A red-domed church in Mykonos Town
«»
Category: Greek Islands photos (Page 62 of 70)
The gorgeous swimming pool at the Honeymoon Petra Villas in Imerovigli is positioned on the Santorini caldera cliffside hundreds of feet above the Aegean Sea …
… with spectacular views of Nea Kameni, the volcano island
Deep freeze: There are two great ways to beat the extreme summer heat in the Greek Islands: go for a swim in the sea, or take a plunge in a really cool hotel pool. But depending on the time of season you travel, there’s a good chance the pool could be cooler, if not downright frigid. There’s also a chance the water in both the sea and the pools could be too cold for swimming altogether. At least, that’s been our experience.
We typically travel to Greece in May, and have always encountered hot weather — including brief but brutal heat waves on Naxos and Santorini that sent afternoon temperatures soaring to nearly 40 Celsius. But regardless of how hot the air temperature got, the Aegean Sea has always been too cold for us to swim. In fact, there have been times I couldn’t even wade in the water during visits to Mykonos, Naxos, Paros and Santorini because it felt like my feet started to freeze only seconds after stepping in. Even just dipping my toes in the water at Super Paradise beach on Mykonos one May was too painful because the water was so bitterly cold.
Surprisingly, our hotel swimming pools haven’t been much warmer. And sometimes they’ve actually been colder! I could count on one hand the number of times we were able to spend more than five minutes in a pool, and on just one finger the number where we lasted longer than 10 minutes.
Even when we travelled to the islands during the second half of September one year, we got to swim only twice — once in the sea (which was blissfully warm) and once in a pool (which was shockingly cold) — even though Greece had experienced blistering heat waves throughout the summer.
Are we disappointed that we haven’t been able to do more swimming in Greece? Maybe just a bit. We’ve had good times at plenty of island beaches, and we’ve enjoyed spectacular views from most of our hotel swimming pool terraces. Cooling off with an ice cold bottle of Mythos instead of a swim hasn’t been so bad!
I’ll tell you more about our pool and sea swimming experiences in upcoming “Chill Out!” posts. For today, however, here are pics of some of the cool swimming pools we’ve seen during our visits to Santorini.
The cliffside swimming pool and whirlpool at Dana Villas in Firostefani
Another view of the Dana Villas swimming pool and terrace
The cliffside swimming pool at Pegasus Suites hotel in Imerovigli …
… has a terrace that juts over the island’s rugged volcanic cliffs
Swimmers can watch ferry and cruise ships come and go from this sea view swimming pool atop the caldera in Firostefani
Another clifftop hotel swimming pool in Firostefani
Yet another Firostefani pool terrace with views of cruise ships
A closer look at the Firostefani pool pictured above
A small caldera-view swimming pool on the cliffside in Fira
An air mattress floats in a cliffside swimming pool in Imerovigli …
… while lounge chairs on the adjacent terrace overlook Skaros Rock
The caldera-view swimming pool at the Kafieris Apartments in Firostefani
Another view of the pool at the Kafieris Apartments
The Kafieris Apartments swimming pool at night
I’ve always loved the look of this pool and terrace at what appears to be a private villa on the cliffside in Firostefani …
… from above, the pool’s shape reminds me of an apple …
… there’s comfy cushions for lounging in the sun beside the pool …
… as well as lounge chairs and a shady nook nearby
The big palm tree next to the pool draws some attention away from the villa’s unique Cycladic architecture
Here’s another view of the palm tree and the pool …
… which has an infinity edge offering great views of the sea far below
The uniquely shaped and situated pool at the Honeymoon Petra Villas in Imerovigli offers some of the most stunning views in all of Santorini
The swimming pool and terrace offer incredible views in several directions
The pool is built into the cliffside hundreds of feet above the sea …
… and has a shallow wading pool on the hotel level below
A side view of the Honeymoon Petra Villas pool …
… and some of the apartments built of volcanic rock from the island
One final view of the Honeymoon Petra Villas swimming pool, this time from the clifftop footpath that leads to Oia in one direction, and to Fira in the other
A pelican on Agia Anna beach next to the harbour at Mykonos Town
Famous feathers: Mention Mykonos, and most people instantly think of windmills, sandy beaches and white cube-shaped houses with blue shutters and doors. Yet one of the most popular tourist attractions on the island is a bird — a 53-year-old pelican named Petros. Actually, there’s not just one pelican on Mykonos — there’s a pod of three. And even though they all seem to be called Petros, they aren’t in their 50s.Yet.
According to local legend, the original Petros apparently flew from mainland Greece to Mykonos during a fierce storm. He was found, half-dead, by a fisherman who nursed him back to health. Island residents named him Petros and took turns feeding him. Petros became such a hit with tourists that he was designated as the official mascot of Mykonos. But he met an untimely, scandalous demise around 1986 when he was either run over by a car (some locals blame a drunk taxi driver) or sexually assaulted (some blame a drunk tourist).
Another legend maintains that jet setter and regular Mykonos socialite Jackie Onassis gave the island a new pelican to replace its maimed mascot, while another says a German zoo donated a bird as well. Yet another story says a third pelican wound up on Mykonos when he was discovered on a beach, injured like the original Petros, and brought back to good health by the locals.
Whatever one or all of the stories is true, it’s a fact there’s at least three pelicans entertaining tourists on Mykonos these days. They can often be spotted as a group, in a pair, or sleeping or strolling around solo. Their favourite places to hang out are at Niko’s Taverna (where they pose for photos with diners and then collect fresh fish treats from the kitchen), Paraportiani Square, Little Venice, the windmills on the hillside above Little Venice, and along the Mykonos Town harbourfront.
The last two times we’ve been to Mykonos, we’ve encountered pelicans in cocktail bars at Little Venice and on the harbourfront. Which makes me wonder … haven’t they been warned that it’s dangerous for them to hang around people drinking booze?
Below are photos of some of the pelicans we’ve met during some of our visits to Mykonos.
Two pelicans swimming in the harbour at Mykonos Town
A pelican entertains tourists on Agia Anna beach at the harbour
A pelican catches a snooze in the square next to Niko’s Tavernan
The pelican appears to be sound asleep …
… but he’s fully aware of all the tourists and cameras close by
A pelican on Agia Anna beach
Watching the boats in Mykonos Town harbour
Taking a long slow stretch on the beach
A pelican pauses while walking down a street in Mykonos Town …
… en route to a jewellery store near the waterfront, where he checks himself out in a mirror before being shooed back outside by the shopkeeper
A pelican poses for pictures at the Mykonos Town harbour
A pelican poses for a picture with me on Agia Anna beach
A pelican at the Sunset Bar in Little Venice
Petros gives us a full frontal face view
A pelican in the courtyard at Skandinavian Bar
Waiting for someone to buy him a beer, perhaps?
Enjoying evening cocktail hour at Camares bar near the harbour
A close-up look at the pelican’s neck pouch, which apparently can expand to hold nearly three gallons of water or fish
Another close look at the pelican’s colourful beak
This pic reminds me of an old Hollywood entertainer wearing a fake hairpiece
A pair of pelicans waiting for fish at Niko’s Taverna
A pelican waits outside the kitchen door at Niko’s Taverna
Three pelicans line up for fish treats at Niko’s Taverna
A pelican stands proud on Agia Anna beach at the harbour