Category: Greek Islands

  • Biennale brings avant-garde art to Mykonos

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    Mykonos Biennale photo of Mykonos harbourfront

    This promotional image for this weekend’s Mykonos Biennale depicts a view of the picturesque blue-domed church at the Mykonos harbourfront, as seen from the entrance colonnade at the Mykonos Town Hall

     

    Cult event: Most people associate Mykonos with beautiful beaches and scintillating nightlife, but this weekend the island will draw international attention for arts and culture instead as it plays host to an avant-garde festival of visual art, music, dance and film.

    The Mykonos Biennale, a cult event featuring a video film festival, contemporary art installations and live dance and musical performances, takes place at a variety of venues in and around Mykonos Town as well as on nearby Delos island during the four days starting Friday June 21.

     

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  • A minstrel in Mykonos Town

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    A bouzouki player entertains tourists in the Kastro area of Mykonos Town while one of the Mykonos pelicans preens behind him

    Musician Andreas Tsironis plays the bouzouki while one of the island’s famous pelicans preens on the wall behind him in the Kastro area of Mykonos Town

     

     

    Tunes for tourists: Cruise ship passengers who headed for the Kastro area of Mykonos Town in hopes of seeing one of the famous Mykonos pelicans, as well as the iconic Paraportiani Church, got a triple treat while visiting the island recently.

    They not only got to see both the church and one of the popular birds in the same place, but they also got to enjoy some live musical entertainment at the same time, courtesy of a local bouzouki busker.

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  • Pic of the day: The mosque at Chania harbour

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    mosque at Chania harbour

    The Turkish mosque Yiali Tzami cuts a distinctive figure at the Venetian harbour in the city of Chania in northwest Crete. The mosque’s great dome is supported by four arches, while six smaller domes accent the top of the square building. There is no minaret — it was demolished in the early 20th Century. According to a post on ExploreCrete.com, “the mosque was a Muslim place of worship until 1923, when the last Muslims left Crete at the exchange of populations between Greece and Turkey.” The building now hosts art exhibitions.

     

  • Summer Sailstice offers fun way to ‘sea’ Greece

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     Rugged cliffs soar high above a sailboat passing the northwest coast of the Gulf of Milos

    A sailboat glides near steep cliffs that soar above the northwest coast of the Gulf of Milos on Milos island. Click the image to view a full size photo.

     

    Solstice sails: If you happen to be travelling in Greece next Saturday and would like to do some sightseeing from a fresh and fun perspective, rather than take a run-of-the-mill bus tour or guided group walkabout, head for the nearest port or marina to see if you can sign up for a sailing excursions or tag along as a deckhand for a local sailor.

    Not only will you get to view spectacular Greek scenery from unique and unrivalled vantage points on the water, but you also will be joining tens of thousands of other people around the world in Summer Sailstice, an annual international event that celebrates the joy of sailing.

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  • Island sail tour is a must for Milos visitors

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    Milos tour sailboat

    A poster at the Adamas marina advertises the daily Milos tours that J & J Yachting offers on the sailboat Joanna I

     

     

    Milos must-see / must-do: One of the top tourist activities on Milos in the southwest Cyclades is a day trip that actually takes place off the island — on a sailing yacht or tour boat cruise along the marvellous Milos coastline.

    Created by 3 million years of volcanic activity, Milos boasts some of the most impressive landscapes in all the Greek islands, including dozens of breathtaking beaches and a spectacular 139-kilometer-long coastline.

    The stunning coastal scenery is best viewed from the sea, of course, and a variety of sailboat tours and day cruises are available from Adamas, the main port town on Milos. Excursions typically depart the Adamas marina between 8 and 10 a.m. in the morning, and return by sunset. Many of the sailboat tours take sightseers past western Milos as far as the dramatic cliffs at Kleftiko, near the island’s southwest tip, while other excursions travel completely around Milos. Some tours offer trips to Antimilos, Kimolos and other nearby islands.

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  • Our sailboat tour to Sykia and Kleftiko on Milos

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    Excursion sailboats anchored at Kleftiko on the southwest coast of Milos

    Excursion sailboats anchored off the scenic cliffs at Kleftiko near the southwest tip of Milos. Click the photo to view it full-size.

     

     

    Stunning scenery: It has been nearly six years since we took a sailboat tour along the scenic western coast of Milos, but my memories of the trip are still so vivid it seems as though it happened only yesterday.

    As I described in the preceding post — Island sail tour is a must for Milos visitors — sailboat excursions and boat cruises rate among the top recommended tourist activities on Milos, thanks to the island’s spectacular coastal scenery.

    A sailing tour was at the top of our personal “must-do” list when we visited Milos for the first time in mid-September 2007, but we had to wait several days to take one of the popular excursions because high winds forced most boats to remain in port.

    It was well worth the wait.

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  • Pic of the day: A beach view toward Naxos Town

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    Approaching Naxos Town from the south end of St George's beach on Naxos

    Naxos Town, as seen from the south end of St. George’s beach on Naxos. We walk to Naxos Town from the Agios Prokopios area at least once each time we visit Naxos, and this is one of our favourite views during the final 20 minutes of our hike. Click on the photo to view it full size.

     

     

  • Pics of the day: Agios Iakovos church

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     This chapel above Agios Sostis on Mykonos is dedicated to Agios Iakovos

    A chapel dedicated to Agios Iakovos occupies a lonely location on a hill above Agios Sostis bay on Mykonos. Click on the photo above to view it full-size.

     

      Agios Iakovos church

    Side view of the chapel from the highway leading to Agios Sostis

     

     

    Agios Iakovos church Mykonos

     Front view of the Agios Iakovos chapel

     

     

    Agios Iakovos church Mykonos

     Inscriptions beside and above one of the chapel’s blue doors