Historically the Evzones were light infantry units in the Greek army, today they are members of the Presidential Guard. They stand guard at both the Presidential Mansion and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. I knew that they do changing of the guard ceremonies and I wasn’t particularly interested about going out of my way to see them but after leaving the Panathenaic Stadium I happened to come across one such ceremony outside of the Presidential Mansion.
Hadrian’s Library was created by the Roman Emperor Hadrian in 132 AD to the north of the Acropolis. Having spent a long time at the Athenian Agora that day as I wandered through the streets of Athens doing a bit of souvenir shopping I hesitated at the library entrance but ultimately decided that I was both a bit too hot and a bit too ancient monument fatigued to pay the entrance fee and go inside. What I did do was take some photos as I was walking by.
My last full afternoon in Athens was spent at the Athenian or Ancient Agora (not to be confused with the Roman Agora which I did not visit). It was the heart of ancient Athens where supposedly democracy first sprang to life, as the social, political and commercial hub of the city, a meeting place and a site of temples and of shops.
Another small church on Ermou Street, the heart of a popular shopping district, is the Church of Panagia Kapnikarea. Panagia as we’ve already seen relates to the Virgin Mary but more interestingly Kapnikarea relates to either the tax collector responsible for the church or the tax on residential buildings that produced smoke from cooking nearby. Dedicated to the Virgin Mary this church actually belongs to the University of Athens.
The Church of Panagia Pantanassa is another one of those tiny churches that you could almost but not quite blink and miss it. One of the oldest churches in Athens its name come from the Greek for the Virgin Mary. It has some confused origins, either dating from the 7th or the 9th century depending on which source you trust. Located at Monastiraki Square, one of the busiest areas of Athens, it was curious to see how few people were paying attention to it – now lower than the ground level it initially would have dominated this part of the city.
The Cathedral has a number of names including the Holy Metropolitan Church of the Annunciation to the Virgin Mary. It’s the principal Greek Orthodox church in Athens and is the seat of the Archbishop of Athens and All Greece. Building began on Christmas Day in 1842 using marble from 72 demolished churches.
On my last full day in Athens I decided that it was about time that I explored some of the city’s churches. My first of these was Agia Dynami partly because it was nestled under the Electra Metropolis Hotel and I could see it from my hotel balcony. The Greek Church leased the property to the hotel franchise in 2016.
I didn’t know a great deal about Maria Callas before visiting this museum but I did know that my dad was a fan and since it was very close to the hotel where I was staying and had a very eye catching frontage I decided to pay a visit. (I’ve also since seen the film Maria with Angelina Jolie as Maria Callas which I’d recommend). The museum which is the first dedicated to the singer was opened in 2023 and can be found at 44 Mitropoleos Street, opposite Athens Cathedral.
I visited the National Garden three times during my visit to Athens, once to walk through on the way to the Panathenaic Stadium, once for some welcome shade to reapply my sunscreen before heading to the Benaki Museum and once to actually explore the gardens themselves. They are 38 acres (so I didn’t explore the whole thing) and up until 1974 were called the Royal Garden, which gives you the first hint about their origins.
After I’d visited the Benaki Museum I headed practically round the corner in order to go to the Museum of Cycladic Art. Cycladic refers to the islands of the Cyclades in the Aegean Sea and the culture dates from roughly 3200 BCE to 1050 BCE. The collection was brought together by Nicholas Goulandris, a shipping magnate and his wife Dolly. It is one of the most complete collections of Cycladic art in the world.
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