Category: Tourist attractions

  • Island landmark: The Holy Monastery of Patmos

    Share

    Holy Monastery of Patmos

    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.

     

     

    Holy Monastery of Patmos

    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

     

     

    Holy Monastery of Patmos

    The monastery dominates the Patmos landscape even when viewed from sea

     

     

    Holy Monastery of Patmos

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

     

     

  • Greece holiday pics of the day

    Share

    Astipalea Kastro

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

     

    Astipalea Kastro

     

     

  • Greece holiday pic of the day

    Share

    ancient amphitheatre at Thorikos

    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

    Share

    Oia Santorini

    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

    Share

    Lighthouse at Chania Crete

    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

    Share

    Mykonos Town

    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.

    CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

  • Greece holiday pic of the day

    Share

    Chozoviotissa monastery on Amorgos

    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

    Share

    Little Venice Mykonos

    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 …

     

    Little Venice Mykonos

    … 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.

    CONTINUED ON PAGE 2