Category: Greek Islands

  • Springtime in Paros

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    Looking toward Naoussa

    Looking toward the town of Naoussa from a hillside near Kolimbithres beach on Paros. Agia Kali island, with its blue-domed church of the same name, takes center stage, while mountains on Naxos island provide a backdrop to the scene.

     

     

    Spring scenes: Now that we’ve been on Daylight Savings Time for a few days, I’m anxious for spring flowers to start blooming. It has been a long winter of cold and snow, so I’m eager to see leaves, green grass and flower-filled gardens bring life and colour back to my neighbourhood.

    Since I will probably have to wait a few more weeks before that starts happening, I have been making do in the meantime by looking at our photos of flowers and other spring scenes from our two separate visits to Paros. Here’s a selection for you to enjoy, too. There’s a link at the end of the series to my Springtime in Paros album on Flickr, where you can view full-size versions of all these photos and many more.

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  • Springtime in Paros Part 2

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    Naoussa street

    Flowerpots add colour and cheer to staircases outside houses in Naoussa

     

    PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 2 FOR MORE PHOTOS

  • Pic of the day: Walking Santorini’s clifftop path

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    Santorini clifftop path

    Tourists walk the clifftop path between Fira and Firostefani. The scenic path continues to Imerovigli village (left rear) and from there all the way to Oia at the northwest tip of the island. Hikers enjoy sensational scenery almost every step of the way, and can find countless spots along the path to watch the fabled Santorini sunsets.

     

     

  • Pic of the day: Sunset viewing on Milos

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    sunset viewing from Korfiotissa church in Plaka village Milos

    Two women watch the sunset from the terrace at Korfiotissa church in Plaka village, Milos

     

     

  • 2012 Greek holiday trip report: Mykonos Part 3

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    Remezzo area of Mykonos Town

    All quiet on the northern front: Even though it was a gorgeous morning, very few people were out and about when I walked past the Remezzo area of Mykonos Town at 10 a.m.

     

     

    [Editor’s Note: This is the latest instalment in a series of reports on my 2012 vacation. Those of you who have already read Part 1 and Part 2 may want to go back and take another look through those posts — I have added several videoclips to each part.]

     

     

    Thursday May 17

     

    Sounds of silence: My fourth day on Mykonos started off with brilliant sunshine and plenty of peace and quiet.

    The breakfast room at Hotel Tagoo was almost empty, with just a handful of guests showing up during the time I was there. It seemed like most people were sleeping in to recover from either a late night on the town or too much fun at the beaches the day before.  Two guests who did make it down for breakfast told me that a friend of theirs from Mykonos would be taking them on an early afternoon driving tour around part of the island. They had room for a fourth person, and invited me to tag along. They planned to visit some beaches I had not seen in a few years, plus at least one I had never been to before, so I jumped at the opportunity to join them.

    Since I had a few hours to fill before the island drive about, but didn’t feel like laying in the sun by the pool, I took a walk into town. The streets were surprisingly quiet and empty with practically no vehicular traffic and pedestrians. It was incredibly serene — and almost surreal  — hearing only birdsong and sound of my shoes on the pavement. I didn’t expect that, at 10 a.m., I would have most of the Tagoo area and much of Mykonos Town all to myself. A cruise ship was docked at Tourlos, so I fully expected to run into groups of tourists wandering around, but the parking area next to the Old Port (where the cruise ship shuttle buses drop passengers off) was eerily quiet. I passed fewer than a dozen people during my 10-minute walk between the port and Taxi Square.

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  • Greece holiday pic of the day

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    Artemonas village

    A large guide map welcomes visitors to Artemonas village on Sifnos island

     

     

  • Greece holiday pic of the day

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    Town Hall in Vathi Samos

    The Town Hall for the Municipality of Vathi on Samos island

     

     

  • Solitude & scenery at Stelida beach on Naxos

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    Hohlakas beach Naxos

    A view of Stelida beach, also known as Hohlakas beach (right), and St George’s Bay (upper left) on Naxos

     

     

    Hohlakas beach Naxos

    This sweeping view from a slope on Stelida mountain takes in Hohlakas beach (right) and Naxos Town on the far side of St George’s Bay

     

     

     Stelida mountain

    Naxos port quay view of 151-meter-tall Stelida mountain. Construction of the Dream View Hotel is visible halfway up the mountainside.

     

     

    Hohlakas beach Naxos

    This Google satellite image shows Hohlakas beach (circled) and the Stelida district of Naxos on the southwest side of St George’s Bay, directly opposite Naxos Town. The island’s popular Agios Prokopios beach stands out at lower left.

     

     

    Scruffy and secluded: Greece is abundant in beaches, and many Greek islands are justifiably world-famous for their beautiful beaches and stunning coastal scenery.

    One of them is Naxos, which boasts a variety of excellent beaches that cater to specific traveller tastes and needs. For instance, families enjoy St George’s beach next to Naxos Town as well as Agia Anna on the island’s southwest coast. Windsurfers flock to Mikri Vigla and to St George’s, which also attracts scores of sailboat and catamaran enthusiasts. The long sandy strand at Agios Prokopios and the grassy dunes at Plaka are popular with sunbathers — especially travellers who like to tan au naturel. And people who prefer secluded quiet coves or isolated coastal swimming spots can find those in spades.

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