Colmar, Alsace, France

Jewelry Box in Alsace - Colmar, France, originally uploaded by Batikart.

Colmar is the third largest city in Alsace and a Jewelry box. You can see a lot of colorful very well-preserved half-timbered houses. Here "La petite Venise" with the Lauch river.

Colmar, die drittgrösste Stadt im Elsass, zeigt sich mit bunt bemalten, sehr gut erhaltenen Fachwerkhäusern von seiner besten Seite. Hier seht ihr das Schmuckkästchen, das Viertel Klein Venedig, am Fluss Lauch.

Colmar (French: Colmar, Alsatian: Colmer, German: Colmar, between 1940-1945 under Nazi rule: Kolmar) is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France. It is the capital of the department. Colmar is also the seat of the highest jurisdiction in Alsace, the appellate court. It is situated along the Alsatian Wine Route and considers itself to be the "Capital of Alsatian Wine" (capitale des vins d'Alsace). In 2006, the city of Colmar had a population of 65,713 and the metropolitan area of Colmar had a population of 120,367. Colmar is the center of the arrondissement of Colmar, which has 144,700 inhabitants in 2006.
Colmar is the home town of the painter and engraver Martin Schongauer and the sculptor Frédéric Bartholdi, who designed the Statue of Liberty. The city is renowned for its well preserved old town, its numerous architectural landmarks and its museums, among which the Unterlinden Museum.
Colmar was founded in the 9th century. This was the location where Charles the Fat held a diet in 884. Colmar was granted the status of a free imperial city of the Holy Roman Empire in 1226. During the Thirty Years' War, the city was taken by the armies of Sweden in 1632, who held it for two years. The city was conquered by France under Louis XIV in 1697.
In 1679 (Treaties of Nijmegen) Colmar was ceded to France. With the rest of Alsace, Colmar was annexed by the newly formed German Empire in 1871 as a result of the Franco-Prussian War. It returned to France after World War I, was annexed by Nazi Germany in 1940, and then reverted to French control after the battle of the "Colmar Pocket" in 1945.
The Colmar Treasure, hidden during the Black Death, was discovered here in 1863.

Colmar is 64 kilometres (40 mi) south-southwest of Strasbourg, on the Lauch River, directly to the east of the Vosges Mountains. It is connected to the Rhine by a canal.

Mostly spared by the destructions of the French Revolution and the wars of 1870-1871, 1914-1918 and 1939-1945, the cityscape of old-town Colmar is homogenous and renowned among tourists. The area crossed by canals of the river Lauch, and which formerly served as the butcher's, tanner's and fishmonger's quarter, is now called "little Venice" (la Petite Venise). Colmar's cityscape (and neighbouring Riquewihr's) served for the design of the Japanese animated film Howl's Moving Castle. (Source: Wikipedia)

Corsica, France

Corsica ( /ˈkɔːrsɪkə/; French: Corse, IPA: [kɔʁs]; Corsican: Corsica; Italian: Corsica, IPA: [ˈkɔrsika]) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the Frenchmainland, and north of the island of Sardinia.

Corsica is one of the 27 régions of France, although strictly speaking Corsica is designated as a "territorial collectivity" (collectivité territoriale) by law. As a territorial collectivity, it enjoys greater powers than other French régions, but for the most part its status is quite similar. Corsica is referred to as a "région" in common speech, and is almost always listed among the other régions of France. Although the island is separated from the continental mainland by the Ligurian Sea and is closer to Italy than to the French mainland, politically Corsica is part of Metropolitan France. It was once briefly an independent Corsican Republic, until being incorporated into France in 1769. Its culture has both French and Italian elements.

Napoléon Bonaparte was born in Ajaccio, where his ancestral home, Casa Buonaparte, is also located. Corsica is also the birthplace of the singers Tino Rossi and Alizée.

via Wikipedia

"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." -- Lao Tzu Copyright © Demetrios the Traveler

Bari Antica... Italy

Bari (Italy) - Bari Antica, originally uploaded by Danielzolli.

A typical narrow street in the old town of Bari (Bari Antica). There's a lot of illuminated figures of holy figures and other private sanctuaries. Often the houses in these streets have no real doors, instead a curtain leads directly to the living room, which serves also as a parking lot for the Vespa. With such tiny streets it's not easy to orientate - but not too hard either, since the old town is surrounded by the sea on three sides.

The Crooked House, Dudley UK

The Crooked House, Dudley 10/06/2008, originally uploaded by Gary S. Crutchley.

This is the Crooked House or the Glynne Arms at Himley. In the past it has suffered badly from mining subsidence. It lies on what was the divide between Sir Stephen Glynne's land and that of the Earl of Dudley.

Glynne removed too much of the coal that lies underneath, and the building began to sink. However, after been propped up, the interior was extensively altered to create an optical illusion. Here is a place where golf balls roll uphill!

"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." -- Lao Tzu Copyright © Demetrios the Traveler

Munich, Germany

Munich, originally uploaded by Werner Kunz (werkunz1).

Munich is one of the most beautiful cities in Germany. I'm happy that I was privileged to live there once for a while. I usually try to visit the city once in year, if possible. If you do a Europe tour it is all the time worth to make a short stop in Munich. Not only for the Octoberfest ;-)

"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." -- Lao Tzu Copyright © Demetrios the Traveler

Door to the Greek islands

Door to the islands, originally uploaded by Wolfgang Staudt.

The Greek Islands are a collection of over 6,000 islands and islets that belong to Greece. Only 227 of the islands are inhabited, and only 78 of those have more than 100 inhabitants.
The largest Greek island by area is Crete, located at the southern edge of the Aegean Sea. The second largest island is Euboea, which is separated from the mainland by the 60m-wide Euripus Strait, and is administered as part of the central Greece periphery. After the third and fourth largest Greek Islands, Lesbos and Rhodes, the rest of the islands are two-thirds of the area of Rhodes, or smaller.
The Greek islands are traditionally grouped into the following clusters: The Argo-Saronic Islands in the Saronic gulf near Athens, the Cyclades, a large but dense collection occupying the central part of the Aegean Sea, the North Aegean islands, a loose grouping off the west coast of Turkey, the Dodecanese, another loose collection in the southeast between Crete and Turkey, the Sporades, a small tight group off the coast of Euboea, and the Ionian Islands, located to the west of the mainland in the Ionian Sea (one of these islands, Kythira, is off the southern tip of the mainland, but still considered part of the Ionian Islands).

"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." -- Lao Tzu Copyright © Demetrios the Traveler

Colmar, Alsace, France

Colorful Little Venice in Colmar, originally uploaded by Foto Martien.

Place des Dominicains in Colmar

Colmar is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Alsace in northeastern France.
Colmar is 64 kilometers south-southwest of Strasbourg on the Lauch River, directly to the east of the Vosges Mountains. It is connected to the Rhine by a canal.
It is situated along the Alsatian Wine Route and considers itself to be the "Capital of Alsatian Wine" (capitale des vins d'Alsace).
Colmar has a sunny microclimate and is the driest city in France, with an annual precipitation of just 550 mm, making it ideal for Alsace wine.
Colmar's secular and religious architectural landmarks reflect eight centuries of Germanic and French architecture and the adaptation of their respective stylistic language to the local customs and building materials (pink and yellow Vosges sandstone, timber framing). The medieval centre of this historic town has fine overhanging timber-framed buildings, dating from the 16th and 17th centuries, a dream for the keen photographer.
The area crossed by canals of the river Lauch, and which formerly served as the butcher's, tanner's and fishmonger's quarter, is now called "little Venice" (Petite Venise). Picturesque colourful timber framed houses were built to both sides of the small river La Lauch.
Many tourists visit the town

"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." -- Lao Tzu Copyright © Demetrios the Traveler

Kiev Opera House, Kiev, Ukraine

A Snowy Night at the Kiev Opera House, originally uploaded by Stuck in Customs.

The Kiev Opera group was formally established in the summer of 1867, and is the third oldest in Ukraine, after Odessa Opera and Lviv Opera. Today, the Kiev Opera Company performs at the National Opera House of Ukraine named after Taras Shevchenko in Kiev.


Established in the summer of 1867 by Ferdinand Berger (? - 1875). Berger succeeded in inviting many talented singers, musicians, and conductors, and the city council (duma) had offered the newly created trouppe to use the City Theatre (constructed in 1856, architect I. Shtrom) for their performances. Officially, the theatre was named the City Theatre but was most commonly referred to as the Russian Opera. The day of the first performance, November 8 (October 27 old style), 1867 was made a city holiday. The performance of the opera Askold's Tomb by Alexey Verstovsky was the troupe's debut. The initial success is attributed to the vocal talents of that time of O. Satagano-Gorchakova, F. L'vov, M. Agramov but also to the captivating plot taken from some principal pages of the ancient history of the city.
Early performances were mostly Russian operas, including Ruslan and Lyudmila by Mikhail Glinka, Rusalka by Alexander Dargomyzhsky, Maccabees by Anton Rubinstein and The Enemy's Power by A. Serov, as well translated European operas including The Barber of Sevile by Rossini, The Marriage of Figaro by Mozart, The Magic Archer by Weber, Lucia di Lammermoor by Donizetti, and also operas by Giuseppe Verdi, which became the favorite of the Kievites.
On February 4, 1896, after a morning performance of Eugene Onegin by Tchaikovsky, a fire erupted from the unextinguished candle in the theatre. The fire consumed the whole building within several hours. One of the largest musical libraries in Europe along with numerous costumes and stage props of many performances were lost during the fire. After the fire of the City Theatre, the troupe performed on other stages for several years, including Bergonie's Theatre (now the National Theatre of Russian Drama named after Lesya Ukrainka), Solovtsov's Theatre (now the National Theatre named after Ivan Franko) and even on the arena of the famous Krutikov's Circus.
After the fire, the City Council had announced the international competition to design a new building for the Opera Theatre in Kiev. The winning proposal was by Victor Aleksandrovich Shreter. The exterior was designed in Neo-Renaissance style and had accounted for the needs of the actors and the spectators. The interior was redesigned in a classical style and called Viennese Modern. However, his greatest achievement is considered to be the stage - one of the largest in Europe designed to the latest engineering standards.
On September 29 (September 16 old style), 1901, the solemn opening of the new premise of the theatre took place with a performance of cantata Kiev by composer Wilhelm Hartweld (1859 - 1927) and a presentation of the opera Life for the Tsar by M. Glinka.
In the first decade of the 20th century, the Kiev Opera Theatre attracted the most outstanding Ukrainian and Russian singers, including O. Petlyash, P. Tsecevich, K. Voronets, M. Medvedev, K. Brun, O. Mosin and O. Kamionsky and famous opera stars from the West often came on tours. Several unusual for the time performances took place on the stage: Die Walkure by Wagner, Sadko by Rimsky-Korsakov and Mefistofele by Boyto.
As Kiev began to grow and with the conclusion of World War I, the Kiev Opera occupied a special place in the USSR and the world. The Kiev Opera Theatre was considered to be one of the most prestigious in Ukraine and Russia.
During the intermission of a performance on September 1, 1911, Dmitry Bogrov killed Prime Minister Peter Stolypin.

source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Opera_House_of_Ukraine

"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." -- Lao Tzu Copyright © Demetrios the Traveler

Sibiu -Romania

, originally uploaded by P•A•U•L | Photography.

Sibiu (Romanian pronunciation: [siˈbiw]; German: Hermannstadt; Hungarian: Nagyszeben) is an important city in Transylvania, Romania with a population of 154,548. It straddles the Cibin River, a tributary of the river Olt. It is the capital of Sibiu County and is located some 282 km NW of Bucharest. Between 1692—1791 it was the capital of the Principality of Transylvania.
It is one of the most important cultural and religious centres in Romania as well a major transportation hub in central Romania. The city used to be the centre of the Transylvanian Saxons until World War II. Sibiu was designated European Capital of Culture for the year 2007, together with Luxembourg. It is ranked as "Europe 8th most most idyllic place to live" by Forbes.
One village, Păltiniş, is administered by the city.
Sibiu is situated near the geographical center of Romania at 45.792784°N 24.152069°ECoordinates: 45.792784°N 24.152069°E. Set in the Cibin Depression, the city is about 20 km from the Făgăraş Mountains, 12 km from the Cibin Mountains, and about 15 km from the Lotrului Mountains, which border the depression in its southwestern section. The northern and eastern limits of Sibiu are formed by the Târnavelor Plateau, which descends to the Cibin Valley through Guşteriţei Hill.
The Cibin river as well as some smaller streams runs through Sibiu. The geographical position of Sibiu makes it one of the most important transportation hubs in Romania with important roads and railway lines passing through it.
Sibiu's climate is temperate-continental with average temperatures of 8 to 9°C. The multi-annual average of rainfall is 662 l/mp, and there are about 120 days of hard frost annually.
The first official record referring to the Sibiu area comes from 1191, when Pope Celestine III confirmed the existence of the free prepositure of the German settlers in Transylvania, the prepositure having its headquarters in Sibiu, named Cibinium at that time. It was probably built near a Roman settlement, one that would be known during the early Middle Ages as Caedonia.
In the 14th century, it was already an important trade center. In 1376, the craftsmen were divided in 19 guilds. Sibiu became the most important ethnic German city among the seven cities that gave Transylvania its German name Siebenbürgen (literally seven cities), and it was home to the Universitas Saxorum, the assembly of Germans in Transylvania. Common opinion in the 17th century ascribed Sibiu the quality of being the easternmost city to be part of the European sphere;[citation needed] it was also the eastern terminus of postal routes.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the city became the second and later the first most important center of Transylvanian Romanian ethnics. The first Romanian-owned bank had its headquarters here (The Albina Bank), as did the ASTRA (Transylvanian Association for Romanian Literature and Romanian's People Culture). After the Romanian Orthodox Church was granted status in the Habsburg Empire from the 1860s onwards, Sibiu became the Metropolitan seat, and the city is still regarded as the third most important center of the Romanian Orthodox Church. Between the Hungarian Revolution of 1848 and 1867 (the year of the Ausgleich), Sibiu was the meeting-place of the Transylvanian Diet, which had taken its most representative form after the Empire agreed to extend voting rights in the region.
After World War I, when Austria-Hungary was dissolved, Sibiu became part of Romania; the majority of its population was still ethnic German (until 1941) and counted large Romanian and Hungarian communities. Starting from the 1950s and until after 1990, most of the city's ethnic Germans emigrated to Germany. Among the roughly 2,000 who have remained is Klaus Johannis, who is currently mayor of Sibiu City.
The city features in the famous novel "The Reader" (Der Vorleser) by German law professor and judge Bernhard Schlink, upon which an Oscar-winning film was based.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a8/Panoramic-Sibiu.jpg

"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." -- Lao Tzu Copyright © Demetrios the Traveler

Mont St. Michel, France

Mont St. Michel, originally uploaded by no.zomi.

Mont-Saint-Michel is a 1-ha (3-acre) rocky islet topped by a famous Gothic abbey, 1.6 km (1 mi) off the coast of Normandy in northwest France in the Bay of Mont-Saint-Michel in the English Channel. The island, located 5 km (3 mi) from the shore during the Middle Ages, is now surrounded by water only two times a month. Its one cobblestone street climbs in three spirals from a great granite base to the towering Benedictine abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel, an architectural masterpiece built in the 13th century, replacing the original abbey, which was founded in 708 by Saint Aubert, bishop of Avranches, but destroyed by King Philip II of France in 1203.

Its fortifications enabled the islet to withstand repeated English assaults during the Hundred Years' War. The abbey served as a prison during Napoleon I's reign. Restored after 1863, and connected to the mainland by a causeway (completed 1875), the abbey is preserved as a national historical monument and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is one of France's great tourist attractions. The abbey is celebrated in Henry Adam's classic study of medieval Christianity, Mont Saint Michel and Chartres (1913).

On the other side of the English Channel, off the coast of Cornwall, in England, is Saint Michael's Mount, the site of a priory (later a castle) that belonged to the Mont-Saint-Michel abbey in the Middle Ages.

"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." -- Lao Tzu
Copyright © Demetrios the Traveler

Salzburg, Austria

Salzburgo, originally uploaded by Pilar Azaña.

Salzburg (Austro-Bavarian: Såizburg; literally: "Salt Castle") is the fourth-largest city in Austria and the capital of the federal state of Salzburg. Salzburg's "Old Town" (Altstadt) with its world famous baroque architecture is one of the best-preserved city centres north of the Alps, and was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. The city is noted for its Alpine setting. It is the birthplace of 18th-century composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. In the mid-20th century, the city was the setting for parts of the musical and film The Sound of Music, which also features famous landmarks in Austria. With three universities, Salzburg is filled with the liveliness of a large student population.

Rethymno lighthouse, Crete, Greece

Rethymno lighthouse, originally uploaded by Glikò.

Rethymno (Greek: Ρέθυμνο, pronounced ['reθimno], also Rethimno, Rethymnon, Réthymnon, and Rhíthymnos) is a city of approximately 40,000 people in Greece, the capital of Rethymno Prefecture in the island of Crete. It was built in antiquity (ancient Rhithymna and Arsinoe), even though was never a competitive Minoan center. It was, however, strong enough to mint its own coins and maintain urban growth. One of these coins is today depicted as the crest of the town with two dolphins in a circle.
This region as a whole is rich with ancient history, most notably through the Minoan civilisation centred at Kydonia east of Rethymno.

Rethymno itself began a period of growth when the Venetian conquerors of the island decided to put an intermediate commercial station between Heraklion and Chania, acquiring its own bishop and nobility in the process. Today's old town (palia poli) is almost entirely built by Venetians. It is one of the best preserved old towns in Crete.
The town still maintains its old aristocratic appearance, with its buildings dating from the 16th century, arched doorways, stone staircases, Byzantine and Hellenic-Roman remains, small Venetian harbor and narrow streets. The Venetian Loggia today houses the information office of the ministry of culture. The Wine Festival is held there annually at the beginning of July. Another festival is held on 7-8th of November, in memory of the destruction of Arkadi Monastery.
It has a large Venetian castle called the Fortezza, one of the best preserved castles in Crete. Other monuments include the Neratze mosque (the Municipal Odeon arts centre), the Great Gate (megali porta, Porta Guora), the Piazza Rimondi (Rimondi square) and the Venetian Loggia.
As part of the Crete, the town was also captured by Turks in 1600s and ruled more than 3 centuries. Turkish version of Rethymnon is Resmo. It was sanjak centre in Crete (Girit) Province during Ottoman rule.
Today its main income is from tourism, many new facilities having been built in the past 20 years. Agriculture is also notable, especially for olive oil and other Mediterranean products. It is also the base of the Philosophical School and the University Library of the University of Crete and the School of Social and Political Sciences having 8000 students on its University Campus per annum at "Galos", where the Academic Institute of Mediterranean Studies is situated. The city has an Archaeological Museum.

"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." -- Lao Tzu
Copyright © Demetrios the Traveler

Cobh, Ireland

Cobh, Ireland, originally uploaded by dleiva.

Cobh (pronounced /ˈkoʊv/; Irish: An Cóbh, "cove") is a sheltered seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Ireland with a approx population of around 28,639.
The locality, which had had several different Irish-language names, was first referred to as Cove ("The Cove of Cork") in 1750. It was renamed Queenstown in 1849 to commemorate a visit by Queen Victoria and so remained until the name Cobh (closer to the Irish spelling) was restored in 1922 with the foundation of the Irish Free State.
Cobh is located on the south shore of the Great Island in Cork Harbour, (reputed to be the second largest natural harbour in the world), on south-facing slopes overlooking the entrance to the harbour. Facing the town of Cobh are Spike Island and Haulbowline Island. On a high point in the town stands the Cobh Cathedral, St. Colman's, seat of the diocese of Cloyne.

"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." -- Lao Tzu
Copyright © Demetrios the Traveler

The historic street Weissgerbergasse in Nuremberg, Germany

Weissgerbergasse Nuremberg, originally uploaded by Habub3.

The southern part of the old town, known as Lorenzer Seite, is separated from the north by the river Pegnitz and encircled to the south by the city walls.
Nuremberg Castle: the three castles that tower over the city including central burgraves' castle, with Free Reich's buildings to the east, the Imperial castle to the west.
Heilig-Geist-Spital. In the centre of the city, on the bank of the river Pegnitz, stands the Hospital of the Holy Spirit. Founded in 1332, this is one of the largest hospitals of the Middle Ages. Lepers were kept here at some distance from the other patients. It now houses elderly persons and a restaurant.
Hauptmarkt, which provides a picturesque setting and famous market for gingerbread. Nuremberg's star attraction is the Gothic Schöner Brunnen (Beautiful Fountain) which was erected around 1385 but subsequently replaced with a replica (the original fountain is kept in the Germanisches Nationalmuseum). The unchanged Renaissance bridge Fleischbrücke crosses the Pegnitz nearby.
The following churches are located inside the city walls: St. Sebaldus Church, St. Lorenz, Frauenkirche (Our Lady's Church), Saint Klara, Saint Martha, Saint Jakob, Saint Egidien, and Saint Elisabeth.
Gothic St Lorenz-Kirche (St. Lorenz church, St. Lorenz), one of the most important buildings in Nuremberg. The main body was built around 1270-1350.
The church of the former Katharinenkloster is preserved as a ruin, the charterhouse (Kartause) is integrated into the building of the Germanisches Nationalmuseum and the choir of the former Franziskanerkirche is part of a modern building.
The Walburga Chapel and the Romanesque Doppelkapelle (Chapel with two floors) are part of Nuremberg Castle.
The Johannisfriedhof is a medieval cemetery, containing many old graves (Albrecht Dürer, Willibald Pirckheimer, and others). The Rochusfriedhof or the Wöhrder Kirchhof are near the Old Town.
The Tiergarten Nürnberg is a zoo stretching over more than 60 ha in the Nürnberger Reichswald. It is the home of Flocke, an orphan polar bear cub who in 2008 became a major attraction and a figure of a large publicity campaign for Nuremberg's metropolitan region.
There is also a medieval market just inside the city walls, selling handcrafted goods.
The German National Railways Museum (German) (an Anchor Point of ERIH, The European Route of Industrial Heritage) is located in Nuremberg.
The Nuremberg Ring (now welded within an iron fence) is said to bring good luck to those that touch it.
The Nazi party rally grounds with the documentation-centre.

"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." -- Lao Tzu
Copyright © Demetrios the Traveler

Greece, Hydra Island

WHY COME TO HYDRA?

What makes Hydra unique in Greece is the fact that it has escaped modern development. We do not have high rise apartment buildings, condominium developments, large hotels. Everywhere from France to Turkey along the Mediterranean coast you will find ugly concrete architecture, but NOT in Hydra where strict architectural conservation laws are enforced to preserve the beauty of the island.

NO NOISE POLLUTION : We do not have an airport, we do not permit private vehicles or motorbikes and there are no roads suitable for bus transport. Hydra has no land traffic, no annoying engines to disturb the peace. Only a few municipal utility trucks are allowed on the island.

NO INDUSTRIAL POLLUTION : As the economy of Hydra consists of light tourism, traditional crafts, fishing and farming, there are virtually no activities taking place that seriously pollute the environment.

CHILD FRIENDLY : We do not have childcare activity centres and sports facilities etc. that other destinations might offer as we don't need them. Hydra is just a natural playground for youngsters offering a rare sense of freedom. They can drop a fishing line in the port, explore the winding streets without the parents being overly worried and you would be surprised how much enjoyment children derive from simple island pleasures, such as seeing a donkey deliver the shopping. They do not seem to miss all the paraphernalia of the hi-tech world. Teenagers love it for the romantic charm of the town and having a choice of cafes and places where they can meet. They can swim by day and dance at night in open-air discos.

UNIQUE ARCHITECTURE : You will not find anywhere else in Greece such a concentration of gracious 18th and 19th century architecture. In 1830 Hydra had a population of c. 30,000 and was dominated by wealthy merchants and shipowners. Venetian builders, carpenters and artisans were imported to work on their mansions. Practically all have been preserved along with hundreds of smaller attractive houses. So the impression you receive when stepping off the boat at Hydra is little changed from that you would have seen two centuries ago.

ART : All of the above features, plus a favourable climate and the natural beauty of the island have meant that it is a perfect place to allow your creative powers to develop. Hydra has a long history of attracting prominent artists, writers and other creative people. Among those are the American poet and songwriter Leonard Cohen and the painters Michel Le Goff the protagonist of Kymatic Art, Jannis Kounelis father of the arte povera, Brice Marden an American minimalist etc... have homes on Hydra. As a result of over five decades of intense foreign cultural input into this island, there are now regular art exhibitions held in small galleries and you will also find groups of watercolour enthusiasts painting on the sidewalk. Greek artists and patrons have followed suit and several of Greece's most recognised living artists and collectors have now made Hydra their home.

CAFE SOCIETY : Numerous cafes line the port with comfortable wicker armchairs. Here gather daily the personalities of the island to philosophize about life and art. Sitting under enormous canvas awnings right next to the water and sipping a Greek coffee, glass of chilled wine or an ouzo is such a pleasant way to pass the time that it attracts famous faces like Valentino and Joan Collins who you might see at their favourite cafes in the Summer season.
information from : http://hydra-island.com

"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." -- Lao Tzu
Copyright © Demetrios the Traveler






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Samos, traditional music, awesome sunset!

Musicians on Samos: Dimos singing on Pefkos beach from Peter Molz on Vimeo.

The singer/guitarist Dimos Kassapidis works during the summer season on Samos island, mainly in big hotels in Samos-Town or near Pythagorio.

Here he performs just for fun at Pefkos beach in the south of Samos island in Greece.

Whenever I'm on Samos, Dimos and I visit the Seitani beaches in the north-west and, on our way back to Pythagorio, there is one route where we stop at a place called Pefkos in the early evening. It is a small bay with a narrow beach, mostly pebbles, but mainly because of the beautiful views and the good fish tavern we drive to this place.

The beach is located next to Balos beach in the south of Samos island.

Video taken with Canon XM2 in the summer of 2007. Edited with iMovie09.

"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." -- Lao Tzu
Copyright © Demetrios the Traveler

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Vernazza

Vernazza, originally uploaded by Digitaler Lumpensammler.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Vernazza is a town and commune located in the province of La Spezia, Liguria, northwestern Italy. It is one of the five towns in the Cinque Terre region.
Vernazza is the fourth town heading north into the Cinque Terre. It has no car traffic (a road leads into a parking lot on the edge of the town) and remains one of the truest "fishing villages" on the Italian Riviera.

Main sights
Church of Santa Margherita d'Antiochia, begun in 1318. It has a nave and two aisles with an octagonal bell tower rising from the apse area.
Doria Castle
Shrine of Santuario di Nostra Signora di Reggio, about a half hour's steep walk above Vernazza. The wide path that leads up to the shrine is punctuated with the Stations of the Cross. Around the shrine is a large shady open area, expansive views of the water below, as well as the hillside vineyards, and various statues of Mary and Joseph.
The Beach in the protected harbor on the northwestern side.

"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." -- Lao Tzu
Copyright © Demetrios the Traveler






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Rebetika Songs, Greek traditional urban Blues

Rebetika Tragoudia / Rebetika (Rebetic) Songs from vimeo-minstrel on Vimeo.

Jiannis Loulourgas is a luthier, bouzouki player and singer from the village of Pythagorio on the island of Samos in Greece. I first met him in 1999 and since then we became friends. I have spent many many hours listening to his music and talking with him on his ideas about life and politics. This presentation is about his music, his shop, his performances in taverns in the harbour and the beautiful village of  Pythagorio.

In spring of 2008 Jiannis finished a new CD. The album is called "Rebetika Tragoudia" (Rebetika Songs) and contains 12 masterful interpretations of traditional rebetic songs. On some of the songs his daughter Maria joins him in singing. The CD is available only locally in shops in Pythagorio on Samos island.
You like the music of Jiannis? You can experience Jiannis playing his music "live" 3-4 times a week during the season in the village of Pythagorio! Depicted in this presentation are some musicians who play(ed) together with Jiannis in Pythagorio (during the past years).
Interested in buying a handcrafted extremely good sounding instrument? Visit his shop "Pythagorios" in Pythagorio and see how he makes his bouzoukis, tsouras and baglamas!

Come and spend your vacations on the beautiful island of Samos in Greece.

"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." -- Lao Tzu
Copyright © Demetrios the Traveler






travel

Honoloulu, the birthplace of a President ...Χονολουλού, ο νησιωτικός παράδεισος, η πατρίδα ενός προέδρου

053_53, originally uploaded by cdmm4663.

Honolulu is the capital and most populous census-designated place (CDP) in the U.S. state of Hawaii.
Although Honolulu refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and the county are consolidated, known as the City and County of Honolulu, and the city and county is designated as the entire island.
The City and County of Honolulu is the only incorporated city in Hawaii, as all other local government entities are administered at the county level.
The population of the census designated place was 371,657 at the 2000 census, while the population of the City and County was 909,863. In the Hawaiian language, Honolulu means "sheltered bay" or "place of shelter."
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Η Χονολουλού είναι η πρωτεύουσα και η πολυπληθέστερη κοινότητα της Χαβάης, στις Ηνωμένες Πολιτείες. Στα χαβανέζικα χονολούλου σημαίνει «προστατευμένος κόλπος» ή «τόπος προστασίας».
Την 1η Ιουλίου 2004, σύμφωνα με το Γραφείο Απογραφής Πληθυσμού των ΗΠΑ, η Χονολουλού υπολογίστηκε ότι είχε 377.260 κατοίκους, ενώ η πόλη μαζί με την κομητεία (ουσιαστικά το νησί Οάχου) 900.000.
Στη Χαβάη η τοπική διοίκηση υφίσταται μόνο σε επίπεδο κομητείας, και έτσι η πόλη και κομητεία της Χονολουλού επεκτείνεται σε όλο το νησί Οάχου.

Εξωτερικοί σύνδεσμοι
City & County of Honolulu - επίσημη ιστοσελίδα
Hawaii Vistors and Convention Bureau
Honolulu Traffic Information Center (includes camera links)
National Weather Service Honolulu office
Hawaii Community Theatre Web Index
The Arts District Honolulu

ΤΟ ΖΕΪΜΠΕΚΙΚΟ ΤΗΣ ΕΥΔΟΚΙΑΣ - EVDOKIAS' ZEIMPEKIKO

"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." -- Lao Tzu
Copyright © Demetrios the Traveler