Posts/Entries

All posts/entries, for now, from over two decades of global travel. And a few colourful tags, too.

Mystras, Greece

Mystras, Greece

“In a country where antiquity is king, the fascinating tumbledown complex of churches and monasteries of the fortified UNESCO-listed mountain retreat of Mystras, last foothold anywhere for the once-mighty Byzantium Empire, feels like something of an upstart; it is only, at most, 800 years old.”

Sparta, Greece

Sparta, Greece

“Conscious of the past, efforts were made at the time to rebuild the town so as to reflect its ancient pre-eminence, but the town planners fell someway short. In their defence, they did not have a lot to play with; it’s obvious Ancient Sparta was more focused on building legendary armies as opposed to cities. Plus, it’s hard for a structure to outlive antiquity if it was never constructed in the first place.”

Olympia, Greece

Olympia, Greece

“If the present-day archaeological site of Ancient Olympia, the former celebrated sanctuary of Greek supreme god Zeus and the birthplace of the Olympic Games, doesn’t win gold for being Greece’s most redolent ancient site then it would at the very least be assured of a podium finish.”

Peloponnese, Greece

Peloponnese, Greece

”The Greek Peloponnese Peninsula heavy-hitting history trilogy: Ancient Olympia, the once-great sanctuary to Zeus and birthplace of the Olympic Games; Sparta, the ancient city-state famous for its military prowess; and the UNESCO-listed lofty heights of Mystras, the last bastion of power for the once-mighty Byzantium Empire.”

Zákynthos, Greece

Zákynthos, Greece

“A now-iconic image… the MV Panagiotis… blown off course during adverse weather in October 1980… sitting pretty here ever since in the middle of a secluded white-sand beach and surrounded by towering white limestone cliffs… it is beyond dazzling, easily one of the most picture-perfect scenes I’ve ever pointed a (zoom) lens at.”

Tínos, Greece

Tínos, Greece

“There is more to the Cycladic island of Tínos than the all-encompassing holiness associated with its venerated Church of Virgin Mary/Panagia Evangelistria and its miracle-working icon. But the hulking form of Greece’s major Marian shrine is the only reason I paid the island a visit from nearby Mýkonos meaning that overtly-religious Tínos may just be as adept at drawing tourists as it is pilgrims.”

Delos, Greece

Delos, Greece

“… one of the holiest sanctuaries in Greek mythology, the island is the mythical birthplace of the gods Apollo and his twin sister Artemis. Today, the fascinating archaeological site on the island, one of the most important collections of ancient Greek ruins on earth, preserves the remains of a sanctuary to Apollo and Artemis and the once-magnificent city, a bustling commercial centre, that developed around it.”

Mýkonos, Greece

Mýkonos, Greece

“It’s not the exclusive celeb and jet set hangout it used to be in the 50s and 60s, when such A-listers as Jackie O, Maria Callas, Marlon Brando, Grace Kelly and Elizabeth Taylor all vacationed here, but fabulous gay-friendly Mýkonos is still the Cyclades glamour capital, not to mention its hedonistic party central.”

Páros, Greece

Páros, Greece

“Páros… was all the more charming for what it wasn’t – it wasn’t busy, it wasn’t expensive, and it wasn’t as ostentatious as elsewhere. But it was still sufficiently Cyclades-esque swank and downright seductive, almost coquettishly so. And pretty. Oh-so pretty. Two islands in and one was quickly discovering that ‘oh-so pretty’ is par of the course on these Cyclades isles.”

Santoríni, Greece

Santoríni, Greece

“… a somewhat exclusive destination of unparalleled global appeal, a place-to-see-before-you-die location par excellence. Oozing romance and voguish in the extreme, its world-famous landscape, vistas, architecture, and cave house infinity pools have graced the pages of nearly every glossy travel or lifestyle magazine ever printed and formed the backdrop for many a bikini-clad fashion model shoot, staged social media influencer selfie, or dreamy wanderlust-inspiring GoPro video footage.”

Island Hopping, Greece

Island Hopping, Greece

“… pick your island of choice. Better still, pick a few. Check the ferry schedule and set sail. Settle into a quaint room. Wander among whitewashed lanes. Wash down your souvlaki with a beer or a carafe of wine in a local taverna. And when all that is done you can hop to the next island and do it all over again. C’est la belle vie Greek style, one sun-drenched island at a time.”

Ohrid, Macedonia

Ohrid, Macedonia

“There are two versions of Ohrid here in this placid region of southwest Macedonia: one is a small hilly resort town with a compact walled Old Quarter of traditional houses with red-tiled roofs, medieval churches, monasteries, open-air ruins, and a centuries-old fortress towering above it all; the other is a shimmering lake straddling the mountainous border between Macedonia and Albania, one of Europe’s deepest, oldest, and most picturesque bodies of water harbouring a unique and UNESCO-protected ecosystem. Two reasons to visit when, for me at least, one would be draw enough. Fortunately, where Ohrid is concerned they come as a package.”

Skopje, Macedonia

Skopje, Macedonia

“Most of what bemused me about the city today wasn’t even here a decade ago. Millions have been spent in recent years turning the centre of the city into something of a bizarre theme park of garish architecture – some 130 structures (buildings, statues, bridges, water features, and even a triumphal arch) were erected between 2010 and 2014 as part of the Skopje 2014 project, one of Europe’s biggest urban renewal schemes centred around both banks of the city’s Vardar River.”

Kosovo

Kosovo

“It’s affordable, gritty, youthful, ambitious & friendly, a very new country dealing with a troubled past while looking towards a brighter future. Here and now Kosovo also has bears; UNESCO-listed monuments; and a likable capital city boasting 200,000+ hospitable locals, a not-so-old Old Quarter, a bizarre man crush on a former US president, life-size lettering…great street scenes, and some standout architecture, including what must surely be a contender for the ugliest building on earth. Yes, it’s a curious mix alright, but one that somehow works…”

Cortez suchitoto Oia Colorado Mystras Danang Ait Benhaddou Ancud casablanca Negril New Zealand Lake Titicaca Falmouth Drake Passage Bucharest Castries Kilkenny Sucre Boracay chengdu Sepilok Longyearbyen san francisco Castro John O'Groats Spitsbergen Chile Thailand leon Milford Sound ericeira moscow Campania Dades Gorge Southeast Asia Littleton Mostar Galapagos Islands Cleveland Saint Martin Finland Wanaka Sarajevo Savannah sunshine coast Warwick Scottsbluff Laganas copenhagen Sofia Jefferson Vatican City San Jose Damascus Krakow Rincon Iowa Hong Kong Siem Reap Delmarva Gibraltar Samarkand Cooke City East Asia fort cochin Lewes Almaty Rio Gallegos karnataka tikal Kentucky Wadi Musa Sint Maarten / Saint Martin kosovo Zagreb Xian Ocean City Caen Tipperary Cooperstown Arlington Appalachians Ilha de Santa Catarina North Africa unawatuna L'Agulhas Tashkent Riga Chefchaouen Mtskheta Osh Sabah Montreal Chandigarh Greece South America Cetinje Bemidji Pyongyang ulan bator uxmal Essaouira Mestia Montevideo Tuymen Omaha Ohrid Andijon Grand Cayman UAE Dominican Republic Connecticut kuta san salvador Australasia Panajachel Whangarei Tongariro Brazil Bern Arabia Sinuiju Peloponnese Santa Roas de Copan Romania Washington West Yellowstone Gori Ingapirca Central America Jerusalem Oman the big island Harbin Alabama santa ana Valparaiso Alaska Mongolia Montana Barre Cork sydney Pisa Los Angeles Pyramiden British Columbia Cape May Pokhara Essex New Haven Antrim Philippines Bolivia Rome Deadwood Torres Del Paine Deception Island Hartland Missouri Jacmel Florianopolis Iberia Ullapool Llandudno Cap-Haitien Wilmington new south wales Dunedin Buenos Aires Skopje Port Waikato Lesser Antilles Cape of Good Hope Cornelia Madison Manuel Antonio Hawaii New England Popayan kerala St. Lucia Santorini Argentina Slovakia Antarctica Chichicastenango Luquillo Portland Garden City lamanai Porto Alegre chiang rai Richmond Cairo Nuweiba Indonesia Montgomery Uttar Pradesh Auschwitz/Birkenau Astana Er Rachidia Spalding New Zealand - North Island Juayua Nice North Carolina Saint Lucia Cape Town Bluegrass Paros vancouver Istanbul Mobile jodhpur Pennsylvania New Zealand - South Island The Cyclades kovalam Trieste penang Bremen Western Cape Lima Sparta Albania Cherbourg Eastport Prattville Blugaria El Alamein Isla de la Ometepe Northland Syria Arizona Canyon Village Yekaterinburg Rapa Nui Tetouan Pompeii Tivat Maharashtra Appalachia Ticonderoga Verona Zante Ionian Islands Kyoto Imjingak oslo san diego Birmingham Lubec Fort Payne Hama Belgrade Camaguey The Catlins Friendship Highway shanghai Kota Kinabalu Lexington Merzouga Wadi Rum Charlottesville Teotihuacan Salt Lake City goa Bruges byron bay Jordan Rosario Nara Netherlands Foz do Iguacu Caleta Tortel boston Lombardy El Chalten Brasov South Ossetia Nikko Monticello yucatan ataco Dijon Dahab Kotor Stepantsminda/Kazbegi Granby krabi Germany Poland Khiva Tobolsk Turkey Aspen Puno Tierra del Fuego Suwon Galway Philadelphia Reykjavik El Calafate Loja Meknes Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) Invercargill Olive Hill antigua Intercourse Slovenia Fox Glacier Dominica Hungary Sneedville Ipiales Sao Paulo Matauri Bay Noosa French Antilles Iguazu Falls Erlian hana Jamestown Toledo Puerto Rio Tranquilo Uruguay West Virginia caye caulker Singapore Havana Sandy Hook Plovdiv Armenia Clarksdale Cannon Ball Salta Honolulu miami Russia Highland Rosine Budva Williamsburg Tennessee irkutsk langkawi Illinois New Church seward tibet Arkansas Easter Island Piura Brussels Twin Lakes India Stirling Sligo Annapolis cancun dubai Sinai north car Owensboro orange walk lisbon Port of Spain Greenfield Vermont Montanita Christchurch Ouarzazate Quebec City Custer Cordell bay islands Cologne Gansbaai Roanoke Island Meridian Bird in Hand North America China Puerto Natales Uyuni bali Zakynthos ella Muscat Normandy Cuba Mandeville Punta Cana melbourne Grand Forks victoria Jackson Costa Rica Costa del Sol jaco Idaho Trinidad and Tobago Grand Lake Golmud Madrid Pristina Louisiana Alpine Nasca Indiana Ping An Ciudad del Este Paraguay Cape Reinga Oregon Zugdidi Copan Ruinas Skye George Town Varadero Kyrgyzstan Israel Vilnius Berlin Panguitch Montpelier Malaysia Maynardville copan Minnesota Tyumen Gangnam Puerto Varas Cholpon-Ata Guiyang Shelly Beach Greymouth Delaware Fenwick Island Front Royal tomsk Galax San Juan Del Sur Vienna Warsaw Colleville Sur Mer Glasgow Patagonia Nacoochee Village Czech Republic Marigot Mexico City Mexico Hatch waikiki Jungfrau Zhangmu Gyantse Antwerp amritsar Perm Charleston brisbane Dubrovnik Kingston Todra Gorge New Hampshire Milan Lauterbrunnen Massachusetts kandy Indian Subcontinent South Dakota Austria Philipsburg Stepantsminda Alaverdi vizhinjam Bratislava Elim Switzerland Wellington Edinburgh St Cloud Colombia Lancaster Delos Aviemore Scandinavia Outer Banks Nevada Brian Head Budapest Niagara Tinos Suez Prescott Laramie Ushuaia Willemstad Bloubergstrand Rugby Dandong Fort Yates Honduras Petra Aqaba Chiloe Alausi Venezuela Bloomington Croatia Lake George Copacabana maui Srebrenica leshan Nicaragua El Salvador Caucasus Baltic States Datong El Chaupi chiang mai Nashville Panmunjom Navajo Nation Tokyo Antarctic Peninsula Algeciras Paju Nuwera Eliya Gettysburg yangshou Brainerd Mayo colombo ABC Islands Naples Porto Montenegro Giza Clare Santiago Emei Shan Ghorepani Ashland Jackson Hole anjuna west bengal Macedonia Cayman Islands Treasure Beach Abu Dhabi mafra Bangkok Torrington Ljubljana Leadville Upstate New York Novosibirisk Providence Chongqing Overberg Mississippi Delta Listvyanka Banos United Kingdom Roseau Catalonia borneo Amman boquete Vicksburg Walker Curacao Manteo Tallahassee Annapurna Franschhoek Quebec Vancouver Island Burwell Yazoo City Alexandria Tegucigalpa Washington D.C. ubud Australia Sint Maarten Sunauli Norway Marrakesh Crown Point Madaba The Caribbean / West Indies Potosi Barentsburg Cusco Svalbard Palolem key west Dyess hohhot Soufriere Abkhazia Veneto Cochrane Sweden Kansas City Lahaina Mount Sinai alleppey Paris Peru Kill Devil Hills Kleinbaai stockholm Chelsea Netherlands Antilles Florence Rotorua mysore Wyoming Bukhara South Carolina Middle East seattle Mumbai/Bombay Asuncion Bentonia Belize City Spain seoul Naushki Santa Clara Lake Ohrid La Paz Kathmandu West Indies Estes Park Fengdu New York Wisconsin Yichang New Jersey flores Minneapolis Kerry South Shetland Islands Morocco Fort William Indianapolis Olympia cameron highlands Northern Ireland New York City solola Tena Panama France Pensacola Hyden Saint Stephen Billings Colonia del Sacramento Scotland chetumal Shenandoah Heartland Santiago Atitlan Rissani Cote d'Azur / French Riviera Kona Pula baltimore helsinki Pucon Erg Chebbi Barcelona The Balkans siberia Maracaibo Macau rajasthan San Martin de los Andes Trakai Knoxville Parikia Atlanta Cheyenne Vietnam Page Salina Imlil Bar Harbor Montville Hospet Dead Sea Andalusia Macclenny Stanstead Beaver Dam kenai peninsula Greater Antilles Nizhny Novgorod ipoh utila Chicago Cartagena Galapagos Chesapeake Mesoamerica bundi Prishina punjab Kuala Lumpur Monte Carlo Queenstown homer Leigh anchorage Buford Puerto Rico Puerto Ayora Burgundy Santa Rosa de Copan South Korea Luxor Hyannis Ohio Isla Isabela Memphis Bosnia and Herzegovina South Africa San Juan Burlington Kodari tijuana Machu Picchu Belgium Hispaniola Santo Domingo Flanders varanasi New Brunswick Jenkins Kolkata / Calcutta Selma Trinidad & Tobago Huaraz Logan Slyudyanka Jebel Toubkal Tangier Simon's Town Uzbekistan Portugal Coyhaique Punta Arenas Trinidad Himeji coba China & Tibet Tirana Panama City Cape Cod Yongin Medicine Bow Nebraska Tallinn Guanajuato granada Transylvania Canada galle Ghent wicklow Denmark Malaga Kijong-dong / Propaganda Village New Mexico Jamaica Gyeongju El Jadida Alliance Virpazar Port-au-Prince Maryland Colonial Williamsburg Maine Santa Marta busan Cuenca Hout Bay merida Cordoba Volubilis Woodstock beijing Mykonos Guayaquil managua Delft North Dakota Trujillo Florida Helen Hanoi guadalajara Serbia North Korea Kuwait Fes Hora Nanning Franconia Lori Lhasa Tingri Urumqi Provincetown Latvia Rhode Island Bran Mendoza Burdine Gracanica Kyllini Polynesia Lago De Yojoa Crow Agency Tbilisi Saint Petersburg Japan Guilin Kayenta Panjim Myrtle Beach Podgorica agra Michigan Montego Bay Palestine Bethlehem Gradil Midelt Kazakhstan Asheville Atlantic City Estonia las vegas Montenegro Bariloche Egypt Georgia Toronto Aysen Vík í Mýrdal Lithuania Andros Adirondacks Como Bluffs Bodie Island Sri Lanka Italy Fajardo Ocho Rios oahu Stellenbosch porto Erie Virginia Durango Puerto Villamil Veliko Tarnovo Ecuador Guangzhou Rio de Janeiro Cannes Angkor pushkar Hoi An Beulah Hue Yerevan Te Anu Mount Cook Belize Dorasan Perito Moreno queensland New Orleans Teec Nos Pos Shigatse Ghandruk Rockfish Gap Nepal Tuscany England Hermanus Quito Lincoln Bismarck Tekapo Westport Guatemala Shakhunya The Arctic USA Hatteras Island delhi Moulay Idriss Bogota Lakota Dayton Muine Aleppo Ica Amsterdam Rhineland Campobello Island Muriwai Beach Perast kollam Lewisburg North Macedonia Krasnoyarsk hampi Marbella tulum utah Prague Kobe Monaco Lockerbie Medellin Iceland Jacksonville Bulgaria Concepción de Ataco Cambodia Puerto Lopez Margate London Venice Syracuse St Paul California Jersey Shore Hiroshima St. Louis Tupelo dublin hilo Durres vladimir Coeburn Donegal Chiclayo Jeju Istria Peninsula Haiti Cienfuegos Taupo Mississippi Bishkek Nags Head Ontario Ireland Central Asia

Pin It on Pinterest