destination by sunset (part four)

I finally made it to the end of the town of Oia on the island of Santorini, where if I wanted to walk much further, I would have needed to learn how to walk on water, as I was overlooking the vast blue seas to the east.

scenes on my way to Oia

From the end of Oia, I was able to turn around and look back to see where I had been during my daylong journey through one of my favorite places that I have ever traveled to. I was able to see my starting point, the town of Fira, and the curvature of the island that I followed to reach my destination by sunset.

During my glances back, I felt like I was looking at the famous scenes of Santorini that I had just experienced in the wonderful, diverse artwork.

looking back from Oia

During the cooler evening air, I searched and found the best seat in the house, so that I could finally watch what my goal of getting to my destination by sunset was all about, and what Santorini is famous for – the sunset itself. I sat for over an hour watching the sky as it faded from the blue of the day, to the oranges and reds of the sunset, to the darker star-filled nighttime sky. The sunset was breathtakingly beautiful, and now I know why so many people flock to this area for this experience.

other Santorini scenes with churches

I focused on taking pictures of one specific cross on the top of a church overlooking the water, using up the last of the film that I had brought with me.

When the show was complete, I did not want to walk all the way back to Fira in the dark. I opted to take a bus back, and during the half-hour ride, I reflected on my day as I watched the places that I had walked through go by my window.

I thought about the blue domes and the pastel colors of the churches; I thought about the church bells and the steeples; I thought about walking on the rooftops; I thought about the whitewashed homes; I thought about the blue seas and the blue skies; I thought about the zigzagging of the cobblestone, the paths, the trails, and the roads; I thought about the layering effect of the hillside towns; I thought about the “summits”; I thought about the wildflowers and the views; I thought about the local Greek food; and I thought about the expertise and sheer talent of the artwork.

I was glad that I brought my hat, sunscreen, water bottle, snacks, and sunglasses with me on that day. I was especially thankful that I brought my camera and all that extra film! And I was truly delighted that I reached my destination by sunset…

Sweet Travels!

All photos taken by Debby.

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As I approached the middle of my journey on the island of Santorini, with the glorious 80 degree weather still apparent; still outfitted with a hat, sunscreen, and sunglasses; still carrying a water bottle that had been refilled several times, although the snacks that I had were gone; my camera fortunately still working; and although my supply of film was dwindling, I still had plenty left, I found myself on what I called the “summits of Santorini.”

Two hills, strewn with wildflowers and spectacular views. I felt like this was the “hiking” part of my walk as not only did some of the paved and cobblestoned roads that I had been walking on turn into a rocky trail, but also, I had reached the highest vantage points of my day. From here, I was able to see the curvature of the island of Santorini; I could look back at where I had been, Fira; and I could see ahead to where I was going, Oia, my destination by sunset.

a “summit” marker; where I had been, and where I was going

wildflowers, spectacular views, and the curvature of the island

churches on the hillsides near the summits

A couple of times throughout my day, especially because those snacks I had with me had been eaten, I stopped to dine on some local Greek food to sustain me. Yum! There is nothing like the combination of eating the local food while looking at local scenery of this beautiful island!

After most of my day had passed, I arrived at the town of Oia, almost attaining my goal of reaching my final destination by sunset. I wandered slowly through the town, glancing into several shops to see what the locals were selling. There were many souvenir shops, some music shops, and lots of art shops. It was these local art shops that I found to be fabulous.

The theme of the wonderful artwork that I was looking at was mostly the same – the amazing scenes of Santorini with the whitewashed homes; the blue splashes of color of the church domes, the seas, and the skies; along with the occasional pastel colors of some buildings. But the mediums used to create the artwork, as well as the artistic styles, varied widely, from paintings of watercolors or oils, to postcards, to sculptures. The diversity of this artwork was just as beautiful as the scenery itself!

samples of the diversity of Santorini artwork

One of my favorite mediums for the Santorini scenes were paintings that were actually made out of pieces of earth, including the volcanic rock that the island itself is made of. These paintings looked three-dimensional, and really impressed me, with their earthy tones and depth. I called this local “earth art.”

local “earth art”

During my meandering around Oia, ironically, I then came across this building that looked to me like this “earth art” that I had just seen in the local shops. I took my own “artistic” picture for comparison.

my “earth art”

Earlier in my day, I even had a wonderful opportunity to stop and watch an artist at work creating his paintings of the very towns that I had been walking through. Such expertise and concentration!

artist at work

Please read my final blog for more about my Santorini journey, including more photos, as I finally reach my destination by sunset.

Sweet Travels!

All photos taken by Debby.

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I continued my journey on the island of Santorini, still experiencing the glorious 80 degree weather, and still armed with a hat, sunscreen, sunglasses, an almost-empty water bottle, half-eaten snacks, my camera, and fortunately plenty of film still left (although lots of photos had already been taken). As I walked, not only did the churches of Santorini catch my eye (see my blog, part one), but I also noticed the layout, namely the way that the buildings and streets were arranged, of the hillside towns that I was walking through between Fira and Oia.

This arrangement made it easy and fun to explore. The streets themselves varied from being paved or cobblestone narrow streets and paths, to rocky trails, to roads that were wide enough for cars. Many of those narrower streets were organized in such a way as to make it seem as if I were wandering through a maze, zigzagging around and through and over and under the homes and churches, allowing for many options of which direction I could travel.

Narrow Path and Rocky Trail

Not only did the layout of the towns give me plenty of choices for exploration, but also because the towns were built on hills, there was this layering effect of the homes and churches. As I would walk on one street, not only were there buildings next to me at my level, but there was also a layer just above me, and a layer just below me.

And because of this layering effect, there were actually a couple of times when I was able to walk right from my layer right up on the top of the roofs of some churches of the layer just below me. I’m not really sure if I was supposed to do this or not, but it allowed me to walk right up to the steeples and church bells to see them up close! I loved that! And it made for some fun and artistic photos.

Church Bells and Steeples from the Roof Tops

These walking-on-the-rooftop experiences not only made for great views of the architecture of the churches, but also gave me fabulous landscapes right through the steeples of the churches to other Greek islands, and to the blue skies and blue seas beyond and below.

Greek Islands and Blue Skies and Blue Seas Beyond

Blue Seas and Boats Below

Good thing I had that extra film with me!

Please read my next blogs for more about my journey, including more photos, to my destination by sunset.

Sweet Travels!

All photos taken by Debby.

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At 700 feet above sea level, and temperatures around a glorious 80 degrees, with a hat on my head and sunscreen on my skin, I set out for my day’s journey. Armed with a water bottle in one hand, and a camera in the other, I had a snack and sunglasses in my pocket, and extra film ready to be used at a moment’s notice. I knew that the shoes on my feet would let me walk on the variety of terrain that I would be encountering. My goal was to get to my destination by sunset!

Well, ok, this wasn’t some epic hike to the top of a mountain, or across some sandy, hot desert. But it was to be a walk of beautiful scenery, some adventure, and a mission to witness one of the most breathtaking sunsets in the world. During my day, I would be wandering through several small towns, amongst the local whitewashed homes. The blue domes and pastel colors of the churches and other buildings would add color to my excursion.

I would have opportunities to walk on the rooftops of local churches, where I would see the church bells, domes and steeples up close. The vast blue seas below, and the wide blue skies above, would fill my background. I would even be able to shop in local stores along the way, eat local food, and watch local artists create paintings and other forms of art of the very towns that I was walking through.

Santorini, one of the many picturesque islands in Greece is where I was; where I took this spectacular day-walk from the town of Fira in the middle of the island, through small towns built on hillsides, to the town of Oia on the north end. It can be a three-hour walk, but I took all day, because I wanted to take my time and really experience the splendor of the island.

My Santorini journey has made it to the top of my list as far as one of my favorite places that I have ever traveled. (Along with Venice and The Cinque Terre in Italy. See previous blogs.) From the very first steps of my walk, I was in awe of the scenic architecture, churches, homes, seas and skies surrounding me. It looked very much like the pictures of Santorini that I had seen in brochures and postcards, but it was much better in person!

I shall now take you on a photojourney of my day in Santorini. It was a good thing that I took all that extra film with me, as photo opps were definitely available at a moment’s notice!

The churches of Santorini, from the very beginning of my day-walk to the very end, were the biggest subject of my photos. I became completely entranced with the architecture and sheer elegance of these structures. With their blue domes and other pastel colors; with their various shapes and sizes; with their church bells and steeples; with their spirituality. I wanted to take pictures of every single one of them. And I practically did. Many of the pictures I took were of the fronts of these churches.

Some of the more artistic pictures I took were of the church bells and steeples up close. Notice the blue dome and cross in the background of these photos.

The famous Santorini blue domes are the subjects of these photos.

Notice the shadows in these more creative pictures that I took.

Or how about a close up of the colorful door and windows of this church.

And one of my favorite photos…four church domes and steeples in one photo!

Please read my next blogs for more about my journey, including more photos, to my destination by sunset.

Sweet Travels!

All photos taken by Debby.

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I think I am realizing that I am living my life “in the moment.” I’m not really thinking about later today or tomorrow or next week, let alone next month. In fact, the past few days of my trip, like today, I don’t even know where I will sleep tonight or what I will be doing tomorrow. But, I’m not worried. I’m not scared. I’m not concerned. I know something will come up and I will be taken care of. Trust. Faith. Luck. Worst case is I will have to sleep in the street tonight, and do nothing tomorrow, which I am sure won’t happen…

This has been a “life changing” trip for me, in the sense that instead of being organized and knowing where I would be every moment, such as I had planned on my Alaska and New Zealand trips, that instead, for nearly five months, I was just spontaneous most of the time, not really knowing where I was going the next day, or where I would be sleeping the next night, and many times, not even knowing what I would be doing a few hours later. It has been great to live like this! The freedom and flexibility. Spontaneity at its finest…

These are two paragraphs from my journals that I had written at different times during my five-month solo European journey back in 2004. The first paragraph was written very early on in my trip, during my second week; the second paragraph was written during my fourth month. Reading these two paragraphs today, brings back thousands of memories, and gets me filled with the excitement that I felt back then. Man, what a great feelings I had during those five months – the spontaneity; the freedom. The exhilaration of being able to decide at any given moment where I wanted to go next, and what I wanted to do!

You see, prior to my Europe trip, as I alluded to in the second paragraph above, I was completely organized in my travel planning. For the Alaska and New Zealand trips (both approximately two-week trips), I had made myself itineraries, knowing exactly where I was going to be on any given day. I planned; I reserved places to stay; I booked things to do; I made lists. About the only thing that wasn’t so predetermined was where I would eat. Now granted, for these particular trips, I enjoyed this type of pre-planning. And, I needed to do this type of arranging considering the short amount of time that I had in those places. And believe me, because of all this preparation, both of my Alaska and New Zealand journeys were fantastic!!

But, something was different about having five-months time. It was too much time to plan out day-by-day. It would have been near impossible to make about 150 hostel reservations, or make sure that I didn’t miss a train, or know exactly when I wanted to visit each museum, or see each sight. Yes, I had done quite a bit of pre-planning for this Europe trip, such as picking out what countries I wanted to visit, and what cities, and what I wanted to do in each city. In fact, I did a lot of research prior to this trip. I read books, many books, highlighting and writing down the places of interest that I wanted to see; I attended travel lectures about places to visit; I looked on the Internet; I talked to people who had already been. I even had a map where I circled in pink all the general places I wanted to go, and I wrote a list of the general direction of travel, including the order of the countries, that I wanted to take. I was organized…but as it turns out, only to a point. There was no way that I could plan out day-to-day; and before I knew it, even my general direction of travel got all turned around.

My “Planning” Map

The first week of my travels, I did stick to my original plan. This was because I had made a few flight and hostel reservations that I had to stick with. But after that, the rest of my well-thought out planning mostly just went up in the air. I began realizing the joy of being spontaneous; the fun I was having just winging it; the amazing experiences I encountered when I just happened upon something that I was not planning on. Sometimes I realized that I wanted to spend more time in one place than originally thought; sometimes, I realized that something I thought sounded interesting to me before I left, no longer had its appeal; sometimes something else would happen to me that just changed my course and direction for the day, or for the next few days.

Now this is all not to say that the pre-planning I did was worthless; in fact, it made my spontaneity all that much better because at least I had a sense of the places I wanted to go, and the things I wanted to do, so that became my base. But the order in which I did them was completely changed. And after all was said and done, I found that some of the places I originally thought I would get to, I never did; but conversely, I got to many places that I did want to; and on top of that, I had thousands of experiences that no planning could allow for.

What is interesting about me is that for most of my life, I had been the planning-type (as evidenced by my Alaska and New Zealand adventures). I wanted to know where I was going, what I was doing, and to be sure that I had a place to sleep. I had always been a very organized person, paying attention to all the details, and really thinking things through. (I sound like I am writing a resume.) But during my European journey, a new part of my personality emerged. A part of me that just threw caution to the wind. A part of me that was traveling by the seat of my pants. A part of me that was living in the moment. A part of me that had faith and trust that it would all work out. A new-and-improved me!!

And the best part about everything is that fortunately luck was on my side during my five month solo European journey, and knock on wood, I never had to sleep in the street, and I always had something to do tomorrow…

Sweet Travels!

I will say, however, that the planner in me returned when I went on my journey around the Baltic Sea.

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I’m not quite sure how this collection began. I’m not quite sure why it began. I’m not quite sure when and where it began. But somehow during my travels, I started to collect what I call “junk” jewelry. Actually, maybe it began because I wanted some small souvenirs from my travels that would fit in my backpack, without taking up a lot of space or weighing much. And, well, this stuff didn’t even need to fit in my backpack; instead I just wore it on a finger, a wrist, or around my neck.

Since I started this collection, I haven’t stopped, and now I try to buy some memory that I can wear from everywhere I travel. Sometimes it has been one piece of jewelry representing an entire country. Other times, I have collected something in each city that I was visiting during a particular trip. I must say that it actually has become quite fun to shop around for my perfect piece of “junk” jewelry.

When I look at my collection now, sometimes I wonder just what I was thinking when I bought something, as there were times when I must have picked the gaudiest item around. Like the big dark pink bracelet I bought in Venice, Italy – although, it does have its own appeal. Or the gold-wire-looped ring I bought in some other European city. On the other hand (no pun intended), I have also purchased other pieces that are actually really quite nice.

The most exquisite piece I bought was in Paris. Prior to my trip, my sister had shopped at a store, called Metal Pointu’s, that sells unique jewelry made out of metal. I purchased a bracelet that is truly a conversation piece. Ironically, my sister had purchased the matching ring years earlier, and when I returned home, she gave me her ring, so now I have a complete set! (Thanks, sis.)

I try to buy my jewelry mostly at local outdoor markets, flea markets, festivals or fairs, in order to get something locally made, individually made, and handcrafted by a local artist. One of my favorite pieces was purchased in Copenhagen at an outdoor Art Market. This bracelet was hand-made using stones and reed from the Amazon, and I love it! Truly a sample of art.

Here are some other “junk” jewelry stories: When I was living in Australia, I actually made my own matching pink bracelet and necklace set. I bought pieces made out of amber in the Baltic Sea. (Please read a previous blog about this.) I purchased a ring made out of wood, specifically Siberian Birch, which I bought at a local festival in my own neighborhood. The purple-beaded, bent-metal bracelet came from an outdoor market in Brussels, which is another piece that I consider a sample of art. Finally, the necklace with the red stones was given to me by a special stranger, while I was in Cappadocia, Turkey. (Again, please read a previous blog about this.)

All in all, whether I purchased some jewelry that was truly “junk,” whether it is something really nice to wear, whether I consider the piece to be a sample of art, or whether the piece is for sentimental value, I must say that collecting “junk” jewelry while I travel is a fun way to not only shop, but also a great way to experience the local flavor of a city, a country, a store or market, and a local artist.

Collecting “junk” jewelry is a great way to have a small souvenir that doesn’t even need to fit into a backpack, and brings back many memories each time I wear something.

Sweet Travels!

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It was a quiet and peaceful morning. The sun had just begun to rise. There was a slight crispness in the air, but you could tell that as the day approached, it would get warmer. I decided to get up early this one particular morning; before the planned activities of the day were to begin; before all of the other tourist awoke. I wanted to experience the early morning life of the locals; to observe them in their daily activities, living their lives. I wanted to explore life in a floating fishing village.

A floating fishing village is just that…a village of people who fish for a living, with their homes all built on floating wooden planks on the water. This village that I wanted to explore was on Cat Ba Island of Halong Bay, in Vietnam. The population of this village was 1,000. The homes were small on these floating wooden planks – about the size of an average living room, but comprised of a bedroom, a kitchen, and a bathroom for each family. The planks themselves were just wide enough to support the homes, and to allow room for the villagers to walk around. Around the homes, the planks extended out in order to allow fishing nets to drape over rectangular shaped holes in the water where fish were gathered. These holes held a lot of fish.

I wanted to experience this floating fishing village via a boat. Not just any boat, not a motorized boat, not a sail boat, not a yacht; but a tiny wooden boat, powered by oars – the oars powered by a local Vietnamese woman. A small, but strong, woman. She paddled and maneuvered these oars of the wooden boat in between the homes, and around the fishing holes, and through this floating fishing village with ease.

I saw the local people catching fish in this early quiet morning; I saw them feeding larger fish with smaller fish, carrying fish in baskets, cleaning and rinsing fish, transporting the fish via wooden boats, chopping fish, cooking fish, and preparing fish to be sold. I smelled the aroma of the fish being cooked. These activities were done by both men and women, who waived a friendly wave to me as I was being taken around in a woman-powered boat. The children would run out of their homes as I floated by, and in their best English, they would say to me, “Hallo. What is your name?”

The woman taking me on this exquisite private tour would point out things for me to observe. I would smile at her after seeing the sights, in order to thank her, and she would smile back. She had a beautiful smile, warm, friendly, and full of wisdom and strength.

As I was watching the local life, with all the fishing activity, and the other movements of the early morning, I chose not to take any photos, except for one. I just wanted to observe, to sense, to feel what it was all about. It was all about making a living, living life, supporting a family and a community. It was about joy and happiness. It was about peace and harmony.

I was not only intrigued by this floating fishing village, but also by the woman who paddled the wooden boat around for more than an hour. She had something that attracted me to watch her. She seemed strong. Physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Her physical strength was evident, as she rowed the boat with little effort, using her entire upper body to paddle, bending at the waist, sometimes standing up to get more control when going through a small area that required some maneuvering. Her emotional and spiritual strength showed through her great smile and kind eyes.

When my tour was all over, the woman brought me back to the rocky shore. She took my hand in order support me so that I would not slip as I exited the boat onto the slippery rocks. It was truly then that I felt not only her physical strength through her grip, but her emotional and spiritual strength also radiated through, through that grip and through that smile.

The one and only picture of my whole experience in this floating fishing village was of this woman…it is a picture that I hope reflects the strength of a woman…

Sweet Travels!

The photo of the fishing village itself was taken the previous day.

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priceless experiences and memories of a journey in Iceland with my youngest sister… this is the final blog describing some of the adventures, along with photos, of a time when two sisters, who are 15 years apart in age, who had never traveled together before as adults, met in a far remote corner of the world to explore together…

—Driving around on Snaefell Peninsula, with Snaefellsjokull, a glacier-covered mountain on one side of us, the farmland surrounding us, and the Atlantic Ocean to the other side of us.

—Seeing my sister take photos of our priceless memories.

—Saying how lucky we were that the weather we had mostly cooperated, giving us warm, sunny days.
—Piling rocks on a cairn during a walk through a volcanic landscape, to give us good luck.

—Seeing the scrunch on our faces as we got a whiff of the rotten-egg smell of the sulfur of volcanic activity, seeing the colors of an area that looks like Yellowstone, and making shadows against those colors.

—Experimenting with Icelandic food, such as lamb soup, hot spring bread with smoked trout, and salted cod. Yum!
—Standing near the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, over-looking a crack in the Earth.

—Seeing Iceland (which is more green than ice), from the air, as we took a flight from Reykjavik to Lake Mývatn.
—Looking at old Icelandic memorabilia, and old-style homes (some with grass on their roofs), at a couple of museums, including an open-air museum.

—Exploring and walking around a small crater lake at Kerio Explosion Crater.
—Seeing geysers spout warm water into the air, and then feeling the “rain” from it getting us wet.
—And finally, hearing my younger sister say, ‘”this is wonderful. I’m so glad we did this,” with crampons on our feet and ice axes in our hands, as we walked on a huge glacier, with its white ice and black volcanic rock, surrounded by brown and grassy landscape, with the Atlantic Ocean looming in the distance. Oh, and then trying our skills at ice climbing!

—And don’t forget to look back at the first blog with a photo of two sisters playing on swings…

Sweet Travels!

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it was worth every penny…that trip that I made to Iceland with my youngest sister…the trip where, due to our 15-year age difference, we had never really had the opportunity to travel before together…the trip where we bonded, agreed, and laughed…the trip that was expensive, yet priceless…

In my travel journal, I kept a list of the activities that my sister and I did when we were in Iceland. Some of the items on the list are typical tourist activities; other items describe the Icelandic landscape; other items are just things that we experienced together, as sisters, exploring and having fun. I’d like to share some of the items on that list, in random order, along with photos for the visual impact, to get an idea of what happens when two sisters meet in a far remote corner of the world.

—Soaking and relaxing (and playing) in the heat of the sulfuric water of the Blue Lagoon geothermal spa and hot springs, only hours after my sister arrived in Iceland.

—Sitting on a black rock/sand beach overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, somewhere on the Snæfell Peninsula, as we drove ourselves around.

—Putting our feet in hot water in a cave near Lake Mývatn. (Note the feet theme…)

—Sitting in a natural hot springs river, out in the middle of vast lava fields, of black rock covered with green moss, while it was raining out, near Hjálparfoss waterfall.

—Looking at several waterfalls throughout Iceland, many with rainbows, plummeting lots of cold water from melting glaciers, and hearing my sister say how ´beautiful´ it was, as we walked behind one of these waterfalls.

—Riding through the countryside of shrubbery and meadows near Geysir, on Icelandic horses.

—Looking at lighthouses on the coast, small community churches, and red roofed homes on green farmland, in various areas of Iceland, including during our drive around the Snæfell Peninsula.



—Watching Arctic Tern encircling our car, almost like in a bad movie.

—Overlooking the city of Reykjavík, with its colorful-roofed homes, from the bell tower of Reykjavík Cathedral.

—Seeing a red/orange sunset over the Atlantic Ocean at 11pm at night; and waking up at 2am, while sleeping in our tents, noticing that it was still light outside.

—Blowing on dandelion flowers and making wishes.

As you can see, this trip was quite special for both of us. Stay tuned for another blog with more photos of these priceless experiences and memories.

Sweet Travels!

arctic tern photo from Wikipedia

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This is part one in a series of blogs of what happens when two sisters, who are 15 years apart in age, who have never lived together, nor traveled together before as adults, meet in a far remote corner of the world to explore together. It is somewhat like a MasterCard commercial:

Me and My Sister in Iceland

Flights to Iceland: Expensive, at least for me, as my sister was already in traveling in Europe.

Car rental to get around parts of Iceland: Expensive, compared to rental car rates in the United States.

Gas for car rental: Even more that the rising gas prices of the United States. (Although that was a few years ago, so now-a-days, who knows…)

Guided tour excursions of other parts of Iceland: Expensive, but worth it because from them my sister and I learned a lot about the country, and we were able to go to places, and see things, that we could not get to with the rental car.

Hostels or guesthouses, mostly in Reykjavik: More reasonable than hotels, as my sister and I slept in a tent some of the nights.

Food in Iceland: Unbelievably expensive, but delicious.

Experiences and memories of two sisters traveling together in Iceland: Priceless…

Tents and Cars in Iceland with my Sister

For me, the journey with my youngest sister was like a MasterCard commercial. Yes, Iceland was expensive, but it was also priceless. Not only did the actual experiences my sister and I had, and the things we saw together, make the trip priceless, but it was also about spending the time with my youngest sister, bonding, getting to know each other, laughing, and having fun together. It was about seeing the expressions on my sister’s face, witnessing her reactions, hearing her comments, and being playful, curious, and adventurous together. What was also priceless was that even with our age difference and the fact that this was our first time traveling together, we got along beautifully: we had the same travel styles; we agreed on what we wanted to do and see; we even agreed on what we wanted to eat, where we wanted to sleep, and how we got to places around Iceland. We had a fabulous time together, and I would travel with her again in a heartbeat.

Playing with my Sister

The experiences and memories of traveling with my youngest sister are, for me, truly priceless…

Please read future blogs for some of the priceless experiences that my sister and I had while we were in Iceland.

Sweet Travels!

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