Nicaea ( İznik ), Turkey...

İznik Gezisi, originally uploaded by pelince.com.

Nicaea (/naɪˈsiːə/; Greek: Νίκαια) was a Hellenic city in northwestern Anatolia, and is primarily known as the site of the First and Second Councils of Nicaea (the first and seventh Ecumenical councils in the early history of the Christian Church), the Nicene Creed (which comes from the First Council), and as the capital city of the Empire of Nicaea.
Nicaea served as the interim capital city of the Byzantine Empire between 1204 and 1261, following the Fourth Crusade in 1204, until the recapture of Constantinople by the Byzantines in 1261.
The ancient city is located within modern Iznik, Turkey, and is situated in a fertile basin at the eastern end of Lake Ascanius, bounded by ranges of hills to the north and south. It is situated with its west wall rising from the lake itself, providing both protection from siege from that direction, as well as a source of supplies which would be difficult to cut off. The lake is large enough that it could not be blockaded from the land easily, and the city was large enough to make any attempt to reach the harbour from shore-based siege weapons very difficult.
The ancient city is surrounded on all sides by 5 km (3 mi) of walls about 10 m (33 ft) high. These are in turn surrounded by a double ditch on the land portions, and also included over 100 towers in various locations. Large gates on the three landbound sides of the walls provided the only entrance to the city.
Today the walls have been pierced in many places for roads, but much of the early work survives and, as a result, it is a major tourist destination.

#Corfu #Ionian #Greece

1000 BPM (coming to you), originally uploaded by ~Lily_Sandrita~.

coming to you

An April blast | #Bordley, Craven, North #Yorkshire, #England,

An April blast, originally uploaded by bingleyman2.

An April blast @ #Bordley is a village and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England, within the Yorkshire Dales National Park and 12 miles (19 km) north of Skipton. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 23.

Velvet Sunrise @ Palouse NW USA

Velvet Sunrise, originally uploaded by RyanManuel.

The Palouse (/pəˈluːs/ pə-looss) is a region of the northwestern United States, encompassing parts of southeastern Washington, north central Idaho and, in some definitions, extending south into northeast Oregon.
It is a major agricultural area, primarily producing wheat and legumes.
Situated about 160 miles (260 km) north of the Oregon Trail, the region experienced rapid growth in the late 19th century, and at one time, the population of the Palouse surpassed even that of the Puget Sound area as the most populous region of the state.
The region is home to two land grant universities, the University of Idaho in Moscow and Washington State University in Pullman.
Located just eight miles (13 km) apart, both schools opened in the early 1890s.

#Polichnitos, #Lesvos, #Aegean, #Greece

Polichnitos - Lesvos, originally uploaded by TooTall 62.

#Polichnitos, #Lesvos, #Aegean, #Greece #travel #ttot #travelling2GR

This small town is situated at 45 kilometres west of Mytilene and is famous for its hot springs.

Most of the houses and mansions in Polichnitos are made of heavy stones which in addition to the churches and the remains of the Castle, create an attractive and traditional picture.

Accommodations, cafes, bars and taverns are available. The beach resort of the town is only a few kilometres north and is called Skala Polichnitou.

#Leros, #Dodecanese, #Greece

leros, originally uploaded by troy colautti.

Not quite your Mama Mia - but one of those island chapels - this is on #Leros, #Dodecanese, #Greece #travel #ttot #travelling2GR

A paradise in the Aegean islands. Leros island located in the north part part of the Dodecanese between the islands of Patmos and Kalymnos. You can come to Leros with ferries from Piraeus or you can come from Kos and Rhodes Greece. The island of Leros is famous as other tourist Greek islands like Spetses Paros, Mykonos, Skiathos or Santorini, but is an ideal place for relaxing holidays for both families and young people.

Comet Panstarrs and M31 Above Aurora

Comet Panstarrs and M31 Above Aurora, originally uploaded by David Cartier.

One of the moments this morning when the stationary Aurora receded from drowning the deep sky pair in it's light.

It isn't

It isn't pollution that's harming the environment. It's the impurities in our air and water that are doing it., originally uploaded by Christolakis.

It isn't pollution that's harming the environment. It's the impurities in our air and water that are doing it.

~ Al Gore

Berries

Berries, originally uploaded by HenryStradford.

The botanical definition of a berry is a fleshy fruit produced from a single ovary. Grapes are an example. The berry is the most common type of fleshy fruit in which the entire ovary wall ripens into an edible pericarp. They may have one or more carpels with a thin covering and fleshy interiors. The seeds are usually embedded in the flesh of the ovary (there are some non-fleshy exceptions, such as peppers. A plant that bears berries is said to be bacciferous or baccate (a fruit that resembles a berry, whether it actually is a berry or not, can also be called "baccate").
In everyday English, "berry" is a term for any small edible fruit. These "berries" are usually juicy, round or semi-oblong, brightly coloured, sweet or sour, and do not have a stone or pit, although many seeds may be present.
Many berries, such as the tomato, are edible, but others in the same family, such as the fruits of the deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna) and the fruits of the potato (Solanum tuberosum) are poisonous to humans. Some berries, such as Capsicum, have space rather than pulp around their seeds.

Step into the light

Step into the light, originally uploaded by Spyros Papaspyropoulos.

I took this photo sometime about 20 days ago and I remember waiting for these two to step into the light so I could capture them. It was late morning, early noon and the sun was still sideways, creating this lovely effect in the dark alleys of the Old Town of Rethymno.

Road to Delphi

Road to Delphi 2, originally uploaded by viewgatherer.

In The Alleys Of Astypalea

In The Alleys Of Astypalea, originally uploaded by jimbonzo079.

Astypalaia - Greece - Αστυπαλαια - Ελλαδα

Cradle Mountain

Cradle Mountain, originally uploaded by stevoarnold.

Tasmania - Cradle Mountain

Between the walls

Between the walls, originally uploaded by ~Lily_Sandrita~.

Between the walls

Photographer's Delight @ #Gergeri #Heraklion #Crete #Greece

Photographer's Delight, originally uploaded by macropoulos.

Η Γέργερη είναι μεγάλος οικισμός και έδρα του Δήμου Ρούβα της επαρχίας Καινούργιου με 1.506 κατοίκους το 2001 και με υψόμετρο 520 μέτρα. Αν προχωρήσουμε προς τα νότια η πορεία μας θα μας οδηγήσει στον Ψηλορείτη που είναι 39,6 χιλιόμετρα στο δρόμο προς Ζαρό ή Καμάρες .
Στο χωριό υπάρχει υδραγωγείο και οι ιεροί ναοί: Μεταμόρφωση του Σωτήρος, με μαρμάρινα μέλη αρχαιοτέρου ναού (εντός του οποίου είχαν σφαχτεί) από τους Τούρκους πολλοί Χριστιανοί, ο Άγιος Γεώργιος, ο Άγιος Στυλιανός και ο Προφήτης Ηλίας. Ο τελευταίος βρίσκεται σε βράχο μέσα στο χωριό και οικοδομήθηκε το 1905. Σε μικρή απόσταση είναι κτισμένη η Παναγιά η Κερά με τοιχογραφίες του 1443, αλλά καπνισμένες. Από τη θέση αυτή τουφέκισαν οι Γερμανοί 25 κατοίκους της Γέργερης.
Στα υψώματα επάνω από το χωριό βρίσκεται το μεγαλύτερο δάσος πρίνων στην Κρήτη. Είναι το δάσος του Ρούβα, το οποίο αποτέλεσε καταφύγιο των Χριστιανών κατά τις επαναστάσεις των προηγούμενων αιώνων. Στην περιοχή του Ρούβα βρίσκονται τα «μητάτα» των κτηνοτρόφων της Γέργερης, όπου το Μάιο διεξάγονται οι «κουρές». Πρόκειται για το κούρεμα των προβάτων, που συνοδεύεται από γλέντι, οινοποσία και φαγοπότι με συγγενείς και φίλους. Στις 3 Νοεμβρίου ανοίγουν για πρώτη φορά τα βαρέλια με το νέο κρασί και εορτάζεται ο πολιούχος, Άγιος Γεώργιος ο Μεθυστής.Επίσης, στο χωριό γίνεται πανηγύρι και της Υπαπαντής (2 Φεβρουαρίου).
Στο δάσος από πρίνους του Ρούβα έξω από το χωριό, αναπτύσσονται ενδημικά είδη χλωρίδας και πανίδας. Στο χωριό υπάρχει Μουσείο Φυσικής Ιστορίας και παραδοσιακή δημοτική επιχείρηση που προσφέρει όλα τα κρητικά παραδοσιακά φαγητά.
Ανάμεσα στα άλλα, λειτουργούν στο χωριό υπηρεσίες, ΚΕΠ, νηπιαγωγείο, Δημοτικό Σχολείο και Γυμνάσιο.