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…”

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Williamsburg Mandeville Lithuania Indiana Alausi Tirana Fort Payne Zante Leadville Friendship Highway Adirondacks Naushki Monticello Luxor Selma Atlanta Buford Crown Point Brasov Charleston Maracaibo Muriwai Beach Uttar Pradesh Tegucigalpa busan Hospet Nizhny Novgorod Cairo Kota Kinabalu Cork Puerto Varas Novosibirisk Deception Island Chichicastenango Macau Sepilok France Los Angeles Lakota Clare Saint Petersburg Oregon Sneedville Philadelphia Portugal Maynardville Chongqing Bran St Paul Tashkent Lahaina Crow Agency Salta Outer Banks Kolkata / Calcutta Kleinbaai Pisa Rincon Northland ericeira Singapore Thailand brisbane Paros Patagonia Suez ella Invercargill Bogota Tipperary Michigan New Mexico Gracanica Jacksonville Isla Isabela Uyuni Montenegro Catalonia Khiva Coyhaique Montgomery Southeast Asia Urumqi key west Lago De Yojoa Dayton Teotihuacan Wisconsin Transylvania Hora Morocco Jackson Hole Puerto Lopez Finland South Shetland Islands Jackson Minneapolis Tallahassee Coeburn Wyoming Chesapeake Brussels New York Deadwood India Savannah Auschwitz/Birkenau Christchurch Algeciras Bismarck Guatemala Srebrenica boquete Slyudyanka South Ossetia Potosi Hyden Guangzhou Lori Venezuela dubai Bluegrass North Macedonia Nags Head El Salvador Charlottesville Providence Atlantic City Ushuaia hohhot Sinuiju miami Olive Hill Mesoamerica bundi South America Kansas City Hatch Bethlehem Boracay santa ana homer Hoi An hampi Hungary Galax Kotor Fajardo Ouarzazate Damascus Prattville Dubrovnik Belgrade Pyramiden Dominican Republic Alabama Astana Grand Lake Italy Oman Vatican City vancouver Guanajuato Caleta Tortel Simon's Town Dunedin Whangarei Minnesota Montevideo Kyoto sunshine coast Belize City El Alamein Valparaiso Barcelona Varadero Paris Fort Yates Hong Kong Oia Greenfield New England Peloponnese Brazil Puerto Rico Rome Bar Harbor Philippines Gori Buenos Aires New Orleans Grand Cayman kandy Appalachians Rugby Cetinje ABC Islands Durango Kuala Lumpur Perito Moreno Stirling Teec Nos Pos West Indies Shakhunya Sint Maarten / Saint Martin Nebraska Littleton Prescott North Africa Zhangmu oahu Arabia Hartland krabi Cayman Islands Monte Carlo Uruguay Prishina Belize Chandigarh Arizona Alexandria Scotland Nevada Hispaniola Kerry North America Williamsburg Richmond Gangnam Juayua alleppey Aspen Louisiana Albania Saint Stephen Donegal Lewisburg Costa del Sol Dorasan Bremen tijuana Germany Bloomington Knoxville El Chaupi Chile copan Alpine Queenstown North Carolina Danang Burdine tikal Ghent irkutsk Svalbard Samarkand Netherlands Medellin Tena Olympia Pyongyang Cuenca new south wales Iceland Colombia Haiti Iowa Tangier Meknes kuta Shenandoah Macclenny Perast New York City Jacmel Banos Kobe Tennessee Alaverdi Hyannis Curacao Guilin Ticonderoga Honolulu Tongariro varanasi Virpazar Trinidad langkawi Bosnia and Herzegovina Sweden Florida The Arctic Bariloche Lancaster Owensboro Mississippi Eastport Antwerp Kingston Mostar Austria Durres Pula Iguazu Falls Greece Rotorua Himeji 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Fuego Cleveland Nikko Porto Alegre Lombardy Panjim jaco Kilkenny Mongolia Parikia The Caribbean / West Indies Emei Shan Marbella Colonia del Sacramento Wadi Rum Jeju moscow ataco Czech Republic Grand Forks Amsterdam Shelly Beach Kuwait caye caulker Madison Iberia Marrakesh New Zealand - North Island Cape Cod Mykonos Montville Montego Bay

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