Category: Through another lens: Greece photos by other travellers (page 2 of 4)

Tips for budget travel from Turkey to mainland Greece

December 15, 2015 / / 0 Comments
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Orestiada Bus Station

The bus station at Orestiada, a town in eastern Greece near the Turkish border, is seen in a photo by EcoTripSos.com. The website’s “Travel Tips for Greece” guide provides detailed information about local bus travel. 

 

Survival Guide: Readers occasionally email me for advice on ways to travel overland from Turkey to mainland Greece, and onward to some of the Greek islands. They are typically younger travellers who intend to backpack throughout Europe, as well as individuals who simply want to combine trips to Turkey with a budget-friendly foray into parts of Greece. 

Since I haven’t been to Turkey yet and have never travelled east of Athens to the Greece-Turkey border, I haven’t been able to answer their questions. But an information-packed article published by EcoTripSos should be a valuable research rescource  for anyone seeking economical ways to travel to Greece from Turkey.

Founded by Turkish travel enthusiasts Özge Çetinkayar and Kutay Uzun, EcoTripSos is an online guide offering advice on budget and eco-friendly travel, particularly for inexperienced or beginner travellers.

On November 15, they published Travel Tips for Greece, a photo-illustrated “Greece Survival Guide for Travelers.” It recounts a 10-day journey to seven Greek villages and cities, including Kastanies, Orestiada, Alexandroupolis, and Thessaloniki on the eastern Greece mainland, plus Heraklion, Rethymno and Chania on the island of Crete. The guide describes how the travellers crossed the border at Pazarkule (9 km from the city of Edirne in Turkey) to reach the Greek town of Kastanies, used local bus transportation to travel onward to Alexandroupolis and Thessaloniki, and from the latter city flew to Crete and back. 

Besides providing practical information about how to use Greece’s intercity and local city bus systems (including how and where to buy bus tickets), the article describes air travel between Thessaloniki and Crete,  and offers myriad useful tips about hotels and “Daily Life in Greece from Travelers’ Eyes,” including such topics as food, beer, water and wi-fi service. 

Click here to read the EcoTripSos Guide to Greece.

Kastanies railway station

The tiny train station at Kastanies, near Greece’s border with Turkey

 

Two of Lefkada’s top beaches buried by landslides during November 17 earthquake

November 28, 2015 / / 3 Comments
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Egremni beach on Lefkada

This photo of Egremni beach, from Lefkas.net, shows why it has often been cited as one of the world’s most beautiful beaches 

  Egremni beach Lefkada

Most of Egremni is now buried from landslides triggered by the earthquake that struck Lefkada on November 17, as shown in this aerial photo by Antonis Nikolopoulos for the Eurokinissi press agency

 

Clifftops collapsed:  An earthquake that struck Lefkada island on November 17 made headlines around the world, with international media reporting what little information was available at the time about collapsed buildings, widespread property damage and two deaths directly attributed to the Richter 6.1-magnitude tremblor. Greek media have since revealed that two of the island’s top beaches also sustained extensive damage from landslides that occurred during the quake.

Egremni beach, which has often scored high rankings on lists of the world’s best and most beautiful beaches, suffered the most severe damage, with landslides burying much of the long, narrow strand. Landslides also damaged the scenic beach strip at popular Porto Katsiki, but the rockfalls there apparently were much less extensive and destructive. Tons of soil, sand and rocks swept onto the beaches after being shaken loose from the dramatic 150-meter-tall cliffs that tower over the two spectacular seasides.

I have never been to either beach,  but have been enthralled by both from awe-inspiring photos I have viewed online and in travel publications, and from all the good things I’ve heard about them — and about Lefkada in general — from a Greek-Canadian acquaintance who has long been urging me to visit the island, his personal favourite holiday destination in Greece.

Although I didn’t have plans to visit Lefkada in the next two years, I did hope to get there sometime in the future. It’s sad to think the two beaches might never look as gorgeous as they did before the quake, though there is a strong chance that Porto Katsiki, at least, may eventually regain much of its former glory with the help of Mother Nature. Greek news reports have quoted geological engineering experts as saying that winter weather will probably wash away much of the soil debris that currently covers parts of Porto Katsiki beach. In fact, the normal course of nature could restore much of that beach to its former look by the time next summer’s tourist season rolls around, one expert surmised. 

 

Porto Katsiki beach Lefkada

Dreamy Porto Katsiki beach is seen in this inviting image that Flickr member Out to Lunch captured during a visit in the summer of 2014. It’s one of my favourite photographs of the beach, and illustrates one of the reasons why I hope to visit Lefkada sometime — I want to see the amazing scenery in person.

 

Porto Katsiki beach Lefkada

Large mounds of sand and stone cover much of Porto Katsiki beach in this image provided to Greek website newsbeast.gr by Efthimios Lekkas, a professor at the University of Athens and President of the Earthquake Planning and Protection Organisation (EPPO)

 

Please click here or on the link below to continue reading on page 2 of this post, where you can view more photos along with videos showing Egremni and Porto Katsiki before, during and after the earthquake.

 

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

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A panoramic view of Ornos beach & bay on Mykonos

June 24, 2015 / / 1 Comment
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Ornos beach Mykonos photo shared on Facebook by Mpalothies taverna

This panoramic view of Ornos beach and bay on Mykonos was shared on the Facebook page for Mpalothies, a traditional Greek restaurant located in the Ornos resort area just a short walk from the beach

 

Ornos is one of the top beach resorts on Mykonos, offering a wide range of accommodations and restaurants to suit every budget and lifetyle. Ornos is particularly popular with families not only for its gorgeous golden sand beach, but because it doesn’t have a wild and raunchy party scene like Paradise and Super Paradise. It’s also a convenient place to stay — or visit for the day — since Ornos is only a short drive or bus ride from Mykonos Town.

This year I have noticed a tremendous amount of interest in Ornos; in fact, I have fielded more requests for information about it in recent months than I have for any other beach area on Mykonos. Besides restaurant and hotel inquiries, there’s another recurring question many people have asked: “Is Ornos a scenic beach?”

I usually let them judge for themselves by inviting them to view my photos on Flickr — my Ornos and Ornos beach album from 2013, and my Ornos beach 2011 photoset. But thanks to Mpalothies, a traditional Greek eatery at Ornos, I can now refer people to the excellent panoramic photo shown above, which the restaurant recently shared on Facebook. The photo offers a wide-angled view of the entire beach and bay area, something I didn’t manage to capture in any of my own pictures.

If you’re viewing my blog on a desktop computer, click on the photo to see a full-size version of the beach pic.

A travel blogger’s first-time visits to Santorini and Mykonos

May 24, 2015 / / 0 Comments
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Fira Santorini panoramic image by Christine from Vancouver blog IMG_20150508_102459

A panoramic view of Fira, the capital and main town on Santorini

 

Octopus at Amoudi Bay Santorini image by Christine from Vancouver blog IMG_20150511_130719_hdr

Octopus at Amoudi Bay on Santorini

 

Do you wonder what it’s like visiting Greek islands for the first time? Especially as a solo female traveller?

Two fascinating trip reports by a travel blogger from Vancouver, Canada will give you excellent insight into the entire experience. (They’re also great fun to read even if you have already been to Greece yourself.)

Blogger Christine visited Santorini and Mykonos earlier this month during a two-week holiday — her first-ever trip to Greece. She posted a thorough account of her journey, complete with dozens of photos, on her Christine in Vancouver blog.

I love the reports not just because they show Greece through the eyes of an island-hopping “newbie,” but also since they include scores of food pictures and valuable information about costs and prices — important details that I think will be extremely helpful to others considering a trip to Greece.

Click here to read Christine’s report for her May 6 to 13 stay on Santorini, and click here to read about her May 13 to 19 visit to Mykonos.

The two photos from Santorini posted above, as well as the two photos from Mykonos shown below, are just four of the dozens of fabulous pictures you’ll get to see in Christine’s reports (you’ll be able to view her photos full-size in a slide-show format.)

Enjoy your trip to Santorini and Mykonos with Christine!

 

Mykonos Town streets image by Christine from Vancouver blog IMG_2819

Streets in the heart of Mykonos Town

 

Ornos beach Mykonos image by Christine from Vancouver blog IMG_20150516_135434_hdr

Ornos, one of the top “family” beach resort areas on Mykonos

 

Bumpy rides to blissful bays and beaches on Karpathos

April 11, 2015 / / 4 Comments
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 Click on the arrow to take a ride to Kato Lako on Karpathos

 

My fascination with Karpathos continues — I keep spending some of my spare time viewing photos and watching videos of the island. I won’t get to see Karpathos on my trip to Greece this spring, but it never hurts to research places to visit on future vacations, right?

I thought I’d share several Karpathos videoclips that I enjoyed watching today. All four were posted online by YouTube member 365Roman, and I found them interesting because they show what it’s like to drive to some of the island’s sights and attractions, including gorgeous bays and beaches as well as charming mountain and seaside villages.

As all the clips confirm, some of the most breathtaking views and scenery in the Greek Islands are off the main tourist path and take some effort to reach. But it’s worth it — and it’s all part of the fun of exploring Greece.

So sit back, relax and enjoy your tours on Karpathos while someone else does the driving!

 

The ride to Forokli beach

 

Driving around the northern part of Karpathos

 

Touring the island’s southern regions

 

A splendid Naxos sunset

March 9, 2015 / / 0 Comments
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Naxos sunset

Naxos resident Manolis Lykouropoulos captured this mesmerizing image of drama in the sky during sunset on March 5. If Manolis’s name seems familiar, that’s because I recently posted his terrific shot of the Temple of Apollo on Naxos during a vicious winter wind storm. You can see that photo in my February 14 report More weather woes as wind & waves thrash the Greek Islands. It’s the second picture from the top of the post.

 

A day in Chania, from sunrise to sunset

February 16, 2015 / / 1 Comment
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Chania harbour at sunset

This sunset view from the harbour capped off Irina Golubeva’s visit to the charming town of Chania on Crete

 

Dream come true: Travel writer Irina Golubeva says she had long dreamed of waking up before dawn in Chania, so she could explore the Venetian-era town’s narrow streets and cobblestone lanes in solitude. 

 Her dream came true when she got to spend a day there last summer.

“Chania is a great mix of Venetian, Turkish and Greek cultures. One can find the magnificent Venetian harbor here, old Turkish baths and Mosques, and Greek hospitality,” Irina said in a photo report published on the TripTemptation travel website.

Click here to see Irina’s photos of the town that locals call “the pearl” of northwestern Crete.

A stylish roadtrip on Crete

February 16, 2015 / / 0 Comments
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Agios Nikolaos Crete

Agios Nikolaos is an “arty, leisurely and sleepy town” where visitors “will feel unbelievable charm and calmness,” travel writer Alina Lisina says.

 

Hit the Cretan road: What’s the best way to see Crete, the biggest island in Greece? By car, of course, and preferably in a convertible — so you can “enjoy the taste of the Island and of the fresh sea breeze while driving along the picturesque coastline,” travel writer Alina Lisina advises.

In her view, Crete is not just another Greek island — “it’s more like a small country where you can find anything you want. ” Best of all, it’s “so fascinating and diverse that you can spend weeks here” without getting bored or feeling like you’ve had enough, she notes.

Alina, the founder of TripTemptation.com, took a road trip on Crete last summer and posted a photo report on her website. Click here to view her photos and see why she enjoys the island she describes as a “patchwork of splendid beaches, ancient treasures and landscapes, and unbelievable tasty food combined with the genuine Greek hospitality.”

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