An evening walk at the center of Athens.
hello, my friends here I am again with another photography post, this time I will post some photographs which I have captured two days ago at the center of Athens while I was having my established evening walk with a friend of mine and my dog. I captured some old buildings, some statues, some trees and the outdoor space of the parliament of Greece where a very special event was taking place.
I live very close to the Panathenaic Stadium and I pass from there very often while I am walking my dog. Lately, due to the covid19 situation, there are no security guards to stop you from approaching the ancient monument if you haven't paid the entrance fee. So this time I was given the opportunity to get closer and take some closer photos. Whoever does not know what the Panathenaic Stadium is let me inform you that it is one of the main ancient attraction of Athens and the only stadium in the world which is entirely made of marble. It was built at 330 before christ by Lykourgos and for many centuries it was hosting athletic competitions of nude men. At 556 BC the Panathenaic athletic games started to taking place there and that's how it took its name.
Although Athens is a modern city with many modern architectural diamonds taking a walk in its historic center you can admire many old buildings. Some of them are completely renovated and some others are abandoned showing us the wear and tear of time. Both of these categories are making me feel fascinated and make me admire the beauty of the old architecture of Athens with ornate designs made of marble, wood, and other materials that they used in the old days. Furthermore, they make me wonder about the history behind their sealed doors. Who was staying there? What the status of their residents was and what historical facts these buildings have lived.
One of my favorite buildings in Athens is that of the Greek parliament. This building is directly connected to the modern history of the Greek state. It was used as the palace of King Otto and King George, and 100 years after its construction it was converted into the parliament and senate building of Greece. Although I really admire this building and I do not miss the opportunity to photograph it every time I am there, at the same time I am saddened thinking of how the democracy has ended up the last 20 years. Now inside this building, you can only meet Corrupted politicians who think and act clearly in their own interest and not in our country's.
Just below the parliament, at the point of the unknown soldier, there are always 2 soldiers of the presidential guard standing there motionless, dressed in a traditional Greek uniform. These soldiers called Evzones or Tsoliades. That day, Greece was celebrating the genocide of the Pontic Greeks that took place from 1914-1923 and 335.000 souls lost by the Ottomans. It was a very special moment as in addition to the 2 evzones who are always there, there were also 2 presidential guards who wore the traditional Pontic uniform. It was a rare and moving moment and I feel very lucky to have been there at that particular time.
Right next to the parliament is the national garden. That day, on my way home, I entered the national garden and took some more pictures. I always find interesting things to capture with my camera there. Statues, trees, and many more. This time I didn't stay long so I captured only a few photos.
Today's post ends with some more photos I took from the center of Athens and the brand new fountain in Omonia Square. I captured all the pictures with my nikon d3400 with the basic lense 18-55. Thanks for stopping by see you at my next post.
