The Out-of-Towners: Sanne & Bart van Poll

Sanne and Bart van Poll, the Dutch couple behind the successful city guide publisher Spotted by Locals, are this week’s featured Out-of-Towners, offering us personalized views, insider experiences and know-how of Greek life.

Name
Sanne & Bart van Poll

Profession
Co-founders of Spotted by Locals

Life status
We are married and when we are not traveling for work (6 months a year) we divide our time between Amsterdam and Athens.

Where on earth are we from?
Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Rate your homeland vs Greece
That’s like rating which of your children is nicer – impossible! Both are wonderful, but of course it was not by accident that we came to Greece to find an apartment in Athens.

We came to Greece because…
Where to start…The people, the weather, the food, the wonderful tavernas, ouzo joints, bars, the coffee culture, the islands, the amazing and bustling city of Athens… because Athens needs love…

We’ve fallen in love with…
The people in Athens. They’re so kind, welcoming, patient, polite and interesting to talk to!

We get mad (we prefer “sad”) because…
People in many European countries don’t understand what’s really going on in Greece. What’s written in the newspapers is so different from reality. We’ve traveled to 20 European countries last year, asked locals about their opinion and have realized yet again that cultures not understanding each other is a real problem.

If we knew then what we know now…
We would have come to Greece earlier.

Greece in the palm of my hand…
A “miso kilo” pitcher of wine

MY FAVORITE PLACE TO:

eat:
Randevou in Ano Petralona (85 Kallisthenous, Merkouri Square) Try the black-eyed peas!

watch the sun set:
Pnyx hill, more quiet & more beautiful than the Acropolis. And free!

party all night:
Batman after-dark bar (40 Vresthenis, Neos Kosmos) because it has the best barflies. It doesn’t open until 23:00 and seems to never close.

swim:
Varkiza beach

shop:
The Meet Market & the many pop-up markets for they are the best places to find the coolest Greek designers.

watch the world go by:
our favorite bench on Pelopida street next to the Tower of the Winds in Monastiraki, where you can see tourists & locals pass by. There’s almost always a musician.

read peacefully:
Filopappou hill, or the ultra comfortable chairs in Bartesera cafe.

connect with Greek culture:
by checking the Spotted by Locals app or blog! Real Athens locals write about their favorite spots in the city they love.

workout:
Every morning at Filopappou hill

escape to:
there’s never really a need to escape from Athens, because of the great parks & cafes to cool down. In winter, we love going to the Hammam to heat up (no heating in our apartment). In the heat of summer, we love going to an island. Our favorite near Athens is Hydra.

feel like a local:
every week when we do our vegetable & fish shopping at one of the Farmers’ Markets (laiki). Our favorite market, however, is the Central market, with all its great spices and international crowd of sellers.