Mediterranean Cruise – Athens

By coolgrandparent on February 21, 2023

Our disembarkation port was Athens, Greece. We had been to Athens several years ago, but since we had a late afternoon flight, we decided to take a 3 hour tour of the city and maybe we would see something new.

We arrived at the port very early in the morning and we took a quick picture of our ship’s route from the cabin TV.

We disembarked and sent our luggage to the airport with the cruise line. We then loaded onto an open air bus and drove along the Bay of Zea in Athens.

Our route took us past the Peace and Friendship Stadium which was used for the 2004 Olympics to host the indoor volleyball.

We had a short stop at Hadrian’s Gate. It was built in 181 AD to welcome the Roman emperor Hadrian. It spans an ancient road that ended near the Temple of Zeus. The arch is 59 feet tall and 44 feet wide.

The Temple of Zeus, is in the processes of renovations.

It was a short drive to the Panathenaic Coliseum which was built in the 6th century BC but was upgraded with marble seating in 144 AD for the first Olympic games. In 1896, it hosted the first Modern Olympics.

It was another short drive to the Old Royal Palace. This was the first royal palace of modern Greece. Construction was completed in 1843. A 1909 fire, forced the royal family to relocate to a nearby palace, subsequently called the New Palace. The Monarchy was abolished in 1924 and the building then housed various government offices. In 1934, the Hellenic/Greek Parliament took possession of the building.

From 1930-1932, the Monument to the Unknown Soldier was constructed in front of the Old Palace by Fokion Rok. It was sculpted out of limestone.

The area is guarded 24 hours a day by soldiers that are part of the Presidential Guard aka the Evzones. They are a special unit in the Hellenic Army. Each solider stands guard for 1 hour, 3 times a day, over a 2 day shift.

We were lucky to see the ceremonial changing of the guard. The traditional ceremony only occurs at 11am on Sunday mornings. The entrance of the guard….

The Evzones are known for their slow high steps. The slow motion steps help protect the circulation of their legs, as they stand perfectly still for 60 minutes.

The uniform symbolizes the Greek warriors from the 1821 War of Independence against the Ottomans. The white skirt, known as a fustanella, has 400 folds representing the 400 years of Ottoman occupation. It contains 98.5 feet of white cloth.

The Tsarouchia shoes of the Evzones weigh 6.5 pounds and feature at least 60 nails on the base of the shoe. As the guard slowly moves his foot across the pavement, it supposed to remind us of the sounds on a battlefield. The toe of the shoe is pointed upwards and covered by a black silk pom pom which is hand cut to shape. The base of the shoe is made from cowhide and over 300 hand stitches are required to hold each shoe together. The Evzones wear two pairs of Periskelides or stockings on each leg. These are made of wool and are held up by the Epiknemides, which is a silk garter with a tassel.

The changing of the Guard is a solemn event and takes about 15 minutes.

What an amazing experience to watch this ceremony. We hopped back on the bus and made a quick trip in the area surrounding the Acropolis.

The bus tour ended at the base of the Acropolis. It is a fortification that sits on a hill, 490 feet above Athens. It was built around 590BC. We were took a tour here in 2016 and unfortunately this trip, we did not have time to walk to the ruins, but would love to bring the grandkids here.