Month: November 2022

Dubrovnik, Croatia

This was a great choice to visit. It’s on the Dalmatian Coast in the Adriatic Sea. The city was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1979 in recognition of its outstanding medieval architecture and fortified old town. The city dates back to the 7th century. In 1991 it was besieged by the Yugoslav People’s Army for 7 months and suffered significant damage from bombings and shellings (See image below).

Sunrise along the Dalmatian Coast just outside Dubrovnik.
One unique bridge. Gotta love the physics at play here.
Visitors entering the walled city. There was a lot filming done here for the HBO series The Game of Thrones. It’s easy to see why.
Typical street inside the city. There are numerous taverns, restaurants, and shops.
Love seeing stuff like this Vespa displayed in stores.
This is the plaza area within the city.
A curious candy lover for sure. Not just another “looky lu.” She was not leaving without sampling and buying a variety of these tasty treats.
A view toward the marina and harbor.
1991. The walled city after being bombed and shelled by the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
2022. Same perspective as the image just above, but 31 years later. The clock tower still stands. The restoration of this site is nothing short of incredible.

Kotor and Perast, Montenegro

This is one stunningly beautiful place in the Balkans. It’s bordered by Serbia and Bosnia, and Kosovo to the east. Kotor was founded in the 5th century. The old city was built in 12th to m14th centuries. The protected walls lead up the the fortress of Saint Ivan. Kotor is on the World Heritage list.

Within the walled city people enjoy taverns, restaurants, museums, and old churches.
Just another quiet street where some businesses are closed for the season.
Just outside the gate you can see what was once a functioning draw-bridge.
Scarf man was happy I was in his shop.
The pending hike up to the old fortress. Assuming you can, this is something you must do when visiting Kotor.
Steps, steps, and more steps on the way up to the top.
The view from above. It had to be at least 1,800 steps to the fortress at the top. I’m glad I wasn’t part of the construction crew who built it.
The mountain range behind the old fortress does not look like it’s easily crossable. Thus, no sizable attacks could be mustered from this direction.
Part of the old fortress. All the materials were transported up from the city below.
Descending from the fortress back down to Kotor.

Perast

Perast is a tiny village about a 30 minute ride from Kotor. It’s right on the water and a great place to grab lunch. There is some fishing here, but not a lot more to do.

Perast from the street above. Not much to look at from this perspective except the beautiful Adriatic Sea.
Perast from the water. This little town is absolutely charming and so picturesque.

Monemvasia, Olympia, and the Ionian Islands

Monemvasia is a beautiful medieval walled city. Its ancient documented history dates back the 8th century. However, it had some settlements above it that date to a much earlier time. These are evidenced by the ruins atop the cliffs above the walled city. Monemvasia is home to only 1,300 people. Its absolutely charming and while it is almost an island, it is not, as it is connected to the mainland by a narrow 200 meter causeway.

The walled city image captured from the water. I hiked up above to the ancient ruins which are pictured below.
Within the city flowers abound. Virtually all the construction is of stone and tile. And while it’s as solid as it gets, it does make hanging pictures or mounting a flat-screen bracket a real challenge.
Crashing waves at seaside. There are some ladders from the rocks into the water for access. It was very hot so I took a plunge to cool off for a bit.
The view from the hike up to ancient ruins above the medieval city.
These ruins pre-date the walled city by possibly 800 years. You are able to see that these people really honed their masonry skills in the centuries between. These older ruins appear Flintstonesque when compared to the walled city.
An Airbnb outside the walled city. This little dwelling had no windows, only a door. It’s a solid little structure. Could probably survive a direct tsunami hit. Not sure how much demand there is for a place with no windows.

Olympia

Olympia is the birthplace of the Olympics. There are several acres of excavated artifacts and ruins in the park to be explored. It is an active dig from an archaeological perspective.

The field of the original Olympic Games. The games ran for 4 centuries (800BC-400BC) until the Romans banned them because they believed the games to be pagan, and thus contrary to their religious beliefs. What a buzz-kill these Romans must have been, on so many levels.
Building ruins at Olympia. Most of this site consists of the old city ruins.
Here is one fully erect doric column. The ruins are like a giant puzzle, only these pieces need small cranes and forklifts to move them into place. It appears as though they have given up trying to place them in most of the park. Just put the “DO NOT CROSS” ropes around them, charge the public to view them, and call it a day.
This area cleaned up nicely. Ionic columns in the park.
Mosaic in the adjacent museum. While the original games were BC, this mosaic only dates back to 700AD. It is more than 3 meters high. That’s a lot of tiles.

Ionian Islands

The Ionian islands are much more lush when compared to the Cyclades. They are considerably more mountainous. The people here are as friendly and welcoming as everywhere else in Greece. It’s a great place for a 2 week sailing charter. It has beautiful beaches, fabulous waters, delicious food, awesome wine, and great sunsets. It has just about everything one requires for a magical time.

One Ionian beach with really good lunch options.
Harbor in Nydri on the Island of Lefkas. It resembles the Lake District in northern Italy.
Another beautiful beach albeit a bit rocky.
One more parting beach image.

And that’s it from here. Not sure where I am headed next but I hope to file an entry from there, possibly Montenegro or Croatia. Thanks for viewing and checking in.

Paros, Greece

Paros is located in the Cyclades in the Aegean Sea. It’s a bit larger than Milos or Sifnos. It is home to some 14,000 residents. It’s about 150 km south of Athens and mainland Greece. The two main towns are Parika and Naoussa. They are both full of traditional taverns, great restaurants, sophisticated bars, and lots of shopping. They both enjoy a vibrant night-life. Cars are critical to mobility and rentals are prevalent.

The view coming into the harbor on the ferry from Sifnos.
Naoussa is in the background. This is where I chose to stay. The hotel was The Cosme. While it just opened only a few months ago, they still have a few wrinkles to iron out, and I am confident that they will.
This rocky beach has both nude and clothed bathing. All of the islands are swimsuit optional.
Beach on Antiparos. It’s much more quiet on this island than on Paros. The resident population is only about 1,200 people. It’s rumored that Tom Hanks has a place here.
A blowout after the beach and on the way to lunch. Although the shoulder was almost flat, a closer look reveals that the Fiat Panda still tipped and fell over on the jack. I will omit all the expletives spewing from my mouth in the moment.
The woman in the shade, although a complete stranger, pulled over to see if I needed help. I responded “not unless you can lift the car.” These Greeks are really nice people. I asked her if she wanted to wait, I would buy her lunch once the car was repaired, and she agreed… And that’s how to make chicken salad out of chicken shit.
Great bar and restaurant, and as the signs say, it’s open and flip flops are welcome. If you ever visit this island, make this a stop for lunch or dinner. Great seafood and it’s right on the water.
Alfresco dining in Naoussa. It’s a great scene. Fabulous food, awesome wine, killer vibe, and some after dinner smoking. In this perfect climate, how can this be topped? Reservations are imperative and dining is late as one would imagine.