April 21, 2010

Memories of Turkey and Greece

I've been really lazy lately about posting and a busy work schedule isn't helping. I've taken to tweeting short updates but guess that's quite different from a full post. The long awaited pictures from the Turkey and Greece holiday are finally here.

I love love love Santorini! It's an amazingly gorgeous place with pastel coloured houses perched on the cliff of a caldera. Maybe because we went during off-peak season, so it wasn't chock-a-block with tourists overcrowding every single spot. It felt really peaceful and if I had more time, I'd have gladly spent it there lazing around, reading and just taking it slow. We stayed in Firastefani, the neighbouring village to the main town of Fira, which was just a short 10-15 scenic walk away. It afforded us better views and away from the hustle and bustle of Fira. Other than the main sights of blue-domed churches, pastel coloured cliff houses, the caldera and volcanic island, there are also black and red sand beaches and quaint villages dotted around the island. Oia, the village at the northern tip of the caldera was especially pretty and supposedly has the most spectacular sunsets. I say supposedly because it was pretty cloudy the day we went and while we did see the sunset, there were way too many clouds.

Another highlight of our trip was the Good Friday celebrations in the town of Pyrgos. Situated at one of the highest points on the island, the church is perched right at the top and every Easter, they re-enact the events around Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection. A funeral service is held, where people from all over the island come to pay their 'respects' and subsequently, the icon symbolising Jesus is carried out of the church and brought around the village. As that takes place, the village youths set fire to cans that line the spiraling periphery of the village pathways, creating an amazing sight. The pictures below don't really do justice to the magnificent fire display.

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Let me leave you with a picture essay as a picture paints a thousand words. These are a selection of the squillion photos I took. Enjoy!

Istanbul Sights and Sounds
10 Istanbul 2010
Istanbul Details
10 Istanbul 20101

Amazing nature in Ephesus
10 Ephesus 20101

Ancient town of Ephesus & other ruins
10 Ephesus 2010

Athens Sights and Pantheon
10 Athens 2010

The amazing natural scenery in Santorini - volcano, caldera,  sunsets, blue seas and skies!
10 Santorini 20105

Cliff houses in Santorini
10 Santorini 20104

Santorini details and miscellaneous shots
10 Santorini 20103

The classic blue domed churches of Santorini
10 Santorini 20102

Cats and dogs in Greece and Turkey
10 Santorini 20101

Doors of Santorini
10 Santorini 2010

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

your pictures are beautiful, wish i have that sort of skills!!! you're making me itch for a good holiday.....

Gemma said...

Was good to meet you at FBC yesterday. Unfortunately I haven't been able to make it along today but hope you're all having fun. These photos are amazing - I went to Santorini a couple of years ago and I am now yearning to go back...

heavenwildfleur said...

Hi Gemma! Nice of you to drop by :) We had good talks yesterday. Are you on twitter? We should meet up some time, I won the lucky draw for a cupcake decorating class, thought might be nice to ask a few of the London-based bloggers I met to come along :)

Anonymous said...

Oh - what incredible photos! I love the groupings by topic, especially the cats and the doorways and the cupolas. Looks like a fantastic trip.

Sorry we did not get more time to chat at Food Blogger Connect over the weekend but I hope you found the presentations to be useful & entertaining. See you at FBC'11!

heavenwildfleur said...

Hi Jeanne, thanks for dropping by! I loveeee Santorini! You were definitely one of the more entertaining presenters and I love your wit :) Catch you around!

appleofHiseye said...

hi love your pictureS! do you mind sharing your itineary? =)

Chuzai Living said...

Your photos look beautiful! I have visited you before, but I didn't see them, so I'm glad I encountered these photos this time. You have an eye for photography. I look forward to seeing more pictures here!

heavenwildfleur said...

@appleofHiseye: Sure thing - we went to Istanbul first, spent 3 days visiting the various historical sites and Taksim and the Grand Bazaar. We then flew to Ephesus for 1 day where we visited the old ruins and St Mary's house. This was followed by Athens for 2 days, again mainly visiting the sights like old town Plaka, Acropolis, Parthenon. The last part of the trip was Santorini which is mostly described above.. just had a wander around the island for about 4 days just relaxing and enjoying the beauty!

kaho-san: thanks for stopping by! It's the beauty of the place that makes the good photos :)

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