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Parliament that takes place every
hour. Their traditional clothes are
wooden shoes with pompoms
and pleated skirts. Rumor has it
that the 400 pleats on the skirts
of the soldiers symbolize the 400
years that the country has spent
under the rule of the Ottoman
Empire. The grand change
ceremony, other than the hourly
ones, starts on Sundays at about
10:30. You are allowed to take
photos with the soldiers prior to
the ceremony after which they
put on a small show. Half an hour
later the road is closed to traffic
and a large group of soldiers
arrive, accompanied by a band
thus concluding the ceremony. If
you are in Athens on a Sunday,
do not miss the show. The large
city park behind the Parliament
building is the National Gardens.
We can set off for Acropolis,
leaving the park behind, only
to come back and enjoy when
we get tired or long for some
peace and quiet on the green.
Of course I do not intend to take
you on the most un-shadowy hill
of the city in midday. Our first
destination is the Plaka region
towards Acropolis. The narrow,
undamaged streets, small shops
scattered to left and right selling
souvenirs, houses with geraniums
and bay windows, antique shops
as well as the many taverns and
restaurants are very enticing.
One feels as if walking around
an Aegean town. You feel happy
even when you wander from one
street to the next. We are at the
right place for lunch. Of course
this does not mean that it is not
suitable for dinner. One can greet
the very familiar Greek cuisine
at Plaka. If it suits your palate,
I would suggest a table of sea
food, moussaka, salads or side
dishes to refresh yourselves. I
especially suggest the moussaka.
Make sure you taste the Greek
style moussaka that resembles
lasagna slices and is prepared
by roasting béchamel sauce and
potatoes. Plaka is most crowded
after sunset as you can imagine.
One can see the traditional
lively night life of Athens at the
Monastraki region and here. The
taverns come to life when the
sun sets and the streets are filled
with Greek melodies. So, you
need to spend a night at Plaka to
enjoy Rembetiko, uzo and tasty
Greek food. You are at the right
place to observe the similarities
of our cultures. We should
save the fun for the night and
start moving after a quick bite.
Anafiotika, located at the foothills
of Acropolis overlooking the
Plaka is a special region at the
heart of the capital carrying fresh
breezes from the Greek islands
with white painted houses and
geraniums that decorate the front
doors. You are free to get lost on
the condition that the hill stays to
your right. No need to worry. The
streets are yours. Mingle with the
geraniums.
You will face a large boulevard
to the south when you finish the
Plaka region. The three columned
remains that you will see right
across Syngrou Boulevard is the
Hadrian’s Arch that is one of the
ancient and symbolic structures
of Athens. Right next to it is the
largest temple that has been
built on Greek grounds: Temple
of the Olympian Zeus. Today,
only 15 columns remain of this
large temple which was devoted
to Zeus, the mightiest god of the
Ancient Greek Civilization. The
original columns of the structure
were 250 m long, 130 m wide and
17 m high and its construction
has been started during the
6th century B.C. which was
completed during the Hadrianus
period. The temple protects a
large Zeus statue made of gold
and ivory and it was surrounded
with 108 columns when it was
first built. Even though the temple
has lost many of its properties
today, it still greets visitors as an
ancient Greek structure that is still
majestic and worth seeing.
Panathenaic Olympic Stadium is
located nearby the temple which
housed the first modern Olympic
Games in 1896 in addition to
the archery competitions during
the 2004 Olympic Games. The
Olympic torch that starts off from
the 2500 year old Hera Temple
on Mount Olympia is passed
over to the Olympic committee
at this historical stadium before
it hits the road to go to the host
