Therein in Cape Saunion lies a temple which was dedicated to Poseidon, the God of sea by offering gifts, prayers and sacrifices to avoid misfortune. One can't help but feel that the people of Greece really love their ancient Gods and value the rich history that makes Greece what it is today.
Our journey to Cape Saunion started around 5pm in the afternoon on a hot summer's day. The journery by coach took about 1.5 hours out from the city. It is a pleasant drive with scenery of beautiful people, houses, and the sea....the sea is the best view of all, as it is clear blue, fresh and slightly cold as it is just the beginning of summer. The sea follows us all the way from Athens to Cape Saunion. On the way, we saw many people parked by the roadside to take a swim in the sea, some are private beaches, some are public beaches, the Greeks do love their sea.
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| From far the temple sits atop a hill overlooking the Aegean sea |
As we inched closer to Cape Sounion, we could see the hill with the temple on top. The bus driver obligingly stopped for us to take some pictures while the guide was giving us some background story of the temple. Even from far, it is beautiful. We continued on till we reached the foothill. There was an entrance fees of 6 euro. Then we climb up the hill which has a breath taking view below where there's a resort and a private beach which would be full come summer. For now its idyllic with just the occasional visitor.
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Breath taking view of the Aegean sea as we climb up the hill to see the temple
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It was said that this temple was where Zeus stayed during the day and at night he would travel back to Athens to preside over. I can see why Zeus wanted to stay here during the day. The air is fresh and breezy, the view is breath taking with maybe a 100 foot drop down the sea and the sun set is just magnificient. I don't know how Zeus traveled and I would imagine being a God, he would be able to fly or in a blink of an eye just traveled back and fro Athens and here just to catch the sunset. The Greeks believed that the gods are immortal, could change shape and can travel anywhere instantaneously.
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| Don't know what is this phenomenon, but looks like the cloud is eclipsing the sun as it inches down to set |
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| We waited till sunset to enjoy the view |
The trip to Cape Saunion is one of the most memorable trip in Greece. Not because the temple was so magnificient but because of where it is situated made you feel like you are on top of the world - here to enjoy God's creation. Historically, the temple also served its purpose as a watch tower over the sea for invading troops as it has a vantage point for lookout.
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