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!

Easter in Greece

 We got to celebrate two Easters this year.  One was the Easter that we celebrate in the states and a week later when the Greeks celebrate it based on the Julian calendar.  When we were returning from our trip to Meteora, we saw a big exodus leaving Athens.  Many head for their ancestral homes on the islands or in the countryside when it is Easter.  

Exiting Athens for Easter ...2 hour wait for some

Wanting to experience Easter, we bought the Tsoureki with the red egg from our local bakery.  I thought everything looked yummy.  The Tsoureki is a traditional sweet bread made for Easter.  It was yummy and moist.  The red colored eggs symbolize the blood and sacrifice of Christ on the cross and the egg symbolizes rebirth.  You can buy the eggs colored at the store.  Eggs are not refrigerated in Greece but sit on the shelf like boxed goods. 

When we were walking home from church on the Greek Easter, we saw lambs on spits out on the patios of some apartments.  We saw people gathering to eat.  They have been fasting from meat for Holy week. On Easter Eve, there is mass at midnight with candlelit processions followed by fireworks.  We were too tired to stay up but the younger missionaries went to mass downtown. 

Easter Traditions

One of the things you can do with the red eggs, is hit another person's red egg and see who will have luck for the coming year, if your egg comes out ahead. On Good Friday we heard the mournful ring of the church bells throughout the day signifying Christ's death.  One of our branch member said that after the mass on Easter Eve, she ate Mayiritsa which is an Easter soup signifying the end of fasting.  It is made from goat or lamb intestines, kidneys, other inside parts, rice, herbs, and lemon.  She was not particularly fond of it but she tried it!  

In General Conference Elder Stevenson began with his talk titled: Greatest Story Ever Told.  He talked about how we celebrate Christmas compared with Easter and said, These words of the Prophet Joseph Smith add additional context to the significance of the events surrounding Easter: “The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it.”  He asked, How do we model the teaching and celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Easter story, with the same balance, fulness, and rich religious tradition of the birth of Jesus Christ, the Christmas story?  He encouraged, "This includes a greater and more thoughtful recognition of Palm Sunday and Good Friday as practiced by some of our Christian cousins."   

I am grateful to have experienced Easter with Greek Orthodox friends and hope that we can plan better next year with our family to celebrate it with more thoughtful traditions that will help us focus on the Atonement of Christ and the Resurrection.  I know that the resurrection has more meaning each day for me as thoughts of our son Bryce are never far away.  I am grateful for that perspective and for the blessing of family.  

Happy 47th Anniversary in Greece!

To celebrate our anniversary, we went to the Davelis cave.  It is a cave in Penteli, a mountain to the north of Athens.  It is an ancient cave in a former marble quarry that was used to build the Parthenon.  It was used as a hideout for thieves, a place for monks and others.  It was built during the Byzantine age directly into the front of the cave. 

 

We walked around and found many places that were quarried for the marble.  We saw a group learning how to rock climb.  We could see the rings ( carabiners) that had been pounded into the marble cliff for rock climbers. 

From there I explored a house made out of rocks that had fallen into disrepair.  It had a rock fireplace and several rooms.  The view of Athens was amazing. 

We then drove to the Holy Monastery of Saint Penteli.  It was a beautiful monastery that had no information written in English and all the doors to the different buildings once you entered the gates were closed.  We did see a priest walking down from the mountain and taking time to visit the sheep that were wandering in the orchard.  

Founded in 1578 by bishop Evripos Timotheos, a local saint of Attica, the all-male Penteli Monastery was built amid the lush greenery at the foot of Mount Penteli.

Devoted to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, the monastery was constructed with financial support from the Degleris family. The number of monks residing at the monastery rose to more than 100 after many who previously lived solitary lives in nearby caves relocated here.

Under Ottoman occupation, the monastery owned large tracts of land in the Penteli area and throughout Attica. Due to its longstanding relationship with the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, the monastery was granted many privileges by the Ottomans.

With high walls and heavy wooden gates, the monastery’s exterior resembles a castle, while the interior buildings incorporate architectural elements from ancient churches.

From 1778 to 1780, the monastery served as a shelter for residents of Athens fleeing a plague that was ravaging the city. It continued to operate without incident until it was once again pillaged in 1821 by retreating Turkish forces during the Greek War of Independence. The monastery was again renovated and enlarged in 1858. It has remained relatively untouched since.  It was very large and beautiful.

To finish off the day, we went to a restaurant in our neighborhood that we walk past all the time.  It didn’t seem very busy but as we sat there, I could see the delivery motorbikes coming and going and people walking in and getting their phone orders.  We didn’t know what to expect and were pleasantly surprised.  We really like our neighborhood.  We have gone to the barber, the dry cleaners, the shoe repair, the mini market, the street market, several bakeries…there are so many bakeries and grocery stores.  They are all within walking distance by our apartment. 

Grilled Meat platter 

This is a very long entry.  It is very much like a travelogue.  I think one of the thoughts that came to me was how diverse Athens is and that within 30 min. you can go either to the sea or to the mountains and find many places to explore.  We look at each other from time to time and wonder why we were sent to Greece.  There is no answer now but we are grateful to be sent to a place where we can pray for the blessings of heaven to poured out on these people.  They are animated, generous, and big hearted.  What's not to love about that?  We were able to meet with our young missionaries and put together hygiene kits for the homeless with Praksis.  I don't think they were expecting so many of us but they were very grateful for the way we just got it done.  

Sleeping bags, bottled water, wipes, toothpaste and brush, hand sanitizer, Kleenex, and toilet paper. This Sunday I will be teaching Relief Society on President Nelson's talk: Peacemakers Needed. It is my favorite talk of Conference.  He said: “As disciples of Jesus Christ, we are to be examples of how to interact with others — especially when we have differences of opinion,” he said. “One of the easiest ways to identify a true follower of Jesus Christ is how compassionately that person treats other people.”