Evzone Guards

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Syntagma, Constitution Square.

This is the tomb of the unknown soldier in front of the former Royal Palace.  Since the abolition of the monarchy in 1974 it has been used as the Presidential Palace.  

The sculpture is of a Greek soldier and the inscriptions are excerpts from the Funeral Oration of Pericles,  430 B.C. in honour of Athenians slain in the Peloponnesian War.
Every hour on the hour three Evzone Guards march down from their camp to re enact the ritual changing of the guard.

 
This day they are wearing khaki kilts, the previous day they were in much heavier aubergine kilts.  Perhaps they had just changed from winter to summer issue.
With a high stepping arm swinging gait the relief guard approach.  Freezing momentarily in mid movement.  It seems a slightly bizarre ceremony but I never tired of watching it.
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