These blogs are my non-cave photos and stories. The older ones are taken from my Multiply site, which closed in March 2013. I have a 2nd blog for the SE Asia cave items and a 3rd blog for non SE Asia caves.
I was on Crete on 4 Oct and enjoyed some nice weather. It was sunny and warm. So I was surprised to learn there were bad floods less than 2 weeks later. Storms hit the north coast on 15th, leaving at least two people dead. The worst place affected was Agia Pelagia, but the streets of Chania were also flooded. Agia Pelagia is just west of the capital Heraklion. Chania is to the west.
Heavy rain caused flash floods which pushed cars into the sea.
Chania when I was there -
Chania mosque dominates the Venetian harbour. The main dome is supported by 4 arches and there are 6 small domes but no minaret. The name Turkish Mosque Yiali Tzami means seaside mosque. It was a place of worship until 1923, when the last Muslims left Crete at the exchange of populations between Greece and Turkey. It is now used for art exhibitions -
The Venetian harbour was built by the Venetians between 1320 and 1356. The harbour was used for commerce and also to control the Sea of Crete against pirates.The harbour had room for 40 galleys, but it constantly silted up and was never very deep, so it kept having to be dredged, a difficult job with the equipment of the time.
The lighthouse was built in 1864
The shipyards where the Venetians repaired their galleys
Part of the old town walls
I took a bus from Chania to Kolimvari, which is at the southeast end of a peninsula, about 25 km from Chania.
I had a view of Athens from the hop on hop off bus. There are 3 companies running these buses, I chose the red one as I had a coupon for 10% off the fare!
My first stop was at the Acropolis complex. The Acropolis, or Highest Point, is an ancient citadel that sits on a rocky outcrop above the city. It contains the remains of several ancient buildings, the most famous being the Parthenon. These buildings are of great architectural and historical significance. The rock is about 150 m high and is formed of schist over limestone.
The Parthenon is a temple that was dedicated to the goddess Athena during the fifth century BC. It is currently undergoing renovation -
There were long queues to enter the site so I didn't bother to go in, as I wanted to see more of Athens.
Entrance to the Temple of Zeus. Constructed was started in 174 BC. It had very tall columns but most of them have fallen down due to various earthquakes.
The Greek Parliament building, Syntagma -
This is a modern building, first used as a palace, from 1843. It was used for the Hellenic Parliament from 1929 and the building has been adapted over the years. The changing of the guards outside the palace is quite a tourist attraction. The soldiers come from a special unit of the Hellenic Army and guard the Monument of the Unknown Soldier in front of the Hellenic Parliament and the Presidential Mansion. Their unique uniform has a special meaning. They wear a Greek kilt, white tights and shoes with pompoms. Each hour they change guard. See more here.
The Panathenaic Stadium. It was built for the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 and remains the only stadium in the world built entirely out of marble. The word “stadium” comes from the ancient Greek measure of length, where one “stadion” was approximately 185 m and equivalent to the length of the track. See more on the stadium
The Academy of Athens is one of three buildings, along with the National Library and University. It is neoclassic, from 1859. It is made of marble. The two tall columns with Athena the defender on the left and Apollo the guitar player on the right -
Next door is the National library -
Omonia Square is one of the oldest squares in Athens and is in the shopping centre. It was built in 1846 but has been renovated over the years and the fountains redesigned -
Athens Central Market, or Varvakeios, is the biggest food market in Athens. It is situated between Monastiraki Square and Omonia Square on Athinas Street.
Monastiraki Square is a plaza surrounded by restaurants, bars and a Byzantine church (church not in this photo). The building with the brown dome is Tzistarakis Mosque. Built in 1759 it is one of the few Muslim monuments remaining in Athens. It is built with limestone -
Some other churches
The archaeological museum
And finally some street Christmas decorations in September -
The two Ionian islands I visited in Sept 2020, Kefalonia and Zante (Zakynthos), are both known for the Loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) that are found in the waters around the islands.
Unfortunately the existence of turtles around these tourist islands means they have become a big attraction for visitors, and this affects the conservation of the turtles. A similar thing happens in Malaysia, where the egg laying turtles and resulting hatchlings have become a big tourist attraction both in West Malaysia (east coast) and East Malaysia (Turtle Islands, Sabah). See my article on the Turtle Islands. The Turtle Islands are quite carefully controlled, but it's not as good in West Malaysia, where a lot of eggs end up in the local markets.
In the Ionian Island, the turtles lay their eggs on beaches in Zante. Sadly the Loggerhead turtles have chosen the long sandy beaches between the main holiday resorts of Laganas and Kalamaki, located on Laganas Bay at the southern end of the island. And Laganas Bay is the most important breeding site for the species in the Mediterranean. It is in a National Marine Park.
The loggerheads have a wide range, and are classed on IUCN red list as vulnerable :
Unfortunately on Zante, the locals are cashing in on the turtles and doing little to prevent their gradual extinction. It got so bad that Greece was taken to court in 2002 by the European Commission for its repeated and long-standing neglect in protection for this fast disappearing creature. See Greece: Commission continues legal action to protect rare sea turtle. "On 30 January 2002, Greece was condemned by the Court of Justice for failing to adequately protect the rare loggerhead sea turtle, Caretta caretta, on the island of Zakynthos. Laganas Bay in Zakynthos is the most important breeding site for the species in the Mediterranean. The sea turtle lays eggs only every two or three years, during the summer months, and when the baby turtles hatch two months later, they are very vulnerable. The Court declared that Greece had failed to establish and implement an effective system of strict protection, thereby violating its obligations under the 1992 Habitats Directive."
Then in 2014 there was another court case about the turtles, this time in Kyparissia Bay on the mainland, slightly south of Zante.
Mating season for the turtles is April to June and the eggs hatch about 60 days later, which is peak holiday season, June to August. I went to Zante in Sept, out of the egg laying season. I was glad about this, as I would hate to see all the tourists surrounding the turtles. There were plenty of places where the turtles had been nesting and the whole area was marked off by a yellow rope.
Each nest is separated by a corridor made of matting.
There were plenty of signs telling visitors to keep away, but I wondered how effective they would be in the nesting season. The first one in Romanian, Russian and Italian, the second one in Greek, English, Italian, Romanian and Russian -
The protection cage at each nest had a notice -
The hut for the rangers was of course deserted, being out of season, and had no information regarding the turtles that had visited this year. The only notice was this one -
There were no turtle tracks at all in the sand. However in the dunes behind the beach, I saw these tracks, would guess they are lizard but I don't know -
In egg laying season, the sheer numbers of tourists affect the turtles, especially at night when the lights and noise disturb them. And the newly hatched turtles have trouble finding the sea in all the confusion. And some uncaring hotel owners put down more sunloungers, thereby reducing the beach area available for nesting.
The turtles are not just harassed on land. Dozens of glass bottomed boats pursue them in the water, with tourists excitedly and noisely taking photos. This means a lot of turtles fail to reach the beaches. Even out of season in Sept, there were so many tour agencies selling boat tours to see the turtles swimming in the sea. And the shops are full of souvenirs relating to turtles, such as soft toys, swimming rings and lilos, and all kinds of ornaments etc.
When I was on the neighbouring island of Kefalonia, I went to the capital Argostoli, and was able to see the loggerhead turtles swimming in the harbour. This was so nice to see as the turtles were there without being hassled by anyone.
Corfu, my 3rd Greek island, having been to Crete in 2014 and Zakynthos in 2015.Corfu is the most northerly of the Ionian islands, whereas Zakynthos is the southernmost. Corfu lies alongside the western coasts of Albania and mainland Greece.
I stayed in Benitses on the east coast, south of Corfu town. Apparently Benitses was the party place for Brits in the 1980s but now is a quiet village and with more Russian and Eastern Europeans than Brits. There are several old abandoned buildings that used to be bars and discos from the busy times.
The beach is shingly rather than sand. There are lots of umbrellas and sun chairs, they are free as long as you buy a drink or something from the respective cafe. The sea was really clear. Although it was late Sept I found the water rather chilly for my liking and only ventured in a couple of times.
looking to the Greek mainland at sunset
sunrise over the Greek mainland
Immediately behind the village is a range of hills. I went up into the hills on a couple of occasions, when looking for the aqueduct and water tunnels. There are lots of olive trees on the island -
View of Benitses marina and looking towards Corfu town -
Benitses village -
Old Corfu Town is a World Heritage Site and dates back to the 8th century BC. There are 3 forts and a lot of Venetian influence.
Old fort and new fort -
The world's largest yacht, owned by a Russian and said to be worth £400 million -
Since childhood I have been a fan of Gerald Durrell and still have many of his books, so I was particularly keen to see the memorial garden to him and his brother Lawrence. They lived in Corfu from 1935-39.
National Gallery
1699 well
On the northwest corner of the island is the Canal d'Amour at Sidari -
