Santorini, Mykonos, Crete, Kusadasi, Turkey to Athens (Sept 19 to 23)

Santorini was form by a volcano exploding over 80,000 yrs ago..making it the only inhabited caldera. The first settlement on Santorini was in 3600 BC. 
In the 1930's a cholera outbreak hit Santorini. People painted their houses with a limestone wash..which was thought to have disinfectant properties. Then in the 1960's a law was passed that Santorini homes must be painted white and blue to represent the Greek flag and patriotism. Now, people keep up the tradition and it makes for beautiful views..especially in the town of Oia.

The alleys and streets were full of shops and vendors. We all laughed at these bottle openers that were EVERYWHERE. But Russ seemed to enjoy them a bit too much! 🤣
Windblown on the black beach
Donkeys coming up the steps from the beach. We opted to take the cable car..felt bad for the donkeys!
Sunset in Santorini..looking at out ship
The steps up the hillside at dusk. Now you see why I felt bad for the donkeys!
The beautiful waters off Mykonos

Elia beach
The beautiful windmills of Mykonos.
There are 16 on the island. Most were built by the Venetians in the 16th century. They were mainly built to mill wheat. Most are now turned into hotels
Great seaside break to chill and take in the beauty. The water was crystal clear.
Very tiny alleys where tourists squeezed by each other looking at the trinkets.
Moon over Mykonos..
Crete harbor. Beautiful change in water colors! Crete has been inhabited since 7000 BC.
Downtown Heraklion, the capital, which was named after Hercules. 
Beautiful countryside in Crete
Weaving a Turkish rug in Kusadasi.
Silkworm cocoons. We watched them pull silk off the cocoons and weave it.
Turkey is the world's 3rd biggest silk producer.
Beautiful Turkish pottery
Hand painted with great detail.
It was a beautiful theatre in Ephasus. It was finished in 140 AD
And it seated 25,000 people!!
Main street in Ephasus that ran from the original port to the theatre.

The Temple of Hadrian..built in 138 AD
Lovey views of the countryside.
The Virgin Mary arrived to Ephasus  with St John and it is believed lived her final years here. Her home is on Mt Koressos.
Beautiful Virgin Mary items sold there
Hello..welcome to Athens

























Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Lakeland, FL

Porto, Sintra & Lisbon, Portugal (Oct 11-18) Part II

Cruising....Venice to Dubrovnik