athens

athens

28 May 2019

I arrived in Athens not quite sure what to expect. I'd had such a relaxing stay in Milos and wasn't sure I was ready for the hustle and bustle of a big city. This was the view from my apartment.



First thing on my agenda was to visit the Acropolis. I'd read all the recommendations - rubber soled shoes, water, hat and an early start and did all of those things. 



I scaled the heights and discovered waves of tourists wielding cameras and selfie sticks and endless scaffolding. I was a bit disappointed.



My favourite part of the Acropolis was the Caryatid Porch of the Erechtheion.



Details of the Acropolis.



The Acropolis Museum was so helpful putting everything into context.



The Theatre of Dionysus. I'm not sure how comfortable those marble seats would have been.



The ancient agora was much more my style.


The Stoa of Attalos.



The Acropolis from the Ancient Agora.



The Church of the Holy Apostles.



The next day I was out and about early to watch the changing of the Presidential Guards.



I found it quite moving as did the guards participating in the ceremony looking at the intensity in their faces.



Next stop was Hadrian's Library.



Another view.



By then it was time to visit the Plaka, a lively district near the Acropolis.



Splashes of colour.



Some old doorways.



A local shopkeeper.



Flowers



From there I wandered to the Anafiotika district, known for it's cycladic architecture.



Yes, this is Athens not Santorini.



This is the view.



My final stop was the Panathenic Stadium home of the modern olympics.



The stadium is made from marble and it's a thing of beauty.



I felt a part of the Olympic family.



Next stop, the mystical Meteora.

Bye for now,

Jillian

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milos

milos

22 May 2019

When I was planning my holiday I wanted to visit a few of the Greek islands but I also didn't want to spend all my time packing and travelling. In the end, I decided to visit just 2 islands, Santorini and Milos.



It took about 2 1/2 hours on a fast ferry to reach Milos from Santorini. I stayed at Halara Studios high on a hill in charming Plaka, the capital city of Milos.



Plaka is nowhere near the beach and about 5 kms from the Port of Adamas. At the top of the hill is an old Venetian castle, the Kastro.



Plaka is very pretty with white washed buildings and lots of colourful touches.



The view from the church overlooking Plaka.



Plaka is close to a number of historic sights including the catacombs and the Roman Theatre. The walk down to the catacombs is very pretty.



You pass the Roman theatre first before reaching the Catacombs. The Roman Theatre is still in use to this day.



It's a beautiful structure.


A close-up.



From there I walked to the nearby village of Tripiti.



Tripiti is home to a number of windmills most of which have been converted into holiday accommodation. Directly below Tripiti is the fishing village of Klima.


A different viewpoint.



Try as I might I couldn't figure how to get to Klima so the following day I walked down there via the main road. Klima is known for it's colourful houses called syrmata where the boats are stored downstairs whilst the fisherman lived upstairs.



These days many of the houses have been converted into holiday accommodation but I saw a few fisher folk working on their boats and nets whilst I was there.



Klima is probably best seen from the water.



On my third day I went on a boat trip around the west coast of Milos with Milos Adventures.



It was supposed to be a swimming trip but this girl doesn't get into water if the mercury hasn't hit 27C and we were struggling to hit 20C that day. Some brave souls did enter the water accompanied by shrieks.



We went in a dinghy to explore the Pirate's Caves in Kleftiko. It was a good day.



Today it rained so I stayed locally and went for a walk through fields of flowers from the Roman Theatre back to my accommodation in Plaka.



Tomorrow I fly to Athens so tonight I had a farewell meal at my favourite local restaurant before packing.

I'll have some photos of Athens to share with you next time we meet.

Bye for now,

Jillian

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santorini

santorini

17 May 2019

Visiting Santorini has been on my bucket list for a very long time. I'd hoped to go about 7 years ago but Greece's economy went sour; the ferries weren't running and it all became a bit too hard to arrange so I put it on the back burner. Fast forward to 2019 when a conference in Geneva made it all a possibility.



Excited by the prospect of warm weather I bought a new swimsuit, the first in 8 years. Unfortunately the weather chose to be uncooperative during my stay in Santorini so instead of a swimsuit I wore jeans most days.



As I couldn't swan by the pool, on my first day in Santorini I decided to walk along the caldera from Fira to Imerovigili to admire the views.



Everything has been newly whitewashed in preparation for the influx of tourists in June but I found a few surfaces that had escaped the paint brushes.



Some more scenic vistas along the caldera.



On my second day in Santorini, the sun failed to appear so I caught the bus to the nearby village of Pyrgos, the highest point on the island.



Pyrgos is less manicured than the caldera villages, so feels a little more authentic.



The ruin of the venetian castle dominates the skyline.



Pyrgos buildings come in other colours, not just blue and white.



Although there is still plenty of blue and white around.



I found lots of wildflowers amongst the castle ruins.



Local donkeys are used to carry both tourists and loads up the hill.



One of the many village cats.



The king of the castle.



On the third day the sun came out so I visited Oia, the jewel in Santorini's crown. Although it's very pretty I actually preferred Fira and the local villages of Firostefani and Imerovigili to Oia. 



Oia is very manicured and polished and filled to the brim with expensive shops, boutiques and restaurants.



Oia also has it's own castle albeit ruined.



Oia Castle overlooks the pretty fishing village of Ammoudi.



I walked the 300 steps down to Ammoudi but chose to take the road back up the hill to the village.



Trying to get a picture of this church was a challenge. It is 'the location' for pre-wedding shoots so 3 couples and a plethora of photographers were in attendance. There was no way I was leaving without the shot even though I was run down by one of the grooms in the process. He was very apologetic but he was quite a large Afro-american guy and I'm one teeny tiny girl.



I'll leave you with a final shot of this iconic view of Oia.



Next stop on my Greek Odyssey is Milos followed by Athens. 

See you all again soon. 

Bye for now,

Jillian

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