Category: Greek Island villages and towns (Page 22 of 32)

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.

A wall-mounted planter brings the lane’s blue theme to eye level

The lane bathes in the golden glow of the slowly-setting sun

The Gulf of Milos and mountains on the west side of the gulf are visible from the end of the lane …

… as you can see from this shot, taken facing toward the west and looking down the steps we have climbed so far

We saw this cat sitting in the lane during our first visit to Milos back in 2007

Marvellous winter moments on Mykonos

March 4, 2014 / admin / 2 Comments

Mykonos Island “when no one’s watching” from Andreas Bekas on Vimeo.

Mention Mykonos, and most people instantly imagine sun-scorched rocky hills; crescent-shaped beaches packed end-to-end with people partying under searing sunshine; throngs of tourists swarming the iconic windmills on the hill near Little Venice; gigantic cruise ships docking at both of the island’s ports; and luxurious private yachts dropping anchor in almost every bay. That’s a fairly accurate image of what the island is like during the peak travel months of July and August.

But Mykonos has a completely different look during winter when the island’s 10,000 residents have the beaches and monuments entirely to themselves. The hillsides are verdant with winter flowers and greenery; the quiet beaches are empty of people, lounge chairs and umbrellas; and there’s nary a soul to be seen near the windmills or on the seaside at Little Venice.

Spectacular video by Andreas Bekas

In his spectacular time-lapse video Mykonos Island: When no one’s watching, photographer Andreas Bekas captures the Mykonos landscape in moments of peace, quiet, solitude and colour that few tourists ever get to see.

The 2.5-minute video opens with striking sunrise views of the Agios Iakovos chapel near Agios Sostis (which I profiled in a June 10 2013 post), and features scenes including: the five windmills at Alefkandra; the Armenistis lighthouse; the Bonis windmill on the hill above Mykonos Town; vast expanses of green countryside; the blissfully empty beaches at Paraga, Kalfatis and Panormos; the remarkable Paraportiani Church; and a moody view of the Little Venice seafront. The clip concludes with an aerial view of an eerily quiet Mykonos Town and harbourfront at sunset; a star-filled sky above a rustic dovecoat; and tall green grass rustling in wind.

Makes me wish I could take a winter trip to Mykonos!

Syrmata on the Klima seaside

February 24, 2014 / admin / 0 Comments

Some of the colourful syrmata (fishermen’s boathouses) that line the narrow seashore at Klima village on Milos

Houses on the hills below Astipalea’s kastro

February 19, 2014 / admin / 0 Comments

Early evening sunshine illuminates the historic Venetian-era kastro (castle) and Chora village on Astipalea island

A ‘Jaded’ view of Mykonos

February 12, 2014 / admin / 0 Comments

Whitewashed hotels and houses on the Tagoo hillside north of Mykonos Town are visible on the starboard (right hand) side of the Norwegian Jade cruise ship, seen here while it was docked at the New Port in Tourlos on May 16 2012

A view of the Jade’s bow shortly before the ship hauled anchor and pulled out of the Tourlos port. It was one of at least six cruise ships that visited Mykonos that day. One of the others was the 4-masted Windstar vessel visible at left.

Three members of the Norwegian Jade crew take in the view from a service door near the cruise ship’s bow …

… while a few passengers on the upper deck take one last look at the island before the ship departs. The Jade can carry 2,402 passengers and 1,078 crew.

More of Mykonos Town comes into view as the Jade pulls away from the pier

An 11 a.m. view of the Jade docked at Tourlos. The ship arrived at Mykonos in the morning and set sail for another destination around 6 in the evening.

Monuments and houses in Kos Town

February 12, 2014 / admin / 0 Comments

History and archaeology buffs will enjoy visiting Kos island. In Kos Town, you don’t have to walk far to find monuments and historic ruins — they’re practically all over the place, right along residential and commercial streets as well as in the main tourist district in the center of town.

A captivating view of Kastro village on Sifnos

February 11, 2014 / admin / 0 Comments

One of the most memorable moments of our trip to Sifnos happened while we were hiking down the valley below Apollonia, and Kastro village suddenly came into view. The centuries-old settlement perched on a cliff high above the sea was one of the most exhilarating and breathtaking sights we have ever seen while walking in Greece. Built between the 14th and 18th Centuries, Kastro was the capital of Sifnos during the medieval period. It’s a must-see if you ever visit the island.

Arriving at Parikia port on Paros

February 10, 2014 / admin / 0 Comments

The Seajets passenger ferry Superjet enters Parikia Bay as it heads to port at Paros island on October 13 2013

The town of Parikia looms larger as Superjet approaches the ferry quay. I shot the photos above, as well as two of the videos below, from the Blue Star Ferries ship Paros as it departed Parikia en route to Athens.

This is a short clip of Superjet that I shot from the Blue Star Paros.

This video (Part 1 of 2) shows views of Parikia and some of its waterfront on the south side of the port. I shot this clip from a deck of the Blue Star Paros as it approached and prepared to dock at Parikia en route from Naxos to Piraeus.

This is the second clip I shot from the Blue Star ferry. It shows parts of Parikia and the bay on the north side of the port.

For a completely different perspective, here’s a video shot from land, showing the Paros docking at Parikia. It was filmed by YouTube member Steffen Mork.