Aside from the private tours to Delphi and Meteora, the free walking tours and the solo exploration in Athens, I also had a taste of Greek hospitality. I think that it is nice to meet locals when traveling so as to get a better idea of how it’s like to live in a certain place. Luckily, I received several meet-up invitations from welcoming Greeks, willing to show me around the city and talk about Greece and/or anything under the sun. I only managed to accept a couple of them though. And so, the journey to the south of the peninsula to visit the Temple of Poseidon, god of the sea, and the trip to a local beach resort in Voula, a southern suburb of Athens, happened. 🙂
“G” took me for a ride southward of the peninsula, down to where the Temple of Poseidon was located. We agreed to meet up at the Metro Mall, a fancy shopping mall which opened in 2010. It was a super smooth ride, and we exchanged views and perspectives about life, ourselves and our cultures. Greece was experiencing an economic crisis at that time, so it was also an interesting topic for both of us. After about an hour drive, we reached Cape Sounion where the Temple of Poseidon stands up to this day. It was built in 444 BC, at the same time as the Parthenon in the Acropolis, using local marble from the valley of Agrilesa. However, only 16 of its columns survived, all of which are Doric in style. Read more about the Temple of Poseidon here.
Of course, Cape Sounion is the perfect place to put up the temple dedicated to the god of the seas! One of the legends I learned from the trip to Greece and which I won’t forget is the origin of the city of Athens. It is believed that Athena, goddess of wisdom, and Poseidon were vying to be the patron god of the city. Athena offered the olive tree to the people, while Poseidon offered the seas. The Athenians thought that the seas was already readily available to them and my, they got plenty of it, so they picked Athena and her olive tree. They also named the city after her, and they lived happily ever after. And I get to enjoy olives in the modern day. 🙂
Cape Sounion was also very picturesque! Couldn’t help but fall in love with the beautiful scenery. ❤
“G” and I shared a nice lunch before parting ways that day. People like him make the world a wonderful place to live in! And then, there’s also “N”, who tried to fit me in his busy schedule. We went to a very cozy beach resort in Voula, a suburb of Athens. The Greek knew a lot about his country, especially the language. I couldn’t remember the name of the resort, but there were plenty in the area, many to choose from! And boy, was the beach super crowded! I really enjoyed watching the sunset, as that also called for the end of my one week stay in Greece. 😦
There you have it! Will I go back and visit Greece again? Most probably! Men do the sign of the cross when passing by churches, and I guess, that’s a pretty rare sight in Europe. 😀 I had a great time and it was a fantastic opportunity for me to reconnect with my self. 😉 Cheers! ❤
PinayOdyssey 