Bathing Optional

Greece: Nov.9 - 22

Continents

Continents

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Great hotel in Athens. Not ours, but right across the street.
Central Athens is dotted with great Orthodox churches like this one.
Candles inside one of the churches.
Love those Orthodox images.
Saints cover the walls.
Jesus.
The Birdman?
Chandelier.
An old mosque in Athens Monastiriki Square.
Looking up to the Acropolis. Amazing!
The Temple of Hephaestus.
Athens old plaza.
One of the worlds first optometry labs.
The old Parliament.
The University.
Marching by the Presidential Palace.
Great shoes. Can we take these soldiers seriously?
Changing of the guard.
Soldiers.
Inside an Orthodox church.
Great art.
The Roman Stadium, first built in the 2nd century AD, rebuilt in 1894 all in marble for the first modern Olympics in 1896.
The Parthenon.
The first Olympic Games!
Church tower.
The streets of Athens old quarter, the Praka, are filled with patio restaurants and shops. Quaint, but touristy.
Church entrance.
Not to be missed!
The Zapheon.
Another of the great orthodox churches.
A monument stands old and tall near at the base of the Acropolis.
Views of Lecabettus Hill from the winding streets of the Plaka, the historic neighborhood built on the Acropolis hillside.
The Tower of the Winds, each face a direction of the compass.
The gate to the Roman Agora, the ancient Roman marketplace in old Athens.
Pillars along the wall of Hadrians Library.
Corinthian, Doric, or Ionian? Should have been paying attention in history class...
View over the ancient cemetery.
Lots of meat for sale in Athens open market.
Lots of great ambience in the cobbled streets of the Plaka neighborhood in the evenings. Unfortunately, out of our budget.
A visit to the the Acropolis usually begins by passing this small, but impressive ancient theater as you climb the hill.
Front row seats at the ancient ampitheater. Might get a bit uncomfortable during a long performance.
There are so many uncovered pieces at the Acropolis that they dont have anywhere to put them!
The grander Theater of Dionysus. Very impressive!
The Theater of Dionysus. Very nice!
Climbing up the hill to the top of the Acropolis, we passed through the huge gate first.
Us on the marble entry steps to the Acropolis, one of those places we thought wed never visit, but here we were!
Its all about the columns up on top of the Acropolis Hill.
We never quite knew which portions of those ancient buildings were original and which had been restored. Either way, very impressive!
Nice frieze!
The Parthenon, THE symbol of Greece for a few thousand years and counting.
The Parthenon. Perfection in building? Maybe.
Another frieze.
Looking down on the Theater of Dionysus from the top of the Acropolis Hill. Dont let that green fool you, theres very little of it left in sprawling Athens.
The Temple of Zeus as seen from the Acropolis.
On top of the Acropolis Hill.
The famous female pillars of the Erectheion Temple on the Acropolis.
The Parthenon, again.
Acropolis roofline.
Looking out over Athens from the Acropolis. Its huge!
Another of the lesser buildings up on top of the Acropolis. We thought that only the Parthenon stood up there.
Looking towards Filopappos Hill and its historic Observatory from the Acropolis.
Back out the Propyla Gate on our way down from the Acropolis.
By the gate.
Down below the Acropolis, the ancient Greek city, the Agora.
Statue in the Agora.
Ancient frieze.
Maciej with local mange. Lots of them in Athens. We almost felt like we were back in South America.
This ones Corinthian, I know it!
Lost his head.
The most impressive of the ancient Agoras buildings, the Hephaisteion Temple.
The Hephaisteion.
Temple details.
Looking back at the Acropolis, the rock over Athens.
Love those Orthodox churches.
Another one. Nice curves.
Beyond the Acropolis and the Agora is Filopappos Hill. Its a great, welcome piece of green in the city center and offers great views of the Acropolis!
Another view of the Acropolis from Filopappos Hill.
Back in the streets of the Plaka. Too many tourists!
Street art. Nice!
Hadrians Gate, entrance to the Temple of Zeus.
Ladder, an old way of getting into the monastery.
Orthodox art, often in gold.
Another old way of getting up the monasteries. Before rock steps were cut for visitors the monks would haul them up in these nets.
More monastery art.
Ashe, enjoying the incredible valley views from Agios Nikolaos balcony.
With views like these its a wonder more Greeks dont become Orthodox monks.
View from Agios Nikolaos to another of the Meteora monasteries.
Love those pinnacles!
Bell tower.
Ashe showing off her great apron/skirt. At each monastery entrance she had to grab one from a pile and put it on since women had to enter wearing skirts.
Another of the monasteries.
Entrance to the monks quarters.
Hiking through the forest on our way to monastery #2.
Great autumn colors!
Nice views!
Without planning it, we had arrived in Fall, a wonderful time to visit Meteora.
We got lost in the forest and mountains on our way to the second monastery. Lost, we came across this monastery, not on the tourist map and far from all the others. We were glad we had gotten lost.
Wow!
Our secret monastery.
Amazing!
Great scenery along the trail as we hiked over the mountains on our way to the other group of monasteries.
Beautiful!
Finally, after being lost for almost 2 hours, we finally came across the second monastery we had originally been seeking!
Varlaam Monastery.
Furhter on, Roussanou Monastery high upon its rocky perch.
Megalo Meteora, the largest of the remaining monasteries. Once, a monastery stood on top of each of the 24 pinnacles at Meteora. Today, seven remain.
Fall colors.
Varlaam Monastery with Roussanou Monastery beyond.
View of Varlaam Monastery as we climbed the steps up, up, up to Megalo Meteora Monastery.
Balcony with a view at Megalo Meteora Monastery.
Monastery lantern.
Entering Megalo Meteora is more like entering a fortress than a place of spiritual retreat.
The old wine cellar. Wine drinking, essential to a life of solitary meditation.
Wine press.
More of that great Orthodox art.
Monastery court.
Cross.
Monastery garden.
Views over the town of Kastraki from which we had hiked up.
Monastery balcony.
Kittens!
Monastery church.
Rose.
Church murals.
Creeping vine.
Monastery catwalks.
Ashe on the staircase leading up to Megalo Meteora Monastery, heading back down.
One with the rock.
At the next monastery, Varlaam with its orange tree ready for picking!
Garden cat.
Art at Varlaam Monastery.
More monastery art.
Lantern/ incense urn.
Each church at each monastery was filled with amazing wall paintings.
Bell tower.
Jesus image inside the monastery church at Varlaam.
Inside the church.
Scenery around the church.
Ashe on the monastery bridge.
The next monastery.
Meteora scenery. Incredible!
Agia Trias Monastery, our next stop.
Scenery along the way.
Wow!
Balancing act.
Kitties along the road!
The next monastery, Agia Triada.
Bridge.
Beautiful Fall colors!
Roadside shrine.
Looking back at Agia Triada from further along the road.
Looking down to the town of Kalambaka.
The final monastery, actually a nunnery, St.Stephens.
St.Stephens walls.
Bridge.
Orthodox nuns, not burka-wearing Muslims.
Look at that sugar and powdered sugar piled on those doughnuts. Well pass. Meteora was amazing. Now its off to the Greek Islands we go!
15 columns, the remains of the Temple of Zeus which once had many more columns, a roof, some walls...
Toppled column.
Nice!
Couldnt leave Athens without a visit to several fantastic museums and their ancient collections!
Alexander the Great.
Unlike lots of statues, shes still got her nose!
The Torso-less Horseman!
What a statue and its thousands of years old!
Those column ladies from that temple on top of the Acropolis Hill.
Rooms and rooms full of vases and urns at the National Archaelogical Museum.
Fantasic vase!
Looking closer at that great art.
Hes huge!
Looking good!
Nude wrestling, everyones favorite sport.
Bronze man.
Still intact.
Great marble statue.
Over the ages, the Greeks got better and better with their statuary.
Very lifelike.
Great paintings recovered from an ancient Minoan city. That means theyre more than 3000 years old!
You be the judge.
Heads, lots of them.
The Meteora landscape in northern Greece. Incredible!
The rock pinnacles of Meteora are amazing.
Even more amazing, the ancient monasteries of Meteora, built high on top of those precarious rock towers. We climbed from the small town of Kastraki to visit our first monastery of the day: Agios Nikolaos Anapafsas.
Approaching Agios Nikolaos. How they built that 600 years ago, well never know.
Looking up as we climbed the steps up to the monastery.
6 a.m. at the Piraeus Port. Ready to sail for the Greek Islands.
Typical scenery while on the ferry for Naxos, the largest of the Cyclade Islands.
Even Orthodox priests deserve a vacation in the islands!
Passing the very touristy Mykonos Island on our way to Naxos.
Ashe on the ferry with the blue Aegean beyond.
On the ferry for Naxos Island. Its almost winter and the weather is perfect!
Approaching Naxos.
Naxos hora, main town with its medieval castle on top of the hill.
A tiny suburb of Naxos Town.
Fishing boat at the port.
Naxos famous 5th century portal, the entrance to a now crumbled temple.
Hmm... maybe this island isnt our style?
The local school.
Our introduction to Greek Island life: white and blue.
Homes in the hills.
The town church, one of several.
Another chapel.
View over Filoti as we headed further up the hill and deeper into Naxos interior to the town of Apiranthos.
Goat by our wild camping spot near Apiranthos.
View from the spot we picked to camp for the night.
Sunset from our tent.
Evening walk through the village of Apiranthos, almost completely paved in marble!
Evening in Apiranthos.
The next morning. A goat eats by our tent.
Apiranthos in the morning light.
Another kitty! Theyre everywhere in Greece!
Part of the old castle in Apiranthos.
Early morning walk through Apiranthos.
Apiranthos home.
Marble lane.
Beautiful in its imperfection.
Shutters.
Covered walkways are the norm in the winding streets of Greek island towns.
White and blue.
Marble staircase.
Covered lane.
The slaughterhouse below our campsite and late night mafia meeting spot. We camped in that grove of trees just above the fence.
Inside the slaughterhouse. WE could have been hanging on that meat hook!
Priorities.
The Aegean.
Boat.
The 5th century portal at Naxos Towns port.
Beach by the port. Beautiful waters!
The days catch.
Octapi.
The first of many doorways. The Greek Islands are famous for them!
How does that still hold?
Oh, to be a cat.
Blossoms.
Everything is so lush on the islands.
Part of the medieval fortress sitting on the hill above Naxos Town.
Nice!
Berries.
The old castle wall.
Typical lane in the narrow lanes above Naxos.
More blossoms.
Cute chimney.
Old ladies meet in the streets of Naxos.
Ashe along the castle tower in Naxos.
Climbing up to the castle gate.
Passing through yet another arched passageway.
Great spot for fans of the Girl with a Pearl Earring.
The church within the castle grounds.
Another cat.
Gate knocker.
Black. Like it!
Out of commission.
Lanterns.
Back at Naxos port, waiting for our next ferry.
Chillin on the ferry for Santorini Island, one of Greeces best.
On the ferry.
Oia, the perfect village on Santorini Islands north shore. Perched high on the cliffs, the caldera of the ancient volcano that erupted around 1450 B.C., and possibly meant the sinking of the Minoan Civilization (Atlantis), is clearly visible.
The homes of Oia clinging to the cliff.
We got to Oia just in time for sunset.
Fantastic views over Oia.
Steps.
Sunset over Santorini Island, theres nothing like it.
Sunset light over the homes of Oia.
Approaching Santorini by ferry, all those white homes on top of the cliffs looked like snow.
Ashe, loving our first hours in Oia.
Very nice!
Bell tower.
Oia homes. Almost perfect.
Staircases connect each home from the one main lane along the cliffs top.
Sunset.
One of Oias many churches at sunset.
More great homes in Oia.
Sunset over all those blue domes in Oia.
Bell towers.
Oia, beautiful!
Bell tower.
Great place from which to watch the sun set.
Nice!
Oia church.
Sunset.
Evening lights come on.
Bell tower at sunset.
Sunset windmill.
Confronted with a $15 taxi ride from the port to the town of Fira on Santorini Island we easily chose the $20 rental car instead. That night, we slept in our home on wheels.
The sunrise may even be better than Oias famous sunset.
Sunrise over Santorini.
Sunrise colors over Oias rooftops.
Patio.
Sunset pink.
The next morning, we were up at dawn. Us and the donkeys.
Oia windmills at sunrise.
Pink and pink.
Patio.
The heart of the great volcano.
Bell tower and windmill.
Bell tower.
Colorful doorway.
Sunrise view over Oia.
Door knocker.
Those blue domes are great.
Sunset.
Santorinis colors.
Incredible views from the cliffs of Santorini.
One of Oias windmills.
Colors.
Oia is full of these blue-domed chapels but none seem to be open, even on Sunday morning when we tried to visit them.
More color in Oias homes.
A door to nowhere?
Ashe behind the door to nowhere.
Oia.
Caldera views from Oia.
Another gate to a cliff home.
Catnap.
Great views from everywhere in town.
With only one main road in town, most homes are accessed by staircases and tiny alleys.
Dining for two with a view.
Us with our rental car/hotel on Santorini Island.
Although overrun with tourist shops, Santorini Islands main town, Fira Town, is still worth a visit.
Flowers.
More flowers.
Views down the island from Fira Town to Oia. All those white homes look almost like snow.
Look for the red door.
Another one of those island cats.
Dome of Fira Towns main church.
Church chandelier.
Home patio.
Bell tower.
A new coat of paint.
Dome over Fira Town.
Clocktower.
Blue and white, what the Greek Islands are all about.
Everything looks just a bit too perfect on Santorini.
Views down the cliff.
Church dome.
Gate.
Another colorful doorway.
View over Fira Town.
Another church dome.
Flowers over Fira Town.
The volcano crater side of Santorini is one big cliff. The other sıde, flat pastures into the sea.
Old church along the shore at Red Beach.
Church entrance.
Red cliffs over Red Beachs white church.
Seaside at Red Beach.
Lookıng down on Red Beach.
Maciej at Red Beach.
Theres a reason that Red Beach is called Red Beach.
Rural church.
Ashe at beachside table at Perissa Beach.
During our drive around Santorini Island, we decided to stop in the completely non-touristy town of Emporio and are glad that we did. We found an amazing old town at the foot of an ancient castle.
Fantastic colors in Emporios Old Town.
More Old Town colors.
And another one.
We loved Emporios Old Town. Quiet and beautiful.
Beautiful!
Great touch.
Following the windy lane up to the castle.
Not blue?!
Forgotten home.
Within the castle walls we found a great little neighborhood of tight, tiny homes.
Church tower views.
Passageway within the castle.
More castle homes.
Amazing.
They sure get their exercise getting to their homes in this castle.
Another town, another great church!
Bell tower.
Blue door.
Castle home.
View from the old castle tower.
Ashe wıth one of the islands many kitties.
Great sidewak design made of small stones.
Another doorway practically overgrown with flowers.
A visit to one of the islands most historic and forgotten churches.
Tiny chimney windmill.
Church tower.
Cross.
Sea views.
Hard to believe that this beach is packed during the summer. The weather was great while we were there but the beach, and town, were deserted.
Fishing boat.
Amazing views from the road leading back down to Santorinis port.
Definitely not our boat from Santorini.
Watching the sunset over Santorini from the port.
Views from the port as we settled into our reclined car seats, waiting for the 4 a.m. ferry.
Entering the port at Heraklio, Crete.
Passing one of the more deserted islands.
Island windmill.
Kasos Town on Kasos Island. Tiny.
Karpathos Island. Isolated and quiet.
Message scribbled on the back of the seat in front of us on the ferry. No, we didnt write it. Really!
Karpathos Town at sunset.
Karpathos church.
Another church.
Arched passageway.
Rhodes Town. We quickly fell in love with this amazing medieval city home to a wonderful mix of cultures.
Rhodes medieval wall is said to be the best in all of Europe!
Flowers just outside our hostel window in the heart of the Old Town.
Rhodes is the sunniest and most green of all of Greeces islands.
Another great flower.
Morning flowers.
Tiny 12th century chapel just outside the front door to our hostel.
Another island, another haven for happy cats.
Most of old Rhodes is ancient stone and wood.
Doorway.
Old defensive boulders lay at the foot of the city wall in Rhodes.
The entire old town was one big garden.
Medieval tower.
One of the main streets through old Rhodes.
Filled with lanes like thıs one how could someone not fall in love with Rhodes?
Typical street in Rhodes.
With a past that includes at least four major civilizations, Rhodes is a city built on top of itself over and over again.
With the lanes as thin as they are a larger truck wouldnt be able to make it.
Flower pot.
Arches.
Arch.
Empty wash station at one of Rhodes abandoned mosques.
Cat on fence.
Flowers.
Like we said, all of Rhodes is like one big garden.
Street lantern.
Love those ancient stones.
Minaret, an Ottoman addition to one of Rhodes ancient churches.
Green eyes.
Window sill.
Ancient stones.
We spent all day getting intentionally lost in the maze of streets that is old Rhodes.
One thousand year old church.
Cats.
Great lane.
More cats.
Windows.
Islamic doorway.
Try as we might we couldnt read it.
Mosque minaret.
Turning a corner around the old hammam bath.
Peering into a garden.
Rhodes, a great place to get lost in.
Lantern.
Cautious.
Comfortable.
Old city gate.
Old church.
Arches.
Mosque domes.
Mosque colors.
Minaret.
Rhodes largest mosque.
Tower.
Water pipe cafe.
Minaret.
Street turned garden.
Typical old town lane.
Fountain.
Homes.
Beach just outside the old towns walls.
Ancient basilica ruins.
Old town building.
Tower along the medieval wall.
Flowers and church tower.
Macius, do you know where we are?
Ancient clocktower.
Knight.
Enjoying the garden. So were we.
Rhodes harbour scene.
Another of Rhodes ancient city gates.
Inside one of the remarkable buildings built by the Knights of St.John.
Ancient statue.
Steps.
Mosaic floors, just a hint of what we would later see inside the incredible castle of Rhodes.
Inside an old cathedral.
Ancient art.
Beautiful statue inside the museum.
Columned balcony.
Fountain.
The Street of the Knights.
Everything is stone in old Rhodes.
Entering the grounds of the incredible castle of Rhodes.
The main tower and gate to the castle of Rhodes.
Entering the castle.
In addition to being amazingly restored, the castle is even more known for its fabulous mosaic tile floors, a different pattern in each of its dozens of rooms and halls.
Peacock mosaic.
Hearts.
Medusa?
Chandelier.
Dining hall.
Who needs carpets when youve got these floor coverings?
Lantern.
Intricate chest.
Waves.
Battle.
One of the more detailed mosaic tile scenes.
The Nine Muses.
Statue in the castle courtyard.
In the courtyard.
Castle lantern.
Ashe, climbing the castle steps.
Fortress doors.
Lantern.
Medieval gate.
Castle tower.
Old city wall.
Passing through the old city wall involves passing through several gates and over the old moat.
Old wood carvings.
Crossing the moat.
Castle door.
Old windmills and new yachts along Rhodes harbour.
Those deer mark the spots where the feet of the giant Colossus of Rhodes, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, once stood.
Somewhere along the cıty wall.
The Avenue of the Knights.
Rhodes, a garden city.
Sunset mosque.
Kitty.
Sunset at Rhodes ancient Acropolis.
The remains of the Temple of Zeus.
Lindos, Rhodes Islands second most popular tourist destination. We drove by, walked the streets for an hour, visited the castle, and moved on.
Castle over Lindos.
Lindos building.
Lindos church and castle.
Lindos Beach.
Rocky cliffs along Lindos coast.
Lindos Castle.
The village church.
Most of the towns streets are of tiny stones with designs along the way.
Unique to Lindos, the people have intricate rock designs on their doorsteps. Much better than a doormat.
Another stone doormat.
Nice design.
Another great one.
Nice entry.
The 900 year-old church at the wonderful Thari Monastery tucked deep into central Rhodes Islands mountains and forests.
Fresh olives, picked right off of the trees by the monastery monks.
Ashe enjoying the beauty of the monastery grounds.
Flowers.
Dried flowers over the church doors, a local tradition.
We decided to drive as many dirt, mountain roads on Rhodes Island as we could.
Rhodes Islands mountainous interior is a wonderful place.
Green!
Us with our latest hotel room on wheels, our 25 Euro Hyundai Atoz.
Sheep grazing amongst the ruins of Asklipios ancient castle.
Forest views from the castle.
Sunset from the castle.
Castle wall.
Ashe inside the old castle.
Sunset skies over the castle wall.
Walking on the castle wall.
Sunset skies over Askliplios town church.
Sunset.
An evening of panic in the cold when Maciej locked the keys in our car in the middle of nowhere with darkness setting in quite fast. Within an hour we were able to stop the only one car that passed us all evening long and the man was able to get a coat hanger for us to use to break into the car.
After sleeping in the rental car by a tiny mountain monastery we continued the drive around Rhodes the next morning with a visit to the old castle at Monolithos first.
Coast views from Monolithos Castle.
Ashe climbing up to the castle.
Castle ruins.
Castle wall.
Ashe at Monolithos Castle.
One of many tiny monasteries dotting the mountains of Rhodes Island. This one, on beautiful Mt.Profitis Ilias was one of our favorites.
Monastery gate.
Fantastic tree on the monastery grounds.
Inside the monastery.
Candles.
Fantastic paintings fill the interior of the 900 year old church.
Incense urn.
Us under that wonderful tree.
Getting on the tiny ferry for Marmaris, Turkey. Goodbye Rhodes, goodbye Greece.
Sunset time.
Walking home.
More flowers.
Statues.
Ancient track at Rhodes Acropolis.

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