation, cult and lower budget films.
Within these walls, there lies an extensive film archive with close to 40,000 Dutch and foreign titles. The collections also include posters, photographs, soundtracks and other archival material: a treasure trove for studies.
In the lower level, we saw historical cameras, projectors, and clips of Dutch films dating back to the late 19th century. This museum is a must for movie-lovers.
We continued our walk through Noord, and Faustina told us about its history. In the 1600s, sailors and merchants moved to the northern banks, to work in the maritime industry and find affordable housing.
This was a shipbuilding area until the 1980s, when the industry declined. Before long, Noord turned into an industrial wasteland, filled with the ghosts of the past.
Lured by low rents, artists moved in — followed by creative companies like MTV. They revitalised Noord, transforming these decrepit lots into a graffiti-covered wonderland.
Today, Noord is a lively neighborhood with a diverse population. Many tech startups and artistic firms are headquartered here.
The Netherlands gives generous support to young artists, including providing studios for them to create.
Faustina took is to NDSM Wharf, a giant collective of creative minds. As we approached, the street art grew more and more vivid.
NDSM stands for Nederlands Dok en Scheepsgebouw Maatschappij (Dutch Dock and Shipbuilding Company): one of the largest European shipyards before going bankrupt in 1980.
The abandoned warehouses fell into disrepair, until street artists from around the world turned them into colorful canvases.
We peeked into design studios, and posed in front of this intergalactic mural. There was even a cheeky, hot-pink installation called a “Barbie Peep Show.”
“Make art, not Euros.” That’s the DIY spirit at NDSM.
As we kept walking, I was impressed by the myriad of ways that locals turned industrial skeletons into art.
Case in point: Crane Hotel Faralda. In this old shipyard, an abandoned 50-meter-high crane was turned into a three-room boutique hotel!
I witnessed one of the coolest transformations at Pllek, a modern restaurant built out of shipping containers. (Address: TT Neveritaweg 59, Amsterdam)
It’s easy to mistake this entrance for a pile of rusting compartments. However, when you walk in, you’ll discover a spacious glass-front eatery by the river.
Pllek continues the upcycled theme inside, with furniture made from salvaged maritime artifacts. Concrete floors maintain the industrial feel, while a disco ball adds fabulosity.
The diners tend to be young, hip foodies… an alien would fit right into the picture!
The menu relies on organic, sustainable meats and produce. I ordered a pumpkin ravioli, and it was one of the best meals of the trip.
Desserts are a must at Pllek: Dutch apple pie, creme brule, chocolate cake, ahh.
Outside, Pllek has picnic benches and a strip of sand. When the sun shines, this is “the” place to hang out by the river.
Pllek also organises regular cultural events, ranging from photography exhibits to yoga and Tai Chi on the beach. At night, they bring in DJs for some of Amsterdam’s best dance parties.
Back in the city center, I had another spectacular meal at Restaurant Lt. Cornelis (Address: Voetboogstraat 13, Amsterdam).
As you might guess from the “chiaroscuro” portraits, they specialize in traditional Dutch cuisine, prepared with locally sourced ingredients.
However, a peek into the open kitchen, and you’ll see young chefs with tattoos working with flames. Restaurant Cornelis draws from the past, but gives all their dishes a modern flair.
I recommend going for the “Menu Cornelis,” a four-course tasting that will surprise your palate. Each dish also comes perfectly paired with wine.
The friendly servers brought out dishes that I had never tried before, including melt-in-your-mouth bitterballen (Dutch croquettes). Everything was beautifully plated and prepared: highlights included the sustainable sirloin, and a chocolate/citrus/white chocolate dessert with foam.
Cheers to all the new friends we made on this journey! I’m glad I got the chance to see the underground, alternative, obscure side of Amsterdam.
If you’re planning a visit, check out the I Amsterdam website. You can find more suggestions for attractions in Noord and other areas.
What’s next… a space-disco journey throughout the galaxy? You’ll have to stay tuned to find out where I’ll be next!
LA CARMINA
