Syntagma Square: Change of the guard

Two Greek soldiers in the traditional uniform of the "Evzonas" (which means "well-armed") stand in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Greek Parliament. Every hour of the day, on the hour, there is a change of the guard that Greeks and tourists gather to watch.

On Sunday, at 11:00 am however, a special, full-fledged ceremony takes place, with a whole regiment of Evzones and a military band accompanying the change of the guard. Arrive at least 15' early to catch a good view. You won't be able to stand as close to the guards as on the other hours and days but it's worth it. The Evzones come out of their barracks, located at Maximou St. - at the backside of the National Garden-, they march down Leoforos Vassilissis Sofias, which gets cordoned off for the occasion, and then turn left on Leoforos Amalias, in front of the Parliament.

The Evzones arrive at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, in front of the Greek Parliament, for Sunday's ceremonial change of the guard

A full regiment of Evzones accompany Sunday's 11:00am change of the guard, in front of the Greek Parliament

Standing still as the military band gets ready to play Greece's national anthem

The Evzones perform some elaborate routine, to replace the guards of the previous hours with the new ones, and then the national anthem is played by the military band. It's a moving moment, even for people like yours truly, who don't generally care much about ceremonies and flag waving crowds.

Crowds gathered around to watch, locals and tourists alike.

...Going back to the Guard's barracks.

Marching along Vassilissis Sofias Avenue, towards the Guard's barracks.

Marching in stride

Evzones marching back to their barracks in the National Garden, along Vassilissis Sofias Avenue, after the Sunday, 11:00 am Change of the Guard.

The Evzonas uniform is a result of painstaking work, leading to a complicated, hand-made whole, with the kilt-like foustanela having 400 pleats (representing the 400 years of slavery under the Ottomans), a leather belt, hard-leather shoes called tsarouhia bearing metal-reinforced soles, etc. The typical Evzonas or tsolias uniform depicted here and in most tourist souvenirs is the "summer uniform" which was the traditional uniform in the continental, southern part of Greece. During the cold season, the Evzones wear an alternative winter uniform, from the region of Macedonia, while on special occasions they may wear traditional uniforms from the islands or from the Pontus (Black Sea) area.

You may combine watching the change of the guard with a visit to the garden of the Presidential Mansion, right after the ceremony.

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Walking along Vassilissis Sofias Avenue (pt.1)

Previous posts presenting Athens streets have proven to be quite popular, so here is a short (photo-) essay in three parts, presenting one of the central avenues of Athens. Vassilissis Sofias (Queen Sophia’s) Avenue, is one of the largest and oldest avenues of the capital of Greece and probably the most beautiful one. Travel guides often refer to it as “Museum Lane” due to the high concentration of museums nearby. There are four museums along it (Theocharakis, Benaki, Byzantine & Christian, War) and another two on adjacent streets half a block away (Cycladic Art and National Gallery). As a mostly wide-paved, tree-lined boulevard, it is much more pleasant to walk than the average Athens street. Here are some of the main spots of interest, starting from Syntagma Square, with the Grande Bretagne Hotel on your back and walking upwards.

The start of Vassilissis Sofias Avenue, Athens, Greece - The Greek Parliament to the right, Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the left and Hymittos Mountain in the far background. The Grande Bretagne hotel is behind me.

On your right hand side there’s the city’s largest block, with the building of the Greek Parliament (initially built as a Royal Palace in 1843) standing prominent over the city center.

Flower-shops right next to the Parliament building, Athens, Greece; they have been in operation in this same location since around 1930.

 

The side-entrance of the Greek Parliament, on Vassilissis Sofias Avenue.

Tourist bus in front of the National Garden

Right after the Parliament, in the same block, is the National Garden. It’s the most interesting urban park in Athens and you’ll come to appreciate its shade and calmness if you walk around this area in the summer. One of its entrances is on Vassilissis Sofias, right across Sekeri St.. Continuing on the right, at the corner with Rigillis St. you’ll see the Sarogleio Mansion, built in 1932 to house the Greek Armed Forces Officers’ Club. Soon after, you’ll come across the Byzantine & Christian Museum and the War Museum before reaching Evangelismos Metro Station (Metro Line 3). 

The Sarogleio Mansion - Greek Armed Forces' Officers Club

Byzantine & Christian Museum, Athens, Greece

The War Museum, with old military aircraft in the front-yard, Athens, Greece

Going back to the beginning, on the left hand side of the avenue this time, Vasilissis Sofias starts with various buildings of the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in various architectural styles, and a large mansion housing the Embassy of Egypt, the first in a long string of foreign embassies all along, or near, Vassilissis Sofias. At the corner with Merlin St. sits the Theocharakis Museum of Visual Arts while two roads later you have the main building of the Benaki Museum (at the intersection with Koumbari St.) and the Cycladic Art Museum at 4 Neofytou Douka St. These are all part of the -still partly upscale- Kolonaki neighborhood.

 

The Embassy of Egypt is the first one in a long series of embassies along and near the avenue

One of the entrances of the Cycladic Art Museum

You'll also see various old mansions or upper-class apartment buildings which are for the most part well maintained. Most of them are occupied by foreign embassies, law offices, doctor’s offices, maritime companies and the like.

A sculpture adorning a front-yard, at the posh Kolonaki area, along Vasilissis Sofias Avenue, Athens, Greece

The only eye-shore in this otherwise pleasant route is the building housing, among others, the Embassy of the fellow-bankrupt Republic of Argentina, right after Evangelismos Metro Station.

The building housing the Embassy of Argentina (and some other offices)

Athens Metro sign, marking Evangelismos Metro Station, Athens, Greece - less than half-way along Vasilissis Sofias Ave.

But, let's make a pause at Evangelismos Metro Station and come back in December for part 2 of my photographic walk along Vassilissis Sofias Avenue.

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A February week in Athens

February is -among other things- the month of carnival celebrations in Greece, with private parties as well as festivities organized by local authorities, mainly geared towards kids. It is also the month in which Athens usually catches its "two days of snow every three years".

This past week included both of these things, with a cold current from the North covering part of Greece with snow, on Tuesday and Wednesday, only for the weather to gradually get better from Thursday on, making it easy for the City of Athens to stage its usual carnival celebrations at the yards of the Zappeion Megaro in the city center, this noon.

We call this "snow-covered"!

Snow in Athens, Greece, 11 Feb. 2015

Snow in Athens, Greece, 11 Feb. 2015

Snow in Athens, Greece, 11 Feb. 2015 - hazy view from Galatsi peripheral road

Snow in Athens, Greece, 11 Feb. 2015 - hazy view from Galatsi peripheral road

Snow in Athens, Greece, 11 Feb. 2015 - Galatsi peripheral road

Carnival festivities, Sunday 15 Feb. 2015 - Zappeion Megaron, Athens, Greece

Carnival festivities, Sunday 15 Feb. 2015 - Zappeion Megaron, Athens, Greece

Helium balloons between the columns of the Zappeion Megaro during the annual carnival festivities, Sunday 15 Feb. 2015 -  Athens, Greece

This could be a great idea for a B-movie script (Dinosaurs at the Acropolis!) - Carnival festivities, Sunday 15 Feb. 2015 - Yards of the Zappeio Megaro, Athens, Greece

Stilt walkers among the crowd - Carnival festivities, Sunday 15 Feb. 2015 - Yards of the Zappeio Megaro, Athens, Greece

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Images from Kolokotroni Street, in Athens city center

Staying with the Athens city center motif in this post, with pictures from one of the main, narrow streets passing through the maze of the "historic triangle" of Athens with a West-to-East direction. Kolokotroni Street is named after Theodoros Kolokotronis, one of the main heroes of the Greek war of independence of 1821-29, who happened to leave in a house on this street (Kolokotroni St. & Lekka St.) towards the end of his life.

Just like its quasi-parallel "Karageorgi Servias / Perikleous / Athinaidos / Agias Irinis" Street (see previous posts), this is a street dominated by textile shops and small eateries. Together with the rest of the "historic triangle" (see a map of Athens neighborhoods here), it has gone through a relative renaissance in the past 4 years, turning from a dangerous place to pass though after sunset, to somewhat of a nightlife (and daytime) hub. To get a feel of this area see the photos and read the legends below them. Enjoy!

 

Bobbins and textile reels behind a shop window; Kolokotroni St., Athens, Greece

Tie store; Kolokotroni St., Athens, Greece

Fabric rolls, at 58 Kolokotroni St. & Nikiou St., Athens, Greece

Cars moving up at Kolokotroni St, during an August noon; Athens, Greece

Orange juice machine and various snacks, in one of the many small eateries dotting Kolokotroni St. in Athens, Greece

A blackboard for a traditional coffee-shop / mezedopoleio, at Kolokotroni St.,...

...leads you into this cool and peaceful little arcade, and the entrance stairs of a building.

Barley Cargo, a beer pub that has been around since 2012,  at the corner of Kolokotroni & Karytsi streets; Athens, Greece.

Another entrance to a secret spot, with some hidden stores offering...

...coffees, drinks, hot dogs, music and second-hand clothes, harmoniously hanging in there.

Last but not least, the rear side of the Old Parliament Building, at the corner of Kolokotroni & Stadiou Streets; Athens, Greece

The back entrance of the Old Parliament Building (1875-1935), now hosting the National Historical Museum; Athens, Greece

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Ariston: a snack food tradition in the center of Athens

Walk around Athens for even a few minutes and you are bound to come across a bunch of snack-food places selling tyropitas, a local favorite of a quick grab, often used by Greeks as a breakfast alternative or as something to eat on the go, when rushing from one appointment to the other. Tyropita stands for "cheese pie" but the combinations these 2 little words entail are practically endless. The cheese may be -and usually is- feta, but quite often it is also kasseri (in which case it may be referred to as kasseropita), or anthotyro or some combinations of these or various other cheeses. The surrounding pocket may consist of layers of phyllo dough or "regular" dough and can range from being very oily to dry, with or without sesame on top, and in various degrees of thickness. The majority of these snack places are unfortunately just selling points for food stuff produced in local workshops, that procure to many clients and don't really have a major interest in producing something memorable. Truth be told however, many foreign visitors are thrilled with whatever they can find, since the novelty of the taste and the lack of experience in their taste buds makes up for any shortcomings in craftsmanship.

The long introduction is to let you know that Ariston, at 10 Voulis Street, right next to central Syntagma Square is not one these places. Having being around for more than a century, as their entrance sign proudly proclaims, they rightly are one of Athenians' favorite snack food places. Come here on any week day morning / early afternoon and you're bound to find a number of locals grabbing their favorite pie on the way to some place else. Their dough is a really tasty, non-oily type, that can accommodate a large variety of combinations for fillings. 

A constantly refilled shop window at Ariston, 10 Voulis St., Athens.

Pans of pies behind a shop window at Ariston, 10 Voulist St., Athens

During times of religious fasting, their offerings include delicious pies with shrimps or vegetables, which are permitted or tolerated by the Greek Orthodox fasting tradition. You may also find pies you won't get to see anywhere else in Athens, such as ones with burgers, sausages, bacon, chicken, sweet red peppers etc, all of them produced on site and not in some anonymous workshop miles away.

The very simple, practically non-existent, decoration of the place should not deter you from entering the premises.

Ariston also offers various local pastries that you might want to experiment with if you have a craving for something sweet.

A smile goes a long way!

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Walking along Agias Irinis St., in Athens city center

Following the previous post on Perikleous / Karagiorgi Servias St., here are some more pics from the same street as it changes name, first to "Athinaidos" and then to "Agias Irinis" (don't ask me why...).

This must have been an architectural eye candy, before turning into an eye-shore

Curtains and linens, at Athinaidos St.

Looking back at Athinaidos, at the corner with Kalamiotou St., Athens, Greece

8 Athinaidos St. - Kids formal wear, tagging and graffiti ("S**t to Fascists!" reads the slogan), in a surreal ensemble!

The Church of Agia Irini, the first Athens Cathedral two centuries ago, at Agias Irinis Sq.

Agia Irini, Athens, Greece

Pigeons at the awning of derelict shop - Athinaidos St., across Agias Irinis Sq., Athens

Graffiti front with a block of flats in the background; view from Agias Irinis St., Athens

Fabric rolls outside a shop; Agias Irinis St., Athens, Greece

Gavriilidis Editions, housed here, have come up with an interesting and rather ironic response to the surrounding plague of tagging.

Corner of Agias Irinis St. (ending here) and the main, noisy, and full of smells, Athinas St., Athens, Greece

 
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