An unexpected surprise!

The economic situation worldwide is tragic, and the same stands for Greece . It is a warm summer here and I happen to have a meeting in Athens. As I was planning the whole thing I decided to surprise Yianni with a treat because I feel we ought to loose ourselves from time to time and enjoy some luxury which we deserve after 34 years of marriage.

We spent 3 wonderful nights at this luxurious hotel which after the recent renovation has become one of the most popular hotels in Athens. During our stay I planned not to leave the premises at all unless we needed to, and indulge in the luxury and tranquility of the place.

I used to visit the Hilton often back in the 1980's as my Aunt who spoke fluently 5 languages used to work for years as a receptionist here. Of course it was very different those days, and one of the things that remind me of the past is the age-long olive tree by the Byzantino restaurant. My Aunt has passed away now, but as I was looking at the olive tree surrounded by glass in the atrium, my eyes were filled with tears. This tree is the symbol of the restaurant and pictures kept coming to my mind from the past the moment I saw it. We used to come a lot to the Hilton either to wait for her to finish her work or, on other occasions have dinner here. It all passed so fast like a movie for some seconds so I decide to sit for a while at the café. The area in the atrium is for people who smoke, but there was nobody out there. I opened the door and just touched the olive tree and then returned inside for a glass of some fresh orange juice.

The whole place looks cozy after the renovation and new decor with new couches and colors, and I am impressed by the large-scale photos, snap-shots from different countries, portraits of people through an optimistic spectrum of red, orange and pink, and pictures of old cars and limos.

The Byzantino restaurant of the Hilton is the favorite meeting point of the Athenian elite since 1963. I walked a bit around for some pictures and I saw that the staff is wearing some funky aprons instead of the strict uniforms they formally wore. I asked them for a picture but there were one or two who disappeared back in the kitchen when they saw the camera. The courageous ones posed for me with pleasure.

The restaurant is very popular and most of the times it is full and one has to pre book before coming here. The buffet options are plenty and diverse focusing on Greek and Mediterranean cuisine.