From the interland to the coastline and to the islands, from the small forgotten villages to the provincial towns…
A photographic journey to the traditional Greek cafés, a short tour which started many years ago, has recently been formed but, it will be continued as long as they exist. A world to explore is inviting us. A world that is fading. A comeback to the past, an allusion to my childhood in my village which has gone away, but it still remains present as a valuable baggage for the future. When I travel around I am always looking for coffee shops either to relax and reminisce or to take photos.
Traditional Greek coffee shops can be transformed into small grocery stores, small taverns, alcohol and liquor stores, or even places where the locals hold their family feasts or their small festivals. They are maybe deserted in winter with only some grandparents around the stove, or full of children, visitors and tourists in the summertime; but, they are always ready to welcome you at any time of the day. However, year after year it gets even more difficult to find such places.
Communicational mood and spontaneous moments of everyday life prevail inside them. Coffee, lemonade, distilled spirits, some appetizers and desserts are offered there. Rest, history, reflection, memories, tradition, the whole Paradise is what you will really find in these cafés.
A traditional Greek café is not just a shop that serves coffee. It is a way of life and at the same time it is a part of the Greek tradition. Traditional Greek coffee shops have always been places of gathering, social meeting, exchanging ideas and expressing perceptions and mentalities.
They are places of recording the human geography of each village and, of course, places where entertainment takes place. They are shops that have remained intertwined with time, hidden in alleys or even clearly visible in squares in the most central parts of cities and villages.
