Category: Cyclades islands

  • Top 6 memories of my Mykonos holiday in 2012 #6: the striking sea and island scenery

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    Elia beach Mykonos

    Villas cling to a steep mountainside above Elia beach on Mykonos

     

    Stark contrasts: On Mykonos, I have always loved the stark contrast between the arid, rocky island and the blue sea and sky that surround it. The rugged brown landscape seems to make the Aegean Sea’s shimmering turquoise water look more vivid and vibrant, especially at beaches, than it does at other Cycladic islands, where it has a pronounced cobalt hue.

    This trip I did a lot of walking on Mykonos, as usual, but also saw many parts of the island through the windows of buses and cars.  I never got bored of the scenery, and always found it exhilarating whenever the vehicle rounded a corner and gave us a glimpse of a horseshoe-shaped bay with alluring blue and green water sparkling under the blazing sun.

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  • Greece holiday pic of the day

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    Piperi beach Paros

    Piperi beach at the town of Naoussa on Paros

     

  • Greece holiday pic of the day

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    Mykonos Town

    A colourful stairway entrance to a house in Mykonos Town

     

  • Back in Greece!

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    Mykonos Town

    Overlooking Mykonos Town and the town harbour

     

    Back again: It’s that time of year — Greek holiday time! And I’m back in Greece for another island-hopping holiday.

    Right now I’m at my first stop — Mykonos — where it’s mainly sunny and hot and the island is revving up for the summer season.

    Wi-Fi connections permitting, I will be posting photos in the days ahead!

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  • Greece holiday pic of the day

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    Megali Ammos Beach on Koufonissia

    A fishing boat in the bay at Megali Ammos Beach on Koufonissi

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  • Greece holiday pic of the day

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    Naxos Town

    Hotels and houses above the coast in the Grotta area of Naxos Town on Naxos

     

  • Chasing butterflies

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    butterfly in Naxos Greece

    A butterfly rests near Agia Anna beach on Naxos island. This particular species has the hallmark characteristics of a Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui)

     

    Winging it: Back in late April, when southern Ontario experienced an irruption of Red Admiral butterflies, I recalled the time our island bus tour on Paros skipped a scheduled stop at the famous Valley of Butterflies — because there were none to be seen.

    That was back in mid-June 2005. We had signed up for a day-long Orbit Travel excursion that would take us to places right around the island, including an afternoon visit to Petaloúdes, the butterfly valley 6 km from the port town of Parikia. I’d read about the Valley in my Greece travel guidebooks; they described Petaloúdes as a Paros must-see attraction during summer months simply because of the staggering numbers of Jersey tiger moths that would swarm the area. We had been impressed with the Butterfly Conservatory near Niagara Falls, so we thought it would be neat to see an entire valley teaming with tiger moths.

    Unfortunately, it was not meant to be.

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  • Greece holiday pic of the day

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    Oia Santorini

    Hotels high atop the spectacular caldera at Oia, Santorini