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17o km Spaton Avenue
190 04 Spata, Attica, Greece
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Come Together 2022 Athens, Greece
Cleopatra was actually Greek,
not Egyptian
While she was born in Egypt, Cleopatra
was the last of the Macedonian Greek
dynasty which ruled Egypt for nearly
three centuries after Alexander the Great’s
death in 323 BC.
Welcome to our Come Together!
We are very excited to finally have the opportunity to host in partnership with TRIXIE your visit to this amazing, historical and magical land.
Along with the program, we have prepared some background information about the sites we will be visiting. Also, we have included links
to several other venues along with a few quirky greek facts to lighten your day. Last but not least, we thank our partners and friends from
TRIXIE for making this engaging and supportive events an occasion we all look forward to attend. Enjoy your visit!
“Kalos Irthate!”
Welcome
A Brief History of “The Temple of Poseidon”,
Sounion, Attica
Majestic
Cape
Sounion,
a
strategic
point
rising
above
the
Aegean
sea
about
70
kilometers
away
from
Athens
in
the
southern
region
of
Attica,
was
known
by
Ancient
Greeks
as
the
“Sacred
Cape.”
On
top
of
this
60
meter
cliff
stands
one
of
the
most
important
sanctuaries
in
the
region:
the temple dedicated to Poseidon, God of the Sea.
Built
between
444
and
440
BC,
the
temple
was
constructed
of
marble
from
the
valley
of
Agrilesa,
about
four
kilometers
north
of
the
Sounio
Cape.
The
architect
is
thought
to
be
Ictinus
(or
Iktinos),
who
built
the
Temple
of
Hephaestus
in
the
Ancient
agora
in
Athens.
He
built
the
16
columns
at
the
Temple
of
Poseidon
in
a
way
that
ensured
they
would
stand
the
test
of
time
and
resist
the
harshness
of
the
environment,
and
made
the
Doric
columns
more
slender
at
the
top
so
they
would
look
taller.
History and Legends
As
with
many
other
monuments
and
sanctuaries
around
Greece,
historical
facts
about
the
Temple
of
Poseidon
in
Sounion
are
intertwined
with
bits
of
legend.
For
example,
it
is
thought
to
be
the
spot
where
Athenian
King
Aegeus
killed
himself
by
jumping
off
the
cliff.
Aegeus,
who
had
positioned
himself
at
Sounion
to
look
out
for
the
return
of
his
son
Theseus
from
Crete,
saw
the
black
sails
on
the
ship
and
mistakenly
thought
Theseus
had
been
killed
by
the
Minotaur,
a
creature
with
the
head
of
a
bull
and
the
body
of
a
man.
In
fact,
young
Theseus
was
victorious
but
had
forgotten
to
replace
the
black
sails
on
his
ship
with
white
ones
upon
returning,
which
ultimately
led
to
his
father’s
death.
And
so,
in
commemoration,
Aegeus’
name
was
given
to
the Aegean Sea.
And
in
the
Odyssey,
Homer
wrote
that
Sounion
was
the
place
where
King
Menelaus
of
Sparta
buried
his
helmsman,
who
died
at
his
post
while rounding the cape.
The Temple
In
Greek
mythology,
Poseidon,
brother
of
Zeus,
was
the
God
of
the
Sea,
so
it
is
no
wonder
that
he
was
highly
revered
and
worshipped
in
a
country
with
over
13,500
kilometers
of
coastline.
Ancient
Greeks,
especially
seamen,
believed
storms
were
signs
of
Poseidon’s
wrath,
and
therefore
the
temple
at
Cape
Sounion
was
a
sacred
place
where
sailors
and
the
general
population
came
to
offer animal sacrifices and other gifts to appease him and find favor.
The
temple
was
built
according
to
a
hexastyle
plan,
with
a
front
portico
with
six
Doric
columns.
It
was
rectangular,
with
a
colonnade
on
all
four
sides,
and
had
a
frieze
depicting
the
tale
of
Theseus
and
the
Battle
of
Centaurs.
The
16
columns,
15
of
which
are
still
standing
today,
are
fewer
in
number
compared
with
other
temples
dating
from
the
same
period,
a
feature
common
among
other
ancient
temples
built
near
the
sea
such
as
the
Temple
of
Aphaia
in
Aegina.
The
remnants
of
the
temple’s
marble
sculptures
are
now
displayed
at
the
National
Archaeological
Museum
of
Athens
and
the
Mineralogical
Museum
of
Lavrio,
with
one
column
on
display
at
the
British
Museum
in
England.
British
Romantic
poet
Lord
Byron
carved
his
name
at
the
base
of
one
of
the
remaining
columns
during
a
visit
in
1810
when
he
was
touring
Europe
before
rising
to
fame.
Changing of the Guard
This
ceremony
take
place
at
the
Presidential
Mansion
and
at
the
Tomb
of
the
Unknown
Soldier,
which
is
off
Syntagma
Square
below the Hellenic Parliament.
The
Evzones
,
or
Evzoni
(which
means
“well-armed”),
is
the
name
of
several
historical
elite
light
infantry
and
mountain
units
of
the
Greek
Army.
Today,
it
refers
to
the
members
of
the
Presidential
Guard,
an
elite
ceremonial
unit
that
guards
The
Greek
Tomb
of
the
Unknown
Soldier,
The
Presidential
Mansion
and
The
Gate
of
Evzones camp in Athens City.
An
Evzone
or
known
as
a
Tsoliás
stands
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.
The
duties
of
the soldiers are part of a ceremonial nature.
Every
soldier
guards
for
about
an
hour,
3
times
in
total
every
48
hours.
Throughout
these
60
minutes,
they
have
to
stand
perfectly
still
until
it
is
time
to
switch
with
another
guard.
During
the
changing,
they
work
in
pairs
so
they
can
perfectly
coordinate
their
moves.
The
soldiers
of
the
Presidential
Guard
are
selected
according
to
their
height,
excellent
physical
condition
and
psychological
state
as
well
as
character
and
morality.
Furthermore
they
follow
a
hard
training
before
they
become
part
of
this
honorary
unit.
Apart
from
staying
still,
the
soldiers
must
also
not
make
any
face
or
eye
move
and
must
not
show any expression.
Their
uniform
of
the
Presidential
Guard
has
a
historical
meaning.
It
refers
to
the
uniform
of
the
Kleftes
and
Armatoloi,
two
groups
of
Greek
warriors
during
the
War
of
Independence
against
the
Ottomans.
In
fact,
the
white
skirt
of
the
uniform
has
400
folds
to
represent
the
400
years
of
Ottoman
occupation
over
the
Greeks.
The
most
visible
item
of
this
uniform
is
the
fustanella,
a
kilt-like
garment.
Their
distinctive
dress
turned
them
into
a
popular
image for the Greek soldier, especially among foreigners.
Careful where you step!
One of the quirkiest facts about Athens is that you can’t
wear high heels when touring ancient
historic sites like the Acropolis because
you could “wound” the monuments.
So for your own comfort and the protection of the ruins
when visiting archeological sites in Greece,
keep in mind to wear comfortable
flat travel sandals or sport shoes…
Things are not always as they seem...
The pristine, gleaming white, marble monuments, temples and
statues of Greece , which we see today, didn’t start
out that way.
Originally, when they were created, thousands of
years ago, in ancient Greece, they were decorated with the
brightest colours imaginable. Time and the weather have taken
its toll, slowly eating away at the bright paint work, leaving us
with the pure white we see today.
Ouzo is magic
Okay, not exactly. But this anise
flavored liquor, which Greeks drink
with appetizers, has a magical quality –
it turns from clear to milky white when
water or ice is added to it.…
Blue color can repel the evil eye
It was believed that the color of sky-
blue could ward off evil spirits.
This is why you see doors, church
cupolas, fences and window shutters
in Greece painted this rich blue color.
U S E F U L L I N K S