Friday, September 21, 2012

Ios Island | Look it beautiful II

Agia Theodoti Beach

Agia Theodoti Ios: Following the path of Epano Kambos, northeast of the island, you will be directed Agia Theodoti, a beautiful seaside resort 14 km from Chora. The beautiful beach of golden sand and azure water is known for its peaceful atmosphere and natural beauty.

This is an ideal swimming with spectacular sunsets. Agia Theodoti easily combine cosmopolitan excitement and relaxation in complete privacy. The shore of endless beach is a long clump of trees provides enough shade in the middle of the visitors. There are plenty of sun loungers and parasols to rent a traditional tavern and rooms.

To get to the beach and follow the road "Epano Kambos" windmills of Chora. Near Agia Theodoti are the remains of an ancient aqueduct and a Hellenistic tower.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Ios Island | Look it beautiful I

Ios Beaches

With some of the best beaches in the Greek islands, Ios gets pretty popular in summer. Mylopotas and Ormos are the busiest and have many beach bars and watersports centres. Fortunately, although it receives many tourists, Ios still have secluded coves to relax.
 

Mylopotas beach

Mylopotas Ios: The famous beach of Ios is located 3 km from Chora. This is the main beach of the island where tourists action takes place. It is known for its long sandy beach stretching over 1 km and tourist facilities fantastic. The crystal clear waters are ideal for swimming and the main reason Mylopotas was repeatedly awarded the Blue Flag.
The sandy beach is covered by numerous sunbathing and umbrellas at reasonable prices, and many beach bars, where all the action happens. The beach is perfect for a range of activities that offer many water sports facilities for visitors, such as windsurfing and scuba diving. Despite the development of tourism in the region remains one Mylopotas beach with a beautiful natural landscape.
Mylopotas receives a large number of people throughout the day as the sun of the Cyclades, sunbathing in the golden sands and swimming in the emerald green water. You can reach Mylopotas by bus from Chora.

Manganari beach

Picture Credit: http://flickriver.com/photos/larahn/4813580525/
Manganari Ios: Manganari is one of the most beautiful beaches of Ios, located 23 km south of Chora. The beach itself has golden sand and crystal clear waters. Due to the remoteness and the long stretch of Chora, the beach is not disturbed by the noise of the crowd, the greater part of the day, while it offers an excellent opportunity to discover the natural environment.
The secluded cove is strong winds calm and offers protected swimming and snorkeling. The beach extends for several meters. Scenes from the famous film "Le Grand Bleu" is Manganari shot, revealing the exceptional quality of the water and beautiful scenery.





Friday, August 3, 2012

Learning about Istanbul

During not the capital of Turkey, Istanbul is the greatest city and the financial, business and cultural center of the region. Which have a continuously growing residents of over 12.5 million, Istanbul is normally the 5th biggest municipal in the world. Surrounded by the Sea of Marmara, the Golden Horn, the Bosporus Strait and the Black Sea, Istanbul is linked thoroughly alongside sea ports. Recognized for being the single locale in the world situated on two continents, Istanbul truly does achieve together the East and the West. Around 70% of the population live on this Euro side, yet the area is well connected by roads and ferry routes to the Asian side. Actually, the commuter ferry linking both sides of Istanbul strengthen the city in both business and touristy. The big land and sea routes linked through Istanbul create an commercial centre for the region, alongside with international links for foreign business routes.
 
Istanbul is carrying a long traditions dating back to the Copper Age while human settlements have dated back to around 6500BC. Inside its extensive historical, Istanbul has already a capital city and center of many empires especially the Roman Empire, the East Roman Empire, the Latin Empire and most recently the Ottoman Empire. Only in 1923 with the growing of the Republic of Turkey appeared to be the capital  city relocated from Istanbul to Ankara. The community was founded in 667BC as Byzantine, switching its name in 330AD to Constantinople, how it kept until becoming Istanbul among the building of the Democracy.
 
Istanbul initiated to consider taking on its todays form in the 1940s during most ancient structures were wiped out to develop avenues, boulevards and general public squares. Diversion of the area in the mid of the 20th centuries got insufficient to handle with the huge populace growing experienced while in the 70s and 80s. The engineering of new manufacturers presented high employment companies ahead to age of expansion, creating the town to beyond triple in colonization. The abnormal citizens growth go to rapidly and illegal construction to handle with the needs, along with 60% of the recently raised housing turning into below standards. This very high density of poor construction led to destructive side effects during the course of the 1999 earthquake that affected the town. Construction upcoming 1999 was always to high standards with caution against future probable earthquakes, continuously working to provide to the populace growth of within 3.5% per annum.
 
Featuring a seemingly have never end list of destinations, Istanbul continues on to hook guests and migrants for holidays and relocation purposes. The extensive traditions and culture of the city mixes gracefully with the cutting-edge social and cultural multiplicity of the city's inhabitants. Millions of guests are driven to the city on an annually basis right from all corners of the planet, whether for its cultural, commercialized or amazing highlights.
 
The city is serviced by pair of international airports, the primary one staying on the European area and the smaller airport on the Asian area. Istanbul is also easily achieved all through its international road, railroad and tour bus links, during its port is perceived as on being the most important in the country. Easier travelling options are found in the local, with a metro, light rail, tours, trams and freeways. Vacation water travel from the several marinas of the city provides long been an interesting sport for people and members as well.
Even while the location is surrounded by waters, beach style resorts are not a part of the Istanbul living, with the holiday resort towns mainly alongside the Aegean and Mediterranean sea-coast. Sight-seeing opportunities of visit Istanbul's city life activities include things like cultural features much like old mosques, palaces and forts, combined with unique events, concerts, exhibits, museums and buying things.
 
Sporting events are certainly catered for with the game of golf, sail planing, and football amongst plenty of other areas. Istanbul features the big actions of golf courses current in Turkey.
 
As Istanbul's weather condition can variegate extremely, traveling the city in either one summer months or wintertime can create dramatically completely different interesting attractions. Affected by together the Black Sea to the northbound and the Mediterranean in the southern area, summers are wetter with climates averaging around 28 celsius, and the winter seasons regular around 5 celsius among snow not abnormal.

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Sikinos | Are we in Paradise?

Sikinos, a small pearl slowly and more visitors every year, but it's still one of the most pristine island in the Cyclades. They come here for peace and enjoy the relaxed life of its inhabitants. As tourism has not yet been reached Sikinos in the real sense, you will see that the island only speak a little English, if necessary, but they are very friendly and do their best to make you feel welcome. People make their own wine, but also because of the nature of the soil hard and sterile, It has often suffered from hunger and poverty.
sikinos-map
About the story: In the early years, Sikinos was called Inos, meaning the island of the wine. Archaeologists seem to be able to identify a temple to Apollo at Episkopi in the ancient world, but do not know too much about it. According to mythology, the island has changed its name to as King Thoas of Lemnos by the women of Lemnos had killed all mankind, was pursued. On Inos he married a nymph, and her son was named Sikinos. The Ionians settled on the island in the 10th century BC, and soon the Dorians arrived from the mainland. Venetians ruled the Cyclades in the 13th to the 16th Century, Sikinos was conquered by the Turks in 1566. The islanders have fought bravely in the war of independence, and was liberated in the 19th century.
Sikinos_church
You should see: The capital, Chora, is situated high up in the mountains. It really consists of two villages, an old and a new one. The old part is also called Chorio ("Village") and the new Kastro. Here, you'll find a small folklore museum and a quite impressive church from the 18th century. When the island was invaded by Turks or pirates, the islanders, who all lived in Kastro, used to pour boiling oil on the enemy. You can still see where the oil came out just outside the wall. Another sight is the nunnery Zoodochos Pigi (Life-giving Source) built in the 15th century and dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Make sure you are appropriately dressed though before you enter: long skirt and covered shoulders for women, long trousers for men. Episkopi is also well worth a visit. No one knows for certain what the ancient ruins under the 7th century church were. The most common theory is that it was a temple dedicated to Apollo, and there is also an amphi-theatre here (I wonder why Dionysus hasn't been mentioned yet: he was the patron god of both wine and the theatre!).
Activity: The island is ideal for diving and fishing. You can also take long walks, bring your camera, the scenery is fantastic.There are no sandy beaches, here you will find great cliffs to jump when in - and get out. There is a boat to take you to the beach of Ag Georgios. It is not a party island, but you can enjoy the evening in taverns in Chora or in port. If you're lucky, people begin to sing and play traditional songs. There are some bars on the island as well. The food on the island consists of high quality, traditional Greek dishes. A few taverns in Chora, and some in the Aloprina port. Chora has a few shops, but they are small and the selection is limited. Here also have a local bus connecting Chora with the harbour. You can not rent a vehicle, but a boat can take you to the Ag Georgios beach.
Sikinos House
Getting there: The best way to get there is to fly to Santorini, then take the ferry. Sikinos is also connected to Athens from Piraeus, Naxos and Mykonos. It is a good idea to leave the island at least a day before departure since the boats are cancelled if it gets too windy, leaving you stranded here. You can find guide book from Lonely Planet (Travel Guide) via this site usshoptoo.com




Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Santorini | Where is Heaven

Santorini is one of those places in the world that will be permanently etched in your mind. Everywhere you look, you will find another photo opportunity. In essence, the land is the remains of an enormous volcanic explosion which destroyed the earliest settlements on what was once a single island. The day after the explosion has created what we see today, a caldera. All whitewashed, charming cottages cling to the cliffs of the circle, while the deep blue Aegean Sea wraps around the geological masterpiece, hundreds of feet below. Its spectacular physical beauty, with a dynamic nightlife, have made a single island of the big attractions for Europe.
santorini-map
Santorini is the last of the Cyclades islands in the South. The nearest islands are Ios, Folegandros, Sikinos in the North, Anafi and Amorgos to the East and Crete to the south.
We call this one, but it is actually a complex of five islands. Santorini (Thira) is the main island and around Thirasia Aspronisi and (parts of the ancient Stroggili) and two volcanic islands Palea Kameni and Nea Kameni.
It was an island called Stroggili (circle in Greek) until about 1645 BC, when the volcano erupted in the center of the island and Caldera was created. The two volcanic islands appeared much later from various eruptions starting 157 BC until the last in the 20th Century (1950).
Santorini i
santorini ii
  Many reasons have known this island and the world more or less everything that we have a picture of him (picture was that the agency used for Greece) have seen. There is a discourse on the relationship between Thira and mythical Atlantis. Also Jules Verne made Santorini famous watch, with its books "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" and "Mysterious island," in which Captain Nemo and his crew break out of the volcano. It was one of the visitors and scientists who came to Thira during the eruptions of 1866 - 1870 and wrote the famous book soon after. It is really the mysterious island, the volcano's rules, the view of the caldera, the most spectacular on the planet!
santorini iii
Upon arrival in Santorini, you have three options for how to go to the island on foot, by cable car or donkey. The gateway to the sea in the city consists of 657 four-inch-high steps. This allows a natural workout stepper very well, especially on a sunny day! The cable car ride takes about three minutes ... but you could wait 15 minutes or more for your train. Your final option, riding on a donkey from the old port of Fira is one of the most authentic rustic experience, you will find in Santorini. These animals were once the only means of transportation supporting winding paths of Santorini. A typical speed limits will take about 30 minutes uphill. The more you get, the more points of view! It is truly an experience you never forget. Try it, then you'll see heaven on Earth!