Month: October 2016

Santorini, Greece

Santorini is in the shape of a big C, surrounding the caldera which is the active volcano area.  Most of the towns and villages are situated on the top of the island.    The island is very touristy and it is easy to see why.  It is entirely scenic.  There are no bad views here.  With multicolored cliffs soaring over 1000 feet from the sea-drowned caldera, it rests in the middle of the indigo Aegean sea.  It appears like a giant slab of layered cake.

View of some of the islands surrounding Santorini.
View of some of the islands surrounding Santorini.  Here I was able to swim in the ocean where there are thermals created by the geological activity in the caldera.
Santorini in the distance. What could be at first mistaken for snow at the top of Santorini is the village ofFinikia.
Santorini in the distance. What could be at first mistaken for snow at the top of Santorini is the village of Finikia.
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Athinios Port and the village of Megalohon at the top.  This is where we moored for the day.
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View of the caldera from atop of Santorini.  You can’t miss all the cruise ships in the water below.
View of the caldera from Nea Kameni.
View of the caldera from Nea Kameni.  The hike up this volcanic crater was great.
I had lunch and some Greek beers here. Not for anyone with acrophobia.
I had lunch and some Greek beers here.  The beers were necessary in order to counter my slight dizziness from the height and the sheer drop of the cliffside.  The food was great but this place is not for anyone with acrophobia.
This is home to a man who as local folklore has it lost his young lover and retreated from the world to live here on this tiny island near Santorini.
This is home to a man who as local folklore has it, lost his young lover and retreated from the world to live here on this tiny island near Santorini.  He has been here for some 20 years.  I’m sure this place is very reasonable.  Check out the rug on his back.
My departure from this picturesque little Greek Island.
My departure from this picturesque little Greek Island.  One negative to this island is that unless one travels by cruise ship, it is difficult to get here.  I was fortunate to have my Greek friend Maarku who resides on his comfortable yacht with me, so getting here was easy, not to mention the party we had along the way.

Please check in for my next island stop with Maarku, the island of Monemvasia.

Kusadasi (Ephesus), Turkey

This area is one of the oldest I have ever been to. Founded before 900 BC. The city was occupied for nearly 2,500 years. The corresponding periods in time are from the Greek Dark Ages until The Late Middle ages. It lay buried in sentiment for nearly 800 years and was discovered in the 1800s by archaeologists John Wood and Otto Benndorf.  It remains an active dig site and possibly won’t be fully excavated for decades.  It is located on the south-west coast of modern Turkey.

The Library of Celsus.
The Library of Celsus.
Another perspective of The Library.
Another perspective of The Library.
These images just keep coming at me.
These images just keep coming at me.
Main Street
Main Street which is several hundred yards long.
Built by the Greeks in 356 BC this amphitheater is incredible.
Built by the Greeks around 300 BC this amphitheater is incredible.
Of course a cemetery
Of course a cemetery
Lunch at a home in a nearby village.
Lunch at a home in a nearby village. I met a local at the archaeological site who was kind enough to invite me to their home for lunch.
View a the village up to my host's home for lunch.
View of  the village street on my way up to my host’s home for lunch.
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View from my host’s home.
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Another perspective without the portion of deferred maintenance.
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Village area with kiosks and shops.  Notice the minaret in the distance.