Greece holiday pic of the day | MY GREECE TRAVEL BLOG

Category: Greece holiday pic of the day (page 3 of 36)

A swell time at Angali beach on Folegandros island

This marvellous photo of massive waves crashing ashore at Angali beach on Folegandros was posted online recently by Instagram member Io2109 …

… while this image, which is from a photo gallery on the Folegandros.com travel website, shows the scenic beach and bay in weather conditions far more suitable for enjoyable swimming and sunbathing

Beautiful bay: Every time I see photos of Folegandros, I feel an urge to curse and kick.

I want to curse the wind because that’s what caused the cancellation of ferry service during two days of our Greek holiday in 2007, and kept us from spending as much time on Folegandros as we had planned.

And I feel like kicking myself for not making a better effort to get back to Folegandros for a repeat visit in the years that have passed since our far-too-brief introduction to this charming island in the West Cyclades.

Folegandros is an ideal destination for hikers, and we did a lot of walking during our whirlwind two-day visit that September (we were supposed to have had 3.5 days there, but Mother Nature made certain we saw more of Sifnos instead. No offence to Sifnos, but we really regret getting shortchanged on Folegandros).

One of our walks took us from Chora to Ano Meria village, where we had an unforgettable lunch at Irini’s grocery store & café (which I profiled in a June 23 2012 post), and then walked to Angali beach, where we stopped at a hillside taverna to rest with a cold drink while taking in the terrific views of the picturesque bay.

Sunshine, clear skies and a light breeze

It was a gorgeous sunny day with clear skies, a faint breeze and warm temperatures. There were only about two dozen people at the beach that afternoon, and most were either playing paddleball or sunbathing on the sand. The sea was cool but fairly calm, and a few people were taking quick dips and swimming.

I have vivid memories of how peaceful Angali Bay looked on that particular day, so I almost didn’t recognize it in a photo I discovered while surfing the web today. The picture that caught my attention is the one at the top of this post — a dramatic image of huge, wide waves breaking ashore as greyish-white clouds sweep across the blue sky above. The striking scene was captured by Instagram member Io2109, and I loved her photo so much I couldn’t help but share it. (Check her Instagram page for additional fabulous photos of Folegandros as well as other places in Greece.)

Below are more images of Angali beach and bay. The first picture is from the Travel to Folegandros travel website, while the rest are shots we took back in September 2007. Sometime (soon, I hope) we’ll get back to Folegandros to see parts of the island we missed first time around.

This image, from a photo gallery on the Travel to Folegandros website, shows the boat dock, beach and bay at Angali

Partway down the steep road that leads to Angali beach

Nudist campers definitely aren’t welcome here!

Two visitors (bottom left) take a swim in the bay’s turquoise water

Rolling mountain terrain and cliffs along Angali Bay

A fishing boat enters Angali Bay

View from the fishing boat quay near Angali beach

Boats docked at the small quay near the beach

Whitewashed buildings with blue shutters on the hill above Angali beach

There are a few tavernas and several rental accommodations at the beach

Cliffs rise above the eastern end of the beach

Paddleball game in progress

Paddleball players on the beach

Sunbathers on the rocky shoreline to the east of the sandy beach

A boat sits at anchor in the middle of Angali Bay

Approaching Katapola port on Amorgos

April 28, 2014 / admin / 0 Comments

Part of the Katapola area on the northwest coast of Amorgos. Katapola is one of the two ports on the island (the other is at Egali, 23 km to the northeast) and the horseshoe-shaped bay is home to three separate villages: Katapola, Rahidi and Ksilokeratidi. Click the picture to view a full-size photo.

Walls along a footpath on Sifnos

April 20, 2014 / admin / 0 Comments

A footpath winds between tall stone walls in Artemonas village on Sifnos. We appreciated the walls while hiking because they offered some protection from the strong cool winds that buffeted the island for three full days during our visit in late September 2007. Sifnos has an extensive network of trails and footpaths that link villages and lead avid walkers and hikers to scores of scenic locations. Click here to access directions for nearly 50 different walk itineraries on Sifnos provided by the popular multilingual website Walking, hiking and trekking in Greece.

Kokkari’s waterfront restaurant row

April 19, 2014 / admin / 2 Comments

Taverna signs compete for customers’ attention along the waterfront pedestrian promenade in Kokkari village on Samos island.

Another view of “restaurant row” from a position a bit farther along the strip

A view from across the bay of restaurants along part of the Kokkari waterfront

The tavernas have sheltered dining terraces either right next to the water or beside the narrow shore that extends along part of the harbourside

The tables offer scenic views of the harbour, in all directions …

… while some waterfront bars offer comfortable cushioned seats for customers to relax in while enjoying drinks and the Kokkari scenery

Along the scenic clifftop path on Santorini

April 18, 2014 / admin / 0 Comments

A man passes Anita’s Villas as walks the clifftop footpath through Imerovigli village on Santorini. The path extends from Fira to Oia and the walk between the two villages takes from two to four hours. The cliff walk offers superlative views of spectacular scenery the entire way, and is one of our favourite ways to enjoy Santorini. We would describe the hike from Fira to Oia as a “must do” activity for visitors to the island. Click the image to view a larger photo.

Corfu’s picturesque Paleokastritsa beach

April 15, 2014 / admin / 0 Comments

When freezing rain, snow and icy cold temperatures returned this week after our agonizingly brief interlude of pleasant spring weather, this lovely photo of a gorgeous beach at Paleokastritsa on Corfu instantly calmed me down and took my mind off the wintry conditions outside. The photograph was shot by Flickr member Marite2007 and appears in her Corfu Island photo set on Flickr. Click here to view her Flickr page, which includes beautiful photo sets for a variety of charming Greek islands I haven’t yet had a chance to visit myself, including Karpathos, Lipsi, Kimilos, Kalymnos, Poros, Agistri, Paxos, Antipaxos, Kythnos, Serifos, Leros and Symi. And if you’d like more information about Paleokastritsa,
check out the Paleokastritsa Bliss website.

A Kos beach view toward Turkey

March 31, 2014 / admin / 0 Comments

Clouds pass above the coast of Turkey in this evening view from one of the beaches at Kos Town on the Dodecanese island of Kos

A colourful lane on the Kastro hillside on Milos

March 27, 2014 / admin / 0 Comments

Pots of pink and red geraniums add pops of colour to a blue-painted footpath on the Kastro hillside above Plaka village on Milos island. This is only one of many impressive sights visitors will encounter while hiking the steep footpath from Plaka to Kastro. The spectacular panoramic views from the Kastro mountain peak, especially at sunset, are a “must-see” attraction on Milos.

That’s me at the blue lane during our climb to Kastro for sunset

Pink geraniums in a white pot beside the blue lane

You’ll pass the lane partway up the path to Kastro. It’s a pretty place to stop and catch your breath before climbing the rest of the steep steps to the mountaintop.