An imaginary, sweet-smellingtrip to Old Thessaloniki
Does the romance of the past survive today? Are there areas where visitors can become a large group and hum the songs of the orchestra with one voice? Restaurants where the grilled meat is musky, still tastes like the real meat you remember as a kid, and comes with a mouth-watering retsina that makes you forget your troubles? The rural venue"Haji Bahtse" promises to make the dream come true.
THE PHOTOGRAPHY WAS TAKEN AT THE RURAL VENUE "HAJI BAHTSE", IN THE NAMED AREA.
TIME TRAVEL.
Is there anyone who - seeing the scene in the old Greek movies where the protagonists are having fun in some country tavern, drinking retsina and listening to live music - didn't think "How nice it would be if I was there too and experienced the atmosphere of the time"? Unfortunately, time travel has yet to be discovered – and will probably forever remain a scripted invention of American fantasy films. But there is something equally good that could (almost) satisfy our desire: to find ourselves in a place literally taken out of a Greek movie, where the same atmosphere, the same flavors, and the same warmth in the hearts of the owners and guests dominate. The only thing missing is Zambetas himself singing on stage...
The inscription of "Haji Bahtse" reads "ruralvenue". And this characterization alone is enough to understand that what you will experience next has something from the past. Taking a quick look at the surroundings, you can see that the shop is the definition of a traditional Greek tavern: wooden chairs with mats, wooden tables with cloth, checkered tablecloths in red and white (and on top the classic, paper tablecloth with plastic clips, to prevent the wind from taking it), white dishes and the characteristic retsina glasses. What justifies the designation "rural"? Being inside the acacias, the pots with geraniums and mallows, the gravel you step on, the wooden barrels in various places and the fact that above your head there is only the sky and the hanging lamps that illuminate the space. And, of course, the fact that until recently – before shopping centers were built nearby – there were very few houses in the area, and they were low.
The space - even if this refers to the small, winter store located on the opposite side of the dirt road where its summer version is located - opened its doors to the public for the first time in August 1999. However, the dream of its creation was born five years earlier, in 1994, at a table with wine, songs, laughter and conversation, in the parents' house of the owners, in the neighborhood of Haji Bahtse - that is, where the rural venue is. Among the thoughts that the three siblings (Efi, Panagiotis and Roula) had was to create a space and share there with their friends (known and unknown) the atmosphere of the company, with live music and food. And everyone assumed their role... The following year, Panagiotis passed away, but not from the hearts of the two women, who decided to implement their idea.
TRIBUTE IN THE PAST.
The name of the store comes from the name of the area. The old Thessalonians may remember it by this name or, at least, they heard about it from their parents. But it is also a tribute to the rural venueof the same name that was located in the middle of the last century a few hundred meters further, beyond the freight railway station, among the reeds.
"It had green, wooden railings, tables with white tablecloths, good appetizers, cold beer on tap and was a favorite shop of the petty bourgeois" we read in the catalog. This is an excerpt from the book by Kostas Tomanas "The Taverns of Old Thessaloniki".
"On Clean Monday and May Day, when the common people went wild in Sheikh Sou and Karagatsia, the bourgeois, either by car or by transport- those who didn't have their own cars - went there to have fun. At that time, it was customary at weddings to pick up the best man, shout 'worthy' and not let him go until he is in line. The best ranking was in Haji Bahtse, who raised the prestige of the best man in society" notes the author.
The musicians take their place on the stage. The scheme consists of the favorite triptych: bouzouki, guitar, voice. There are no microphones and speakers anywhere. Behind them is a reed fence and further back the commercial railway line. It is probably no coincidence that in the decor, next to the stage, there are three suitcases, one on top of the other. The one at the top reads "Have a nice trip". It invites you to leave, figuratively and literally. Since 1999, since the day the venue opened, not a single day has gone by without live music. The repertoire, depending on when you visit (opens Wednesday to Saturday from 9 pm and Sunday noon), will satisfy lovers of old folk and rebetiko songs. You're sorry you didn't get to see Agathon... He played in the winter shop for about three years.
CAROUSAL.
The carafes of retsina arrive one after the other. You take a sip and then take a bite of buffalo souzoukaki, Tzoumaia sausages, yogurt, grilled eggplant, pumpkin meatballs... These are the most beloved Greek flavors. Nothing fancy, nothing over the top. The music flows in your ears and you think you are living in a fairy tale that you don't want to end - ever. Romance is in the air. You feel it everywhere. Especially when the world is humming along.
This is what Efi and Roula wanted. This is what Panagiotis would have wanted. Let's all be a group, in a big feast. "So, lest we forget," you read in the store's history in the catalog, "with a wine in hand and a song from the soul - this is how they taught them, this is how they taught us, this is how we in turn teach our children. We are the Greeks".
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