The Temple of Poseidon at Sounion is one of the better preserved temples that we've come across thus far in by far one of the most scenic locations. You can see the temple columns from the coastal road that you use to access the site and it doesn't take long to realize how massive the structure must have been. All that remains now are a handful of eight or so columns sitting about in a neatly organized and professional fashion, atop a cliff that makes you question the sanity and ingenuity of its Greek architects. The temple looks outward over the Aegean Sea, expected since Poseidon was the God of the Ocean, but how close it was to the edge of the cliff was rather disturbing.
Poseidon's home sits only a few meters from the edge of the soft stone cliff that, overtime, will give way to erosion by the high winds seen at the top and the crashing waves below. To see something so old survive the immense natural pressures that must have been put on it over the centuries was impressive beyond words. I've seen modern steel structures been ripped apart by wind and I'm sure the temple has seen its fair share of storms, high winds and hurricanes yet it still stands like an unconquerable behemoth. I suppose one day it may fall into the sea, but almost 3000 years later, the winds of nature have not brought down this structure of ancient man.
The stop was very aesthetically pleasing but I feel as though we may have dwelled too long at the site. Despite the venerable nature of the temple, the site is very bland considering others we had seen and the views of the endless Aegean Sea below are the only true attractions to hold a tourists attention for longer than a half hour. My willingness to leave may have been amplified by my hunger and the always persistent heat from the sun that beat us down as we lingered atop the treeless cliff. With beaches, food and the first relaxation day that we had known in quite some time, it was normal to feel a bit antsy about moving on to the next site. Still, I had to take one more look at the structure before I left, to appreciate its size and its defiance to the will of nature.
After a delicious lunch and much griping about the heat, we arrived at our beach destination and eagerly bounded into the salty water to escape the clutches of Apollo's wrath. The water was remarkably cold given the heat of the day and though refreshing, left a lingering chill that even treading water could not quell. I was surprised at how quickly the bottom dropped off into the deep. From the shore I saw a dozen or so people calmly bobbing in the waters 200 yards away and assumed that sandbar or some other natural formation was there to aid these people in staying afloat. As I got out to where these people were, I realized how terribly wrong my assumption was. I don't know what Greek Coast Guard Academy these people graduated from, but the amount of time they spent treading water was nothing short of inhuman. I'll be the first to tell you that I'm not the strongest swimmer and that the initial panic I felt had to be quickly suppressed by my passionate focus on getting back to shore. I stopped for a moment and found myself treading water much longer than I was normally used to and saw the waves gently pushing me out towards the gulf. Damn current.
The fight back to shore was a struggle, but it only took me five minutes or so to get back to standing water. I wasn't as far out as I initially thought so a few Olympic style backstrokes and course corrections and I was easily back in my comfort zone. I was quite proud of my ability to analyse the situation and rely on my limited swimming ability to get me safely back to shallow waters, but it made me think that I made need to take a class or two to up my general aquatic proficiency. After an hour or some more of embracing the cool water, I returned to shore to listen to remixed 80's hits play over the loudspeakers and drift off into a peaceful slumber of salt and sunburn.
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