I’m sipping on a Greek coffee, one with a color matching the copper pot containing it. Across the way I observe the typical Greek elder. Dressed in all blue, he encourages each passing tourist to stop in on the neighboring textile shop, like a billboard that has truly come to life. He doesn’t seem to work there. The shop owner could just be a friend. Regardless, he takes a seat on a wooden chair to advertise Halki’s treasures as I take a sip of strong coffee. Halki is a perplexing place for its location. Its atmosphere would have you believe it is buried in the heart of Naxos, away from Continue Reading
Hora, Naxos Wishes You Were Here
I’m lost. I pass under one arched portico after another, down cobblestone streets into the old town of Hora. The port and capital of Naxos appears to be constantly dizzy, embroiled in its own explainable confusion. The streets have no rhyme or reason and a map is virtually useless. In Hora, you get lost. The people of Hora live in this maze sprinkled with restaurants, art galleries and shops. While a Venetian stronghold in the 13th century, today Hora is decidedly more casual than noble. It is an ordinary Wednesday and the restaurants are preparing for the night. The business casual of Continue Reading
Crossing Through Ancient Doors in Naxos
To travel, we must walk through doors. Some thresholds are wide, expansive and quite easy to cross. Others seem to be the opposite of gateways, at times closed off and hard to breech. On the Greek island of Naxos, the main port city of Hora bears the ultimate entryway. As my ferry chugged closer and closer to the port of Naxos, I could spot a doorway into another time. Disconnected from the main island by a causeway, the Temple of Apollo dramatically takes in the sunset each night. The masses crowd the hilltop temple to appreciate a natural constant to the world. True ruins become perches Continue Reading
Fira, Santorini Wishes You Were Here
I can almost count on one hand the number of experienced sunrises in my life. Not much for rising before the sun, most of those sunrises have involved an early travel day. After 27 hours of travel to reach the island of Santorini from the middle of the United States, I arrived to the island’s main town of Fira under the cover of night and jet lag. After a quick meal and a shower, I am out like the light, but not for long. The church bells will soon ring. Under such conditions, I knew a sunrise was in my future. I rose to Fira’s blue gates leading toward the sea. The sun and the tourists in Continue Reading
A Day in Oia’s Paradise Lost
Grabbing the northern red cliffs of Santorini, similar to that of a parent’s grasp on a roaming toddler, the village of Oia bathes in the spotlight. It is no wonder Santorini hangs on to this settlement with such a firm grip. Oia is the popularized Greece, the image you will often see on any article featuring the Greek islands. It is the blue domes, the whitewashed buildings, the windmills that serve no function other than being aesthetically pleasing. I could see Oia from the distance in Fira. I knew it would be a challenge to reach with a bag fit for a month in Europe. We arrived as Continue Reading
Ancient Thira Wishes You Were Here
To truly see a new place, the traveler must find the highest point. Uncovering the highest point of a destination can be advantageous to the lost explorer looking to find their place on the map. Most importantly, to know a new place, you must find the metaphorical high point, even if the lows surround you. On the Greek island of Santorini in the Cyclades, it was often difficult for me to find the high points. Bogged down with overpriced resorts, plenty of tourist traps and clogged roads with ATVs steered by those in tank tops and colored the bright red of tomatoes, I was beginning to Continue Reading
Oia, Greece Wishes You Were Here
This week’s Wish You Were Here post comes from Danee of Museum Chick. Apart from being your ultimate museum lover, Danee is an excellent photographer. Be sure to check out Museum Chick, follow her on twitter and be incredibly jealous of Danee's words and photos below. After sweating in the 100+ degree heat in Athens, the Greek Islands were calling my name. Doing the Santorini-Mykonos two step by ferry may not have been original but it sure was beautiful. There is definitely a reason why Santorini is the most popular island visited in Greece and the “face” of many postcards featuring the Continue Reading