Typically Greek
There are some sights on the islands that are so universal, that you look out for them whichever island you are visiting, and for me, they reinforce the sense of well-being that I get whenever I am there. Here are some of those typical sights.
The juxtaposition of blue and white is an inescapable Greek combination, and not just in their flag. The fact is that the blues in Greece (the sea and the sky) are so deep and rich, and the whites, in the intense sunlight, are dazzling. Put them together and you have a quality of light and colour that is unlike anything I have come across anywhere else.
This picture too, speaks to me of Greece. Olive trees are to be found everywhere on the islands and their gnarled and twisted trunks provide fascinating shapes and textures for photography. Once again, the contrast of the green leaves of the trees and the parched browns of the summer grasses provides a colour combination that is very evocative of Greece.
Roadside shrines are very common in Greece, often mounted at the spot where people have died in road accidents. They form a constant reminder to drivers of the dangers of carelessness on narrow, winding, badly surfaced, cliff-side roads. They always make me think anyway!
This picture represents the islanders’ love of nature. Everywhere becomes a potential garden and hardy flowering shrubs are grown and encouraged wherever there is room for them. It is an endearing quality and brings a great deal of beauty to places that could otherwise be virtual deserts of reinforced concrete.
Love them or hate them, you can’t avoid them. Cats are a way of life in Greece and every taverna has its resident scavengers begging at the tables. I read somewhere that the problem lies in the high cost of spaying in Greece, but whatever the reason, there sometimes seem to be more cats than people. This is me trying to enjoy a quiet breakfast on my balcony in Corfu.
Traditional byzantine churches are to be found all over the islands, sometimes in the strangest places, (on the tops of inaccessible hills, on tiny offshore islands, barely big enough to hold the buiding etc.)
The style was established way back in the 15th century and little has changed since then, (although you can see by the textures on the front of this church that it was constructed by pouring concrete into moulds).
Interesting doors and chairs on the pavement. Greece abounds with them and I find them a fascinating subject for photography. The Greeks spend a lot of time sitting in the shade outside their homes. They can take advantage of the breeze and chat with friends as they pass by.
You will find cash machines like this one all over the islands. It may just be an ATM, but it is also a bank, and therefore to be taken seriously. Note the marble floor, (which is just receiving its daily mop-over).
Early each morning, volunteers patrol certain beaches in the islands looking for fresh turtle nests. When they find one, they construct a protective shield like the one to the right. At the top is a metal cage to show the actual site of the nest, and the passageway from there to the sea is cordoned off so that nothing can interfere with the baby turtles’ dash for freedom later in the year.
This picture is very typical of the Ionian islands, Corfu, Zakynthos and Kefalonia, where virtually all the buildings were destroyed by the 1953 earthquake. The islands abound with derelict and damaged buildings in the country areas.
Obviously, Greek road signs are in Greek (often they are kind and put them in roman lettering as well). However, when you are lost in the busy streets of Heraklion, or in a suburb of Zakynthos town, and there is a major junction coming up, and you have a large lorry on your tail pushing you to go faster, and only a split-second to decide which way to turn, signs like this can be a quick way to that nervous breakdown you always promised yourself!
