TILOS    HALKI    SYMI    NISSYROS    SKOPELOS    ALONISSOS    KOS    RHODES   CORFU    SANTORINI    PAROS

The remote island of Tilos was my first experience of Greece back in 1991 and it couldn't have been a better choice!

Remote and not easy to get to, it encapsulated for me the quintessential nature of Greece.... friendliness, hospitality, sometimes harsh beauty of the landscape and endlessly sunny days in a place surrounded by crystal clear turquoise seas.  I simply knew I would return, and return I did. I was hooked !

I loved the Tilos experience and returned there on a sailing trip the following year.  Also on the itinerary were Symi, Halki, Nissyros and Kos.  All fascinating and beautiful islands.  I have returned to them many times since, always spending the first night of my trip in that part of the world on Rhodes were I can enjoy the beauty and vibrancy of the Old Town.

I liked the Dodecanese and subsequent trips took me to Kalymnos, Leros, Lipsi and Patmos.  I had the occasion to live and work on these four islands during an extended stay in the islands from 1998-2001.  All of them have features that make them special.  I have written two extended articles on Kalymnos and Leros, which can be found on the Hellasworld site.  These two islands in particular, are very close to my heart.  The hospitality and friendliness I have experienced there were extraordinary.

My liking for the Dodecanese islands and the Eastern Aegean has resulted in my returning there year after year, and for the past three years I have visited Samos and Ikaria.  Samos is magnificent!  It is surely one of the most beautiful of Greek islands. Vathi, the main town, may not be too architecturally attractive, but the scenery in the interior of the island is fabulous!  Mountains, valleys, stunning coastline.   The big fire of 2000 certainly took its toll, but it is still easy to see what makes this verdant island so beautiful.  I have visited Ikaria twice. This is a rarely visited island.  Those who don't visit miss a most remarkable place.  Fascinating people and a fascinating history.  And the landscape on the western side of the island will leave you open-jawed !

In 1997 and 1998 I visited Skopelos and Alonissos.  The ambience on these islands is totally different to those of the Eastern Aegean and Dodecanese.  Both are stunning!  Lovely towns and villages.  Even Patitiri on Alonissos has its charm in spite of having been built virtually from scratch after the earthquake in 1965.  I stayed in the Old Village of Alonissos for three months in an habitation that was half-house, half-cave.  What an experience!  The Old Village is one of the most beautiful hill-top villages anywhere, but nowadays it seems to be the preserve of ex-pats who have bought up the place.  But still! .......  they have preserved the essential architectural character of the place.  A good thing!

Whilst on Alonissos in 1998, I undertook a ferry/bus trip to Thessaloniki to enjoy its delights as European City of Culture.  Of special interest to me was the one-off exhibition of Byzantine treasures from the monasteries of Mount Athos. Byzantine Art and Architecture is my special interest, my having penned three booklets on the subject.  In fact, wherever I am in Greece I never miss an occasion to pop into churches and chapels to view the icons. As an iconographer, I have had the satisfaction of painting all the icons of the Great Feasts, which, as mentioned elsewhere, has been published as an easy-to-read guidebook.

Thessaloniki! Indeed! A mainland destination! Yes, I do actually visit the mainland, although the islands have, for me, that very special allure.  Thessaloniki is a lovely city, with so much to see and do.  The waterfront is fabulous. 

In 1993 I did a whistlestop coach tour through the Peloponnese.  It was a great orientation; visiting Delphi, Olympia, Sparta, the stunning Byzantine city of Mystra, Epidavros and, of course, Athens.

Athens is my favourite European city and I return there at least twice every year. (The best independent info website for Athens is Matt Barrett's Greece Travel.  Its the only site you'll ever need for visits to Athens! See the Links page)

My chums Sally and Nick are the very good reason I have for visiting Corfu.  They live in the delightful hilltop village of Pelekas, a  short drive away from stunning Pelakas beach; one of my favourites in Greece.  They always spoil me rotten when I am there, driving me all over the place and taking me on walks to experience the beauty of this most beautiful of islands.  Corfu has everything... and it is awash with a fascinating history too.  Corfu Old Town is beautiful, and they have a fantastic Byzantine museum. Not to be missed!

Only as recently as 2002 did I visit the Cyclades for the first time.  I was dead keen to see if Santorini's famed sunset was better than the one on Kalymnos.  So a chum and I took off for a week on Santorini and Paros. I loved both islands. (But then I would, wouldn't I! )

The memories of Tilos are still strong and I somehow reckon that my "hellastravels" from this point onwards will be to the more remote, less touristed islands and mainland locations, where the traditional ways of Greek life remain intact and where mass-tourism has not spoilt the essential character and beauty of the place.

That piece of paradise...... at the far side of Paradise!

"In tempi come questi la fuga
e l'unico mezzo per mantenersi vivi
e continuare a sognare!"

                                                                               Henry Laborit
Translation:

In times like these...
Escape is the only way to stay alive
And continue to dream!

(Prologue to the award-winning film 'Mediterraneo'. Set on the remote Greek island of Kastelorizo.)