Seriously, what's not to love?
One of the squares we will become very familiar with, Syntagma Square, is one of the largest in Athens, a transit hub, and one side is fronted by the Greek Parliament buildings, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. All around Parliament stand the Evzonis, Greece's elite infantry, also guards of the President, residences and Parliament.
Their dress, role and ceremony date back to the Ottoman Empire, and their name is first referenced in Homer's Iliad (from whence it came?). Every 15 minutes, there is a ceremonial changing of the guard, and other than this, these guards remain absolutely motionless.
Here he is outside of the Presidential Palace.
Highly stylized and slow-motion movement as they change positions. Hob nailed shoes weigh 5 kgs each! With challenging political times in the last decades, these soldiers have been given further training, so their role is no longer purely ceremonial. All Greek teens must enter 1 year of military training. From here, you can apply to be an Evzone, paid, with barrack housing. You must be a certain age, 6'1" tall, a certain weight, and have distinguished yourself in infantry training.
To attest to their discipline, a Molotov cocktail was thrown into one of the huts in 2001. The hut exploded. The sentry did not move. And as his uniform caught fire, his superior told him he could move, which he did. In 2010, guards were alerted that a bomb had been placed near the Tomb. Again, Evzones remained at their post while the bomb exploded.
On Marc's first run, a Sunday at Mid-morning, he came home all breathless. He had not only inadvertently snuck into the Panathaneic stadium to run, but he witnessed the Evzone's once a week full military parade! Someone's Youtube video here
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