Amazing Photo

The Pacific Northwest can dazzle the eye at times.

Here is KING 5 Weather's amazing photo of Mt. Rainier at sunset with two bonnets.

These kind of clouds foretell the coming of inclement weather. They are also known as lenticulears.

I think they look like spaceships ;)

Second Day in Plakias, Crete

At the Plakias Youth Hostel, Chris, the manager, has many "off the beaten path" hikes to share. I decided to hike to One Rock, a secluded beach....sounded perfect!

I was excited to get started instead of waiting for others who were still sleeping off the previous evening's fun. This might have been a mistake, because the "easy to follow" printed directions from Chris were not so easy to follow. I missed the first stone marker; good thing I knew which direction to go. I learned that it is very easy to get lost in an olive grove.


Damnoni Beach is the first beach you come to after hiking through the hills and olive groves.



One Rock Beach from above (see the one rock?).


I climbed down and spent the afternoon swimming and painting.


I must admit, there were a few other people there too swimming and sun bathing. I waited for this photo.

My watercolor rendition......


Could not resist another sunset!

Transition to Crete

I learned how to dodge tourists in Santorini, but I was not expecting the confusion navigating the huge city of Iraklio, the capital and ferry port on the island of Crete in Greece. The bus station was a long walk after several stops for directions. I knew there was only one last bus that evening to Rethymno, west of Iraklio and in the path to my final destination on the Southern Coast of Crete. I made it to the bus on time!

Unfortunately when I arrived around 11:30PM in Rethymno, there was no one there with signs waving for rooms to rent. In fact, it was rather deserted! At the bus station I saw a sign for the Rethymno Youth Hostel and I saw cab drivers....bingo! The funny part was that the youth hostel was only a couple of blocks away, but worth the 5 Euros cab ride for a place to rest my head.

Early the next morning after a warm spinach pie from the bakery, I was on the bus to Plakias on the Southern Coast of Crete. As soon as I saw mountains and the countryside I was in a much better mood.

The youth hostel in Plakias is totally unique. First of all it sits in an olive grove and people tend to stay longer than planned. Friendships are made quickly, group hikes are planned daily, large groups go to dinner together, and I learned that there have been nine marriages of people who have met here.

The Plakias Youth Hostel and the view from the youth hostel.



After all my traveling, I walked a short distance down the hill to the beach. I was pleasantly surprised to see the profusion of wild sand orchids. After a swim, I decided to create a watercolor painting.



Looking at the town of Plakias from the rocky cliffs adjacent to the beach.





My first sunset on Crete.

Stuck on Santorini

I learned that in September, the Greeks cut back on the ferry schedules. I was planning to spend a few days on Santorini and then off to Crete, but I was stuck on Santorini for two more days until I could travel by ferry. Oh dear! (sarcasm)

I decided to take a boat trip to view the active volcano on the island of Nea Kameni. The day included a swim in the hot springs between the two islands (Nea Kameni and Palea Kameni)in the caldera of Santorini, and lunch on the island of Thirasia (which was separated from Santorini in the eruption).

Nea Kameni



Santorini in the background



Thirasia in the background


Here is where we swam in the hot springs near Palea Kameni.


Afterwards we stopped for lunch on the island of Thirasia where I climbed straight up to the top for the spectacular view and famous moussaka (another addiction of mine!) at Panorama Taverna.



This is the view looking at Santorini from Thirasia


I decided for my two extra days in Santorini to splurge and stay at a little villa in Firostefoni, a smaller town in the central part of the island. Here is a watercolor painting capturing the charm of the place.


After a full day, I was just in time to watch the sunset behind Nea Kameni from Firostefoni.

Amazing Santorini

After a morning swim at Plaka Beach on the island of Naxos in Greece, I boarded the ferry to the amazing island of Santorini. Having spent most of my time in Greece (except for two days in Athens) in small towns and less touristy destinations, I was not prepared for the overwhelming onslaught of tourists flocking to Santorini. I swear the ferry tipped port side as everyone on board gathered to see Santorini as it came into view for the first time.




Santorini's uniqueness is that it is shaped somewhat like a crescent with multicolored cliffs and villages on the ridges. The surreal landscape is relic of what was probably the biggest volcanic eruption in recorded history. There is still an active volcano, Nea Nameni, which is accessible only by boat


We were herded into buses at island's main port, Athinino, and climbed the cliffs to Fira where we could disperse to different areas of the island. I headed to the youth hostel in Oia with a bus full of tourist anxious to watch the sunset.

I must admit, I took part in this ritual. About an hour before sunset people are staking out the best viewing sites.


Santorini is famous for its spectacular sunsets. The village of Oia on the northern tip of the island is a hugely popular sunset viewing site because there is an uninterrupted view of the sun as it finally sinks below the horizon.






Spetacular or what?!?!

The moon rose as left my sunset perch.

The Island of Naxos

Naxos is the Greek Island next door to Paros and my next island of adventure. When you watch the sunset from Plaka Beach on Naxos, it sets behind the Island of Paros.


Near Naxos port of Hora is the Temple of Apollo. I am told that viewing the sunset through this portal is awesome.


Here is the view of Hora from the Temple of Apollo


and the Aegean Sea


Notice the castle in this photo of Hora. I went in search of this castle through the maze of streets in the historic section of Kastro. My British friends suggested that I find this incredible silversmith.........and I did!



In the process of exploration, I learned about the Naxos Eye; a special stone that can only been found on the island of Naxos and created by the combination of the Greek sea, sun and other climatic conditions. The Naxos Eye remains one of the trademarks of Naxos.

I was too busy exploring and never sat still (except to eat!) long enough to sketch or paint!