My Favorite Thing

Changing of the Guard

 at the Unknown Soldier

 Monument 

The Evzones are

 symbols of bravery

 and courage to the Greeks. 

Every hour something cool happens across from Syntagma square in front of the Parliament building. There is a special monument to the Unknown Soldier. Evzones, a special unit of the Hellenic army, guard the monument. They also guard the Presidential Mansion. They began this ritual in 1868 where the guards change on the hour. The soldiers of the Presidential Guard are selected according to their height, excellent physical condition, and psychological state as well as character and morality, as they follow a hard training before they become part of this honorary unit. The training lasts for one month and includes exercises to keep the body and mind still. Apart from staying still, the soldiers must also not make any face or eye move and must not show any expression. They must be fit enough to raise their legs to shoulder height, completely straight, as they march back and forth each day. This is all accomplished through five weeks of top-secret training that almost half of all chosen candidates fail to complete. 

Any form of communication while standing on duty is forbidden. However, a soldier in regular military uniform always accompanies each pair of evzones. The evzone is allowed to communicate with him by hitting the butt of his gun on the ground. The soldier then moves in front of him, asks him questions, and the evzone blinks once for ‘yes,’ twice for ‘no’ and three times for ‘I don’t know. We watched as several times the tourists got close or wanted to have a picture taken with the soldier and they hit the butt of the gun on the ground. 

The uniform has 400 folds to represent the 400 years of Ottoman occupation over the Greeks.  It takes 6 months to complete the embroidered vest. Sixty nails are beat into the soles of their shoes (tsarouchis) making a distinct sound as they scrape it along the marble. The sound is symbolic: it's made so that their ancestors can hear that they are Greeks and are alive and free. The tsarouchi’s pompons would protect the toes from the snow and cold, and helped make the shoe waterproof. The pompons also served as a handy place to stash a small knife. It takes an hour for the soldier to get dressed for duty. They pull on tights, secure undergarments with belts and iron out bell bottomed shirt sleeves. During the changing, they work in pairs so they can perfectly coordinate their moves. 

The steps that the official ceremony requires at the time of changing are carried out in really slow motion to protect their blood circulation after 60 min of immobility. 

Why did I spend so much time writing about one of my favorite things? I am fascinated by their uniforms, their discipline and the reflection of Greek heritage shown in a most unique way. It is important that we realize how we reflect our belief in Jesus Christ by the way we dress, act, and learn to be disciplined in the way we interact and talk to others. It is good to listen more than be heard, to take time to pay attention to what is happening around us and then use those tools to serve others. 

God will use you to make the lives of others better. --Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Free Museum Day and Randomness

Every month in Athens, there is a free museum day that usually honors someone or something Greek.  It is a great opportunity to see places in Athens for free.  It comes with crowds but that is part of the fun.  This month we went to the Archaeological Museum of Athens.  It is the largest museum in Greece and very important because it houses antiquities from all over Greece.  It was huge and we felt rather overwhelmed but because we live here, we can go again and again. 

Before the Crowds We had a special opportunity to meet district leaders from many European countries that are in the Central Europe District.  They were in Athens to have a retreat with staff that serve in our German office.  They were learning self care techniques and enjoying Athens.  We were in charge of cleaning the church room where they would meet and fixing food for their Sunday meal before they would be heading home.  I felt so much appreciation for these District Leaders that have so much responsibility to take care of their area that is so spread out.  I hope I never forget when I am back in my neighborhood where everyone is tucked into a few blocks.  They came from Thessaloniki, Albania, Serbia, Austria, Germany.... Sister missionaries translating  Sister Reidhead is a wonderful meal planner...maybe some things will rub off District Council Each week we gather with the young missionaries to review, organize and plan.  It is not easy being a young missionary in Athens.  The Greek Orthodox church is a way of living here much like being in Utah with a church on every corner.  The churches are beautiful.  I love hearing the bells ring all over Athens wherever you are.   Eating leftovers from the Coordinating  Council--it is always good to plan for extra food! They are looking at pictures of our missionaries when they were young and guessing who is who.  They had a great time and we love being with them and learning who they are.  Prison of Socrates and Philopappus Hill Southwest of the Acropolis is Philopappus Hill where a monument and burial chamber stands on the top.  Philopappus was a Roman magistrate.  On this hill is where they think Socrates was imprisoned and died by poisoning but no one is really sure.  It is a lovely, quiet wooded area with trails and fantastic views of the sea and Athens.  I took the picture of the boy doing crazy stuff on the post while admiring his strength.  It would have been a cooler picture if I had taken it a little sooner when he had both legs upright.  Grandchild's baptism We are grateful for technology and the ability to tune in from far away to special events in our family's lives.  We were so happy to be able to watch our grand daughter being baptized and then to visit a little with those in attendance.  It is really awesome when I think back at the time our children were on missions and we had snail mail and then email, the call on Christmas and Mother's Day.  Moms just don't have that same excitement now because they can talk to their missionary every week. I am glad they can! May the 4th...our cute little Ewok grand daughter Athen's Cemetery We needed a break from the computer and got on the metro to see Athen's Cemetery.  It is the first cemetery in Athens and has many important people buried here.  It is one of the largest cemeteries in Europe.  Everything was marble and I mean everything.  Not the trees.  Plaka Above my head is the Acropolis.  Down below lies the historic Plaka and neighborhoods.  The roads are narrow and homes are clustered together.  There are no big apartment buildings. It is a lot like Santorini with white washed walls and blue doors.   This will be my first Mother's Day away from home.  I always had my mom to celebrate until 2 years ago.  I have loved being a mom.  It is better than I ever thought it would be when I was single, pregnant, or with 4 kids under 5 with cloth diapers.  It's the best deal ever beside Kim.  My mom is holding me.  She made all our clothes and they were beautiful like her!