Syntagma Square

Today was Athens Tours a la Tourist. The day started with a metro ride to Syntagma Square, the central square on the steps of parliament house. Parliament house was originally a palace. It was initially built as the residence of King Otto but has been used as the house of parliament since 1934. Historically and socially this square has significant importance to Greeks.

The name comes from the uprising in 1843 when the military gathered in the square and demanded a constitution from King Otto. Unsurprisingly Syntagma means constitution.

Within the square you can find the tomb of the unknown solider which is guarded by Evzones. These men are elaborated dressed complete with pompoms on their shoes. Every hour there is a changing of the guard, and they do some crazy marching complete with high kicks.

We then strolled through the botanical gardens taking in the beautiful Zappieon (yellow building) which is used for meetings, ceremonies and private functions.Read more