Kalymnos in the southern Aegean

27 November 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

Cruising near Pserimos © kallerna/cc-by-sa-3.0

Cruising near Pserimos © kallerna/cc-by-sa-3.0

Kalymnos is a Greek island and municipality in the southeastern Aegean Sea. It belongs to the Dodecanese and is located to the west of the peninsula of Bodrum, between the islands of Kos (south, at a distance of 12 km (7 mi)) and Leros (north, at a distance of less than 2 km (1 mi)): the latter is linked to it through a series of islets. Kalymnos lies between two to five hours away by sea from Rhodes.   read more…

Symi in the southern Aegean

19 October 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

© Karelj/cc-by-sa-3.0

© Karelj/cc-by-sa-3.0

Symi is a Greek island and municipality. It is mountainous and includes the harbor town of Symi and its adjacent upper town Ano Symi, as well as several smaller localities, beaches, and areas of significance in history and mythology. Symi is part of the Rhodes regional unit. The shipbuilding and sponge industries were substantial on the island and, while at their peak near the end of the 19th century, the population reached 22,500. Symi’s main industry is now tourism and the population has declined to 2,500.   read more…

Theme Week Cyclades

3 March 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Bon voyage, Theme Weeks Reading Time:  6 minutes

Mykonos © Bernard Gagnon/cc-by-sa-3.0

Mykonos © Bernard Gagnon/cc-by-sa-3.0

The Cyclades is a Greek island group in the Aegean Sea, southeast of mainland Greece and a former administrative prefecture of Greece. They are one of the island groups which constitute the Aegean archipelago. The name refers to the islands around the sacred island of Delos. The Cyclades is where the native Greek breed of cat (the Aegean cat) originated.   read more…

Theme Week Cyclades – Milos

25 January 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

Klima village © Kosant38

Klima village © Kosant38

Milos is a volcanic Greek island in the Aegean Sea, just north of the Sea of Crete. Milos is the southwesternmost island in the Cyclades group.   read more…

Theme Week Cyclades – Sifnos

24 January 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

Artemonas © Margaritaprounia/cc-by-sa-3.0

Artemonas © Margaritaprounia/cc-by-sa-3.0

Sifnos is an island municipality. The main town, near the center, known as Apollonia, is home of the island’s folklore museum and library. The town’s name is thought to come from an ancient temple of Apollo on the site of the church of Panayia Yeraniofora. The second-largest town is Artemonas (800), thought to be named after an ancient temple of Apollo’s sister-goddess Artemis, located at the site of the church of Panayia Kokhi. The village of Kastro (118), built on top of a high cliff on the island’s northwestern shore on the site of the ancient city of Siphnos, today has extensive medieval remains and is the location of the island’s archeological museum. The port settlement, on the west coast of the island is known as Kamares.   read more…

Theme Week Cyclades – Folegandros

23 January 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

© Oliwan/cc-by-sa-3.0

© Oliwan/cc-by-sa-3.0

Folegandros is a small Greek island in the Aegean Sea which, together with Sikinos, Ios, Anafi and Santorini, forms the southern part of the Cyclades. Its surface area is about 32 square kilometres (12 sq mi) and it has 765 inhabitants. It has three small villages, Chora, Karavostasis, and Ano Meria, which are connected by a paved road. Folegandros is part of the Thira regional unit.   read more…

Theme Week Cyclades – Paros

22 January 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

Paros Collage © Dimorsitanos/cc-by-sa-3.0

Paros Collage © Dimorsitanos/cc-by-sa-3.0

Paros is a Greek island in the central Aegean Sea. One of the Cyclades island group, it lies to the west of Naxos, from which it is separated by a channel about 8 kilometres (5 miles) wide. It lies approximately 100 mi (161 kilometres) south-east of Piraeus. The Municipality of Paros includes numerous uninhabited offshore islets totaling 196.308 square kilometres (75.795 sq mi) of land. Its nearest neighbor is the municipality of Antiparos, which lies to its southwest. Historically, Paros was known for its fine white marble, which gave rise to the term “Parian” to describe marble or china of similar qualities. Today, abandoned marble quarries and mines can be found on the island, but Paros is primarily known as a popular tourist spot.   read more…

Theme Week Cyclades – Tinos

21 January 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  8 minutes

Town of Tinos © Eu.stefan/cc-by-3.0

Town of Tinos © Eu.stefan/cc-by-3.0

Tinos is a Greek island situated in the Aegean Sea. It is located in the Cyclades archipelago. In antiquity, Tinos was also known as Ophiussa (from ophis, Greek for snake) and Hydroessa (from hydor, Greek for water). The closest islands are Andros, Delos, and Mykonos. It has a land area of approximately 194 square kilometres (75 sq mi) and a 2011 census population of 8,636 inhabitants.   read more…

Mykonos in the South Aegean

24 November 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

Elias Beach © Squirmy2000

Elias Beach © Squirmy2000

Mykonos is a Greek island, part of the Cyclades, lying between Tinos, Syros, Paros and Naxos. The island spans an area of 85.5 km2 (33 sq mi) and rises to an elevation of 341 m (1,119 ft) at its highest point. There are 9,320 inhabitants. most of whom live in the largest town, Mykonos, which lies on the west coast. The town is also known as Chora. Tourism is a major industry. Archaeological finds indicate that the Ionians settled on Mykonos in the early part of the 11th century BCE. In ancient times, Mykonos, due to its proximity to the then highly populated island of Delos (situated about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) away), became very important as a supply island and possibly as a getaway location for Delian citizens.   read more…

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