Greece and its Islands

The old town of Rhodes has many streets and arches like this. Much too many to show here. An almost monochromatic look of one of my favourites to add an 'Olde Worlde' flavour. Best full screen of course.

Walking through the busy streets and squares of Rhodes we can see a few buskers. Here we have this fellow singing a mournful Greek love tragedy song perhaps. Well worth a few coins for, don't you think? Behind him is the old castle walls. Notice his fingers displaying movement blur here!

This is also known as the Kastello, and is a medieval castle in the city of Rhodes, on the island of Rhodes in Greece. It is one of the few examples of Gothic architecture in Greece. The palace was originally built in the late 7th century as a Byzantine citadel. After the Knights Hospitaller occupied Rhodes in 1309, they converted the fortress into their administrative centre and the palace of their Grand Master. In the first quarter of the 14th century, they repaired the palace and made a number of major modifications. The palace was damaged in the earthquake of 1481, and it was repaired soon afterwards. After the 1522 capture of the island by the Ottoman Empire, the palace was used as a command centre and fortress. The lower part of the palace was severely damaged by an ammunition explosion in 1856. As a result, many rooms in the first floor were destroyed. During the Italian rule of Rhodes, the Italian architect Vittorio Mesturino restored the damaged parts of the palace between 1937 and 1940. It became a holiday residence for the King of Italy, Victor Emmanuel III, and later for Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, whose name can still be seen on a large plaque near the entrance. See Pips

Someone's bike is spied in this archway which could be an example in a mathematics geometry book. Would we see stone stairways, arched doorways and straight balcony walls all behind a another great archway. I doubt it very much. Most places like this in our world has long gone. Enjoy.

Walking around the old town here, one can be forgiven for thinking that every street is still set in the middle ages. These narrow alleys have duo purposes: to provide shade, thus coolness and also to provide better shelter in times of attack. For me though, to provide great photographic opportunities like this. Enjoy large.

Vögelein durchrauscht die Luft, Sucht nach einem Aste; Und das Herz ein Herz begehrts, Wo es selig raste. A little bird flies through the skies, searching for a branch; thus does one heart seek another, where it might rest in bliss. Seen in Old Rhodes town

A view from near the top of this very old and famous street shows us a glimpse of the many tourist here and also a scene that is all too familiar in this part of the world. A small boy trying to make music on the toy accordeon, to make some money - perhaps for food, perhaps on orders from a higher authority. I did see him in a few different places though. 'Austere and somewhat forbidding, the Street of the Knights (Ippoton) was home from the 14th century to the Knights Hospitaller who ruled Rhodes. The knights were divided into seven ‘tongues’, or languages, according to their birthplace – England, France, Germany, Italy, Aragon, Auvergne and Provence – each responsible for a specific section of the fortifications. As wall displays explain, the street holds an ‘inn’, or palace, for each tongue. Its modern appearance, though, owes much to Italian restorations during the 1930s.' See PiP for bottom of street views.

Rhodes, which is bristling during the day can have spots which are a bit spooky at night. Still -they make good photos. ............ Did I see a moving shadow just then? Needs full size on black.

OK, our ship is in the middle of the bay , along with several others, and they have disgorged many of their passengers as seen here, now covering the small streets and alleyways of this delightful town. A hot day beckons us all to the shadows where history and folklore await.

A wonderful little church just on the old port of Mykonos, Greece. Seen here in the Cycladic whitewashed and blue style of these Islands. Fortunately the door to this tiny chapel size church was open and so one could rest and meditate. See Pip.

In the thirteenth century the Republic of Venice took control of the island of Mykonos. A Venetian town was constructed on a small headland and later, small houses were built on the edge of a low cliff. This is what we see here. They probably did not have as many balconies as they have today. "Little Venice" is known for its many restaurants and shops. Lots of fish live in the seas here, and this local is clearly taking advantage of that, seemingly oblivious to the mass of tourist running past him towards the beckoning windmills.

Looking a bit like a row of satellite dishes pointing to a distant star system, these windmills have been an iconic part of the Greek Island of Mykonos for a long time. 'The windmills can be seen from every point of the village of Mykonos, the island's principal village, which is frequently called the Chora. The windmills are the first thing seen when coming into the harbour of Alefkandra, as they stand on a hill overlooking the area. Most windmills face towards the North where the island's climate sources its strongest winds over the largest part of the year. There are currently 16 windmills on Mykonos of which seven are positioned on the landmark hill in Chora. Most of them were built by the Venetians in the 16th century, but their construction continued into the early 20th century. They were primarily used to mill wheat. They were an important source of income for the inhabitants. Their use gradually declined until they ceased production in the middle of the 20th century. The architecture of each of them is similar, all have a round shape, white colour and a pointed roof and very small windows. Such windmills are found in almost all Cyclades islands.' -WiKi See PiPs

Seen in the town of Mykonos, on the edge of the sea. Why this should be so obviously unused and locked up is a mystery we will never know. The building, to me was quite fascinating with these shuttered windows and padlocked doors, painted to blend into the whitewashed walls. Enjoy full size.

Seen in the town of Chania on the Island of Crete. A modern stairway with an old looking banister. Where do the steps lead? We can only guess, but we can applaud the owners of this dwelling for giving our eyes such a feast. Ask the question…. Why do the steps look strange??? I wish you all, a great weekend, Herb Imperative full size. See PiP for another piece of the puzzle.

As we sail from Mykonos to the Island of Crete we are treated to a wonderful sunset. Just as I was wishing for a boat to appear to add further interest, as if by magic this comes along. It's actually a Blue-Star ferry which plies these Islands with more local traffic and freight. Enjoy full size. Note the high 6400 ISO, hence a wee bit of noise.

The entrance of the 18km long Samaria Gorge taken from Xyloskalo on the Omalos plateau. In the distance you can see the high peaks of the White Mountains. The plateau is particularly beautiful in the winter, when it is frequently covered by snow. Just out of shot, a slow line of back-packers make there way down the torturous path to start there long hike which is very hot and dry without any refreshment stops, each showing a special pass to guarding wardens. In the past, the plateau of Omalos was the shelter of the locals and the base of rebels during the two and a half centuries of the Turkish occupation, but also during all other wars against invaders.

Mount Gingilos pinnacle view. The next picture describes a walk up this mountain, but I must say that I would not relish the idea of trying to climb this steep and loose side. Makes for a great view in my camera though.