"Cape Sounio & Poseidon's Temple" a Sounio Travel Page by johngayton

Sounio itself sits at the tip of Cape Sounio, about 70 kilometres south of Athens, and makes for an excellent day out. Sounio is best known for the majestic ruins of the Temple of Poseidon sitting atop the cliff, but there is so much more to the area than just the temple. The drive itself, once you escape the chaos of suburban Athens, becomes a pleasure (even though I wasn't actually doing the driving) and as you arrive at the Cape it is well worth leaving the main road and exploring the many little coves and bays on the coast.

For such a beautifully scenic part of the country the area is remarkably undeveloped, definitely a credit the local planning authorities (although there are the odd touches of obscene modernity).

The problem I'm having here in starting this page is selecting a photo which sums the place up, every one of my photos screams "ME! ME!" at me as I try to select one to head the page.

Finally I've opted for this one, this little mama crab, with her roe, tucked away in a crack in the rocks at a tiny semi-derilict harbour where the illegal holiday homes are which get a mention in my "Off the Beaten Path" tips.

This pic was taken inside one of the run-down "holiday homes" at a little off the road bay down towards Cape Sounio and evokes a tall swarthy guy with his young wife escaping the city for the month of August, perhaps they are artists, perhaps musicians or even Gypsies. For the month or so they are part of a small community of fellow travellers and spend their days swimming in the secluded bays, their evenings around camp fires with wine and song. And their nights.............

This is what draws most people to Sounio, the 2 and a half thousand year old remains of the Temple of Poseidon which sits atop the cliff overlooking the Aegean Sea.

One can imagine that there has been many a thankful prayer to the Gods at the first sighting of this temple on the skyline from the myriad of seafarers returning to the mainland after their voyages.

This is where a pretty girl in a white dress comes in handy ;p