Given my childhood fascination for Greek mythology, a visit to Greece was a veritable pilgrimage, a dream come true! My photos below are a humble tribute to the grandeur and magnificence of this magical country that has been a fountainhead of the Western civilization as we know it today.
ATHENS – Kingdom of Athena and epicenter of the Greek Empire
It was the fulfillment of a personal spiritual saga for me to go to the Acropolis and behold the Parthenon, the legendary Erechtheion and the Temple of Zeus, all of which I had read about in my childhood. However, I was little prepared for the profound spiritual impact I experienced at the Acropolis. A little anecdote I found fascinating was the gift of the olive tree by the warrior Goddess Athena when she was contesting Poseidon for protection of the city. The otherwise humble olive tree that Athena contributed against the salt water stream from Posiedon has become an enduring icon of the Greek culture and heritage, and contributed to this amazing city being named after its patron warrior Goddess, that otherwise may well have been called Poseidonia!
Here is my modest tribute to the magnificence and grandeur of what was the epicenter of the ancient and once omnipotent Greek Empire.
DELPHI and OLYMPIA – The Grandeur of Ancient Greece
My pursuit of Greek mythology as a hobby in my childhood has inculcated an inexorable fascination for the Oracle of Delphi as well as the origin of the Olympic Games in ancient Olympia. Beholding the remains of the Temple of Apollo presided by the Oracle at Delphi as well as the first Olympic Village in the World (that housed the chryselephantine statue of Zeus – one of the Seven Wonders of the World) at ancient Olympia where the Olympic torch is lit to this day, were sublime yet powerful experiences that I have persevered to capture with the photographs below. As well, the sylvan surroundings truly served to rejuvenate the mind, body, spirit and soul in anticipation of the New Year!
CLICK ON THE "PLAY" BUTTON TO VIEW A MUSICAL SLIDESHOW:
SANTORINI – The Jewel of the Greek Cyclades
Given my fascination with Venice that I consider the most romantic city/island on the face of the earth, Santorini was a pleasant and incredible surprise indeed. Santorini is arguably, the only island on earth with townships architected onto the craters of what has been an active volcano, comprising unique, picturesque and beautiful alabaster houses (adobes) with their elaborately embellished spiral stairways crafted onto a tiered superstructure, with cobbled and marbled pathways, that present an ethereal beauty and invoke a heady feeling of romance like no other place on this Planet, save Venice.
The photos below barely begin to do justice to the beauty, the romance and the sensuality of Santorini - the Jewel of the Greek Cyclades. Please experience this magnificient Mediterranean Shangri-La at least once in your lifetime – you will thank us for the unforgettable adventure!:-)
CLICK ON THE "PLAY" BUTTON TO VIEW A MUSICAL SLIDESHOW:
DELPHI and OLYMPIA – The Grandeur of Ancient Greece
My pursuit of Greek mythology as a hobby in my childhood has inculcated an inexorable fascination for the Oracle of Delphi as well as the origin of the Olympic Games in ancient Olympia. Beholding the remains of the Temple of Apollo presided by the Oracle at Delphi as well as the first Olympic Village in the World (that housed the chryselephantine statue of Zeus – one of the Seven Wonders of the World) at ancient Olympia where the Olympic torch is lit to this day, were sublime yet powerful experiences that I have persevered to capture with the photographs below. As well, the sylvan surroundings truly served to rejuvenate the mind, body, spirit and soul in anticipation of the New Year!
CLICK ON THE "PLAY" BUTTON TO VIEW A MUSICAL SLIDESHOW:
SANTORINI – The Jewel of the Greek Cyclades
Given my fascination with Venice that I consider the most romantic city/island on the face of the earth, Santorini was a pleasant and incredible surprise indeed. Santorini is arguably, the only island on earth with townships architected onto the craters of what has been an active volcano, comprising unique, picturesque and beautiful alabaster houses (adobes) with their elaborately embellished spiral stairways crafted onto a tiered superstructure, with cobbled and marbled pathways, that present an ethereal beauty and invoke a heady feeling of romance like no other place on this Planet, save Venice.
The photos below barely begin to do justice to the beauty, the romance and the sensuality of Santorini - the Jewel of the Greek Cyclades. Please experience this magnificient Mediterranean Shangri-La at least once in your lifetime – you will thank us for the unforgettable adventure!:-)
CLICK ON THE "PLAY" BUTTON TO VIEW A MUSICAL SLIDESHOW:
Efcharisto (thank you in Greek) and happy viewing!:-)
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Comments: Anonymous wrote: "Hi Andy, Loved your photo documentary of Greece - what beautiful pictures and a beautiful family.:-)
You are truly a "Renaissance Man" - keep it up!"
Cheers, Kate M, Palo Alto, California. March 19, 2008 4:12 PM
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Comments: Anonymous wrote: "Hi Andy, Loved your photo documentary of Greece - what beautiful pictures and a beautiful family.:-)
You are truly a "Renaissance Man" - keep it up!"
Cheers, Kate M, Palo Alto, California. March 19, 2008 4:12 PM
1 comment:
Hi Andy,
Loved your photo documentary of Greece - what beautiful pictures and a beautiful family.:-)
You are truly a Renaissance Man - keep it up!
Cheers, KM, Palo Alto, CA, USA
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