Words and Photos by: Anthony Parcon
A trip to Cape Sounion is an encounter with a different world. A tourist visiting for the first time at this site would either be perplexed or
dumbfounded by the bizarre but scenic and composed milieu, a very direct
contrast to the busy and life on the fast lane in cosmopolitan Athens.
Travelling for two hours from the Greek capital by bus or coaster to
this southernmost tip of Attica peninsula for a distance of 69 kilometers,
going through the scenic and classy coastal suburbs of Glyfada, Voula,
Vouliagmeni, and Varkiza , one can pass through sun worshippers enjoying an
idyllic beach, a group of men fishing , windsurfing, or simply cruising the
Saronic Gulf.
Although there's a suggestion to travel to this site in the morning
to avoid the mudding crowd waiting for the most beautiful sunset all over
Greece, afternoon is still the best time in my opinion to visit this unique
attraction. On the day that I went to this amazing place, I came from
Vouliagmeni so it just took me more than an hour before I reach my destination.
The bus arrived near the entrance booth of The Temple of Poseidon at
around four o'clock. Based on my research on the internet, sunset could be at
6:43 for that day so I had more than enough time to tour around the panoramic and
breathtaking view of the peninsula surrounded by the sea on its three sides.
The
Temple of Poseidon was built on 5th B.C. and like The Parthenon, it
is also of Dorian architecture. Although the bronze statue of the Sea God has
been transferred to the National Archeological Museum in Athens for
safekeeping, the presence of Poseidon guarding the sea, watching the Greek
soldiers to return for their loved ones after the war during the ancient times
or guiding the merchants and traders on their journey to faraway lands can
still be felt here.
One drawback of a solitary traveler is you don't have anyone to take
your photo and I don't attempt to do a selfie photo session during travel. So on every place that I visit, I searched
for someone preferably a solo traveler like me to do the shoot for me and in
return I'll take his or her too. In Sounion, I was fortunate to find one at the
entrance kiosk. There was a lovely fair
looking girl more or less in her late teens or early twenties; ascending toward
the temple so I greeted her, "Hola!" although I was not certain if
she really spoke Espanol, I was just in
the mood to say Spanish as inspired by the Spanish-speaking horde of tourists I
saw earlier at the café. And, I was not in vain! Although she did not speak the
language per se, she understood it since she spoke Portuguese; she was from Belem,
Brazil after all and they are surrounded by their Spanish-speaking neighbors on
the west, north and south.
I capitalized on some general knowledge trivia I know that connects
our two different countries to steer up the conversation. I asked her if she
know knew this cool fact: The Philippines is the exact antipode nation on the
globe of Brazil. Meaning it is the point of the earth's surface that is direct
opposite to it, if you're going to connect a straight line from The Philippines
passing through the earth's inner core, you'll end up in Brazil!
One of the temple's visitors is the prominent English Romanticist
poet, George Lord Byron, who left his graffiti somewhere in the temple and if
you have a camera with a decent lens or if bring with you a binoculars, you can
check his famous inscriptions written in one of the ancient columns.
Temple Entrance: 4 Euro
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