Greece Vacation #4: Athens: The Parliament Building, Tomb of the Unknown and Guard Changing Ceremony
Our tour group in Greece arranged for a local guide to tour us around the city of Athens. In today's blog about our vacation, you'll learn about the Parliament building, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, changing of the guard, and the story of why they walk oddly. Read on!
(Photo: The Parliament building in Athens)
WHAT IS THE PARLIAMENT? --The current parliament, a neoclassical three-floor structure designed by Friedrich von Gärtner and completed in 1843, originally served as a palace for the Greek monarchs, hence sometimes still referred to as the "Old Palace" It's also known as the Parliament of the Hellenes or Greek Parliament.
WHERE IS IT? it's in Syntagma Square in Athens. It has housed the Hellenic Parliament since 1934.
(Photo: Rob and Tom doing the city tour of Athens)
WHO WORKS THERE? The Parliament is the supreme democratic institution that represents the citizens through an elected body of Members of Parliament
A LOOK AT GREEK HISTORY: Parliament was established in 1843 after the September 3 Revolution. King Otto was forced to grant a constitution. That "Constitution of 1844" established a constitutional monarchy under the decisive power of the monarch, who exercised legislative power jointly with the elected House of Representatives and the appointed Senate. The Greek Parliament currently has 300 members in 2021.
WATCHED THE CHANGING OF THE GUARD - An abbreviated version of the Changing of the Guards occurs hourly each day
The full ceremony only happens each Sunday morning at 11 am (we weren't there on Sunday).
(Photo: Watching the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Athens Parliament Building)
WHY DO THE SOLDIERS WALK ODDLY AND MAKE CLICKING NOISES? According to Forces.net, the tale goes that when a young King Otto moved from Bavaria to Greece to take the throne, he could no longer hear the sounds he loved - that of horses. So he made his guards walk in this fashion to replicate the sound and therefore, make him feel like he was closer to home.
The Evzones is a special unit of the Hellenic Army, also known as Tsoliades, who guard the Monument of the Unknown Soldier in front of the Hellenic Parliament and the Presidential Mansion. Through the historical movement of Greece, the Evzones have become symbols of bravery and courage for the Greek people. The Presidential Guard, as the unit is now called, was constituted in 1868 and has taken many names through centuries (Guard of the Flag, Royal Guard, etc). 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. For more info about changing of the guard, click here.
HEATWAVE IN WOOLEN PANTS - While in Greece over the 12 days, the HEAT INDEX was near 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.7 Celsius), and those guards were wearing WOOL PANTS.
I'm a simple guy who enjoys the simple things in life, especially our dogs. I volunteer for dog rescues, enjoy exercising, blogging, politics, helping friends and neighbors, participating in ghost investigations, coffee, weather, superheroes, comic books, mystery novels, traveling, 70s and 80s music, classic country music,writing books on ghosts and spirits, cooking simply and keeping in shape. You'll find tidbits of all of these things on this blog and more. EMAIL me at Rgutro@gmail.com - Rob
So, you didn't find out anything more about those... let's call them, "interesting" pom-pom-like shoe appendages?
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