Italy & Greece Trip Report     April 8-23, 2026    Day 11: Changing of the Guard in Athens Day Ten                                         Day Twelve Rome     Athens       Tuscany

The Evzones is a special unit of the Hellenic Army, also known as Tsoliades

Sunday was our final day in Athens and we had no rigid plans. We took our time getting started, and made our way to Syntagma Square about 25 minutes before 11 AM to find a spot to watch the Changing of the Guard at Parliament House. Although there are small ceremonies each hour, day & night, on Sunday morning there is a big ceremony.

The crowd was already 7 or 8 people deep, but we inched our way a little closer. A few minutes before the hour, we started hearing the band and as the band and troops arrived, one of the people in front of us seemed to appreciate our using real cameras and helped us get a little better shots. The soldiers are selected in part for their height and are striking in their traditional uniforms and with their unusual marching step.

Following the ceremony, we took some closer photos of the two soldiers who were left on duty, then made our way through the attractive nearby National Garden, selecting a route which would take us through the zoo. The zoo turned out to be just some birds and farm animals.

We wandered on, visiting a large building called Zappeion Hall, which was built in the 1880s for the first modern Olympic games, and getting escorted out on the other side, as it wasn't officially open. We photographed the Arch of Hadrian and Temple of Olympian Zeus, before visiting more of Adrianou Street and returning to a shop to buy a gift for a granddaughter which we had seen the night before.

After lunch at Eugenia restaurant (Linda had grilled sea breem and I had mousaka, which I enjoyed very much), we took a break at the hotel before walking to the National Archaological Museum. Our guide from the day before told us not to go there before 2:30 or 3 when it would be less crowded. The walk was nearly 2 miles and we arrived after 3, only to find out that the museum's winter hours had been extended until May 3, and the last admittance for the day had been at 3 PM. It was another long walk back to the hotel through a somewhat barren area of graffiti covered buildings and few open businesses.

We had a low key supper at Suvla Athens, with Linda having a wrap while I had chicken skewers. Than we prepared for traveling to Florence, Italy the next day and I planned exactly how we would get there.