Category: Tourist attractions (Page 14 of 16)

Island landmark: The Holy Monastery of Patmos

February 27, 2013 / admin / 0 Comments

The biggest building on Patmos just happens to be the island’s biggest tourist attraction — The Holy Monastery of Patmos, seen towering above the houses and mansions of Chora. Also known as the Monastery of St. John, it was built around 1088.

Another view of the imposing fortress-like monastery, the number 1 sightseeing destination for tourists whose cruise ships make brief calls into Skala port at Patmos

The monastery dominates the Patmos landscape even when viewed from sea

A zoom view of Chora and the monastery, shot from a ferry departing Skala port

Greece holiday pics of the day

October 25, 2012 / admin / 0 Comments

A sign on a narrow street in Chora points the way to Astipalea’s Kastro, below

Greece holiday pic of the day

August 5, 2012 / admin / 0 Comments

The oval-shaped amphitheatre at Thorikos, northeast of Lavrio on the Attica peninsula, dates to the 6th Century B.C. It’s the oldest theatre in Greece.

Greece holiday pic of the day

June 23, 2012 / admin / 0 Comments

Oia from above: The world-famous village at the northwest tip of Santorini comes into view from the clifftop hiking path that leads all the way to Oia from the island’s capital, Fira.

Greece holiday pic of the day

June 19, 2012 / admin / 1 Comment

The lighthouse in the harbour at Chania was built by the Venetians around 1570, and remodeled by the Egyptians when they occupied Crete between 1820 and 1841.

Top 6 memories of my Mykonos holiday in 2012 #2: Exploring the streets of Mykonos Town

June 19, 2012 / admin / 0 Comments

A hillside view overlooking Mykonos Town and its harbour area

Lots to see: Unlike a lot of visitors, I never get bored of Mykonos Town. Many people think they’ve seen all that’s worth seeing after they walk along the harbourside, visit Little Venice, and stroll some of the narrow, twisting streets.

But those people see only the highly commercial, touristy side of Mykonos Town — the lanes lined with jewellery stores, T-shirt shops and tavernas. They don’t wander far enough away from the main tourist zone to walk the quiet residential streets or climb to hillside lookout points that offer amazing views over the town, harbour and beyond.

Even after 7 separate visits to Mykonos, each of which has included a lot of walking around town, I still keep discovering streets and vantage points I’ve never seen in my favourite Greek Island town.

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Greece holiday pic of the day

June 17, 2012 / admin / 0 Comments

The Panagia Chozoviotissa monastery on Amorgos is a narrow, fortress-like building constructed against the face of a jagged cliff high above the Aegean Sea

Making a splash at Little Venice

June 7, 2012 / admin / 0 Comments

A mother leads her two children along the seaside strip of cocktail bars at scenic Little Venice in Mykonos Town on the windy afternoon of May 15 2012 …

… then carries her youngest child across the slippery surf-sprayed walkway so they don’t get soaked when the next big wave strikes the shoreline

Wind and waves: The seaside strip of cocktail bars in Little Venice is usually packed with cruise ship passengers and other travellers enjoying a drink or lunch at one of the most popular tourist attractions in Mykonos Town. But on at least two days during my May 2012 holiday in Mykonos, strong winds and high waves made it impossible for visitors to sit anywhere close to the sea — unless they happened to be wearing wetsuits.

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