Show Navigation
Worldwide favorites All Galleries
Add to Cart Download

GREECE: favorites

26 images Created 10 Apr 2012

View Tom Dempsey's favorite images of Greece (in Europe): Enjoy whitewashed villages perched high above the Aegean Sea (part of the Mediterranean Sea) on the rim of the active volcano of Santorini island (Thira or Thera). Hike in Zagori, Vikos Gorge, Tymfi Massif, and the north Pindus mountains. See a triple arch stone bridge near Kipi. Admire icons of ancient Greece at the Acropolis (Parthenon, Erechtheion) and museums in Athens. The medieval Greek Orthodox Monasteries of Meteora have stood the tests of time perched atop impressive pinnacles. On the island of Crete, learn Minoan history at Knossos, hike Samaria Gorge, and enjoy wild aromatic herb gardens on the coast.

Loading ()...

  • Bell towers and blue-domed Greek Orthodox Churches grace the village of Oia on Santorini Island, an ancient volcanic caldera rim in the Aegean Sea, in Greece, Europe. After major destruction in a 1956 earthquate, Oia town was rebuilt as a multi level maze of fascinating whitewashed architecture. Published in PC Photo Magazine June 2002. Published in "Light Travel: Photography on the Go" book by Tom Dempsey 2009, 2010.
    01GRE-05-31_Belltower-Oia.jpg
  • A blue oar boat floats in the green Mediterranean Sea, at Loutro harbor, Crete, Greece, Europe. Published in "Light Travel: Photography on the Go" book by Tom Dempsey 2009, 2010.
    01GRE-23-20-boat-Loutro-Harbor-Crete.jpg
  • Visit Kalogeriko triple-arch stone bridge, 300 years old, near Kipi, in Zagoria, Epirus/Epiros, Greece, Europe. Zagori (Greek: ) is a region and a municipality in the Pindus mountains in northwestern Greece. Zagori contains 45 villages collectively known as Zagoria (Zagorochoria or Zagorohoria). Published in "Pindos: The National Park" (2010) by Alexander G. Tziolas, preface by Tom Dempsey et al, ISBN 978-960-98795-3-8.
    01GRE-37-30-Kalogeriko-triple-arch-b...jpg
  • Varlaam Monastery was founded on a rock pinnacle in 1517 AD at Meteora, Greece, Europe. Meteora (which means "suspended in the air") is a complex of six Eastern Orthodox Christian monasteries built by medieval monks on natural rock pillars near Kalambaka, in central Greece, Europe. The sandstone and conglomerate of Meteora were formed in the cone of a river delta estuary emerging into a sea about 60 million years ago, then later uplifted and eroded into pinnacles. The isolated monasteries of Meteora helped keep alive Greek Orthodox religious traditions and Hellenic culture during the turbulent Middle Ages and Ottoman Turk occupation of Greece (1453-1829). UNESCO honored Meteora as a World Heritage Site in 1988. Visit early in the morning and in the off season to avoid crowds.
    01GRE-44-06_Varlaam-Monastery-_rock-...jpg
  • Fantastic rock spires of Meteora rise above a blue house with red tile roof in Kastraki, near Kalambaka, in central Greece, Europe. Meteora (which means "suspended in the air") is a complex of six Eastern Orthodox Christian monasteries built by medieval monks on natural rock pillars near Kalambaka, in central Greece, Europe. The sandstone and conglomerate of Meteora were formed in the cone of a river delta estuary emerging into a sea about 60 million years ago, then later uplifted and eroded into pinnacles. The isolated monasteries of Meteora helped keep alive Greek Orthodox religious traditions and Hellenic culture during the turbulent Middle Ages and Ottoman Turk occupation of Greece (1453-1829). UNESCO honored Meteora as a World Heritage Site in 1988. Visit early in the morning and in the off season to avoid crowds. Published in "Light Travel: Photography on the Go" book by Tom Dempsey 2009, 2010.
    01GRE-41-35_Blue-house-Meteora-pinna...jpg
  • A metallic green Cetonia aurata (rose chafer or goldsmith beetle) crawls on a magenta/pink thistle in Aoos River Valley, in Vikos-Aoos National Park, Zagoria, Epirus/Epiros, Greece, Europe. Green and magenta hues are "complements" of Color Theory. Zagori (Greek: Ζαγόρι) is a region and a municipality in northwestern Greece containing 45 villages collectively known as Zagoria (Zagorochoria or Zagorohoria). Published in "Light Travel: Photography on the Go" book by Tom Dempsey 2009, 2010.
    01GRE-39-30_Beetle-thistle_Aoos-Vall...jpg
  • Caryatids support the southern portico of the Erechtheion, the most sacred sanctuary on the Acropolis, in Athens, Greece, Europe. The Erechtheion and the "Porch of the Maidens" was built entirely of marble between 421 and 406 BC. Between 1800 and 1803, one of the caryatids was removed by order of Lord Elgin to decorate his Scottish mansion, and was later sold to the British Museum in London (along with the pedimental and frieze sculpture taken from the Parthenon). Athenian legend had it that at night the remaining five Caryatids could be heard wailing for their lost sister. Elgin attempted to remove a second Caryatid; but when technical difficulties arose, he tried to have it sawn to pieces. The statue was smashed, and its fragments were left behind. It was later reconstructed haphazardly with cement and iron rods. In 1979, five original Caryatids (sculpted female figures serving as an architectural support) were moved to the Acropolis Museum in Athens and replaced in situ by exact replicas. The Acropolis of Athens and its monuments were honored as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.
    01GRE-27-01-PRINT-Erechtheion-Caryat...jpg
  • Varlaam Monastery was founded on a rock pinnacle in 1517 AD at Meteora, Greece, Europe. Meteora (which means "suspended in the air") is a complex of six Eastern Orthodox Christian monasteries built by medieval monks on natural rock pillars near Kalambaka, in central Greece, Europe. The sandstone and conglomerate of Meteora were formed in the cone of a river delta estuary emerging into a sea about 60 million years ago, then later uplifted and eroded into pinnacles. The isolated monasteries of Meteora helped keep alive Greek Orthodox religious traditions and Hellenic culture during the turbulent Middle Ages and Ottoman Turk occupation of Greece (1453-1829). UNESCO honored Meteora as a World Heritage Site in 1988. Visit early in the morning and in the off season to avoid crowds.
    01GRE-43-27_Varlaam-Monastery.jpg
  • Locked wood door, red wall, Santorini Island, Greece, Europe.
    01GRE-07-20.jpg
  • Trekkers ascend Vikos Gorge beneath Tymfi Massif in Vikos-Aoos National Park, north Pindus Mountains (Pindos or Pindhos), Zagoria, Epirus/Epiros, Greece, Europe. Vikos Gorge in northern Greece is the world's deepest canyon in proportion to its width, and at one point measures 2950 feet (900 meters) deep and 3600 feet (1100 meters) wide from rim to rim. Its depth is an impressive 82% of its width at that cross-section (depth/width ratio=0.82). Gorges in many countries have higher depth/width ratio, but none are as deep. The northeast wall of Vikos Gorge is Mount Tymfi (or Greek: , also transliterated Timfi, Tymphe, or Tymphi), near the 40 degree parallel. Tymfi forms a massif with its highest peak, Gamila, at 2497 meters (8192 feet), the sixth highest in Greece. Zagori (Greek: ) is a region and a municipality in the Pindus mountains in Epirus, in northwestern Greece. Zagori contains 45 villages collectively known as Zagoria (Zagorochoria or Zagorohoria). Published in Wilderness Travel Catalog of Adventures 2005. Published in "Pindos: The National Park" (2010) by Alexander G. Tziolas, preface by Tom Dempsey et al, ISBN 978-960-98795-3-8.
    01GRE-32-24_Vikos-Gorge_Tymfi-Massif.jpg
  • A sparkling green creek flows through Samaria Gorge in Samaria National Park, on the island of Crete, in Greece, Europe. The upper portions of the gorge are composed of Triassic limestone and dolomite, and the lower parts are of Jurassic limestone with layers of schist. Walk 16 km through the gorge starting at the plateau of Omalos (1227 meters elevation) down to Agia Roumeli village on the Mediterranean Sea, a beautiful coast accessible only by foot trail and ferry. Expect crowds of fellow hikers on this second most popular hike in Greece. The name Samaria is from its 14th-century church of Osia Maria (Holy Mary).
    01GRE-22-09_Samaria-Gorge-Crete.jpg
  • Tour boats moor in the harbor of active volcanic island Nea Kameni, in the southern Aegean Sea, Greece. The town of Fira perches on 700-foot-high volcanic cliffs on Santorini Island to escape summer heat and pirates of the past. Geologic and human history of Santorini: Humans first arrived around 3000 BC on this volcano known in ancient times as Thira (or Thera). The island was a volcanic cone with a circular shoreline until 1646 BC, when one of earths most violent explosions blasted ash all over the Mediterranean, sunk the center of the island, launched tidal waves, and may have ruined the Minoan civilization 70 miles away on Crete. Remarkably, volcanic ash dumped onto the volcanos flanks actually preserved the village of Akrotiri and its 3600-year-old frescoes from the Minoan era. These are some of the earliest known examples of world art history, which you can now view in museums. In 286 BC, the volcano split off Thirasia (Little Thira) Island (to the West). The volcano began rebuilding, and in 197 BC the small center islet of Palia Kameni appeared. In 1707 CE, lava started forming Nea Kameni, the larger center island which erupted as recently as 1956 and caused a huge earthquake (7.8 on the Richter scale) which destroyed most of the houses in the towns of Fira and Oia. Fira and Oia have since been rebuilt as multi-level mazes of fascinating whitewashed architecture, attracting tourists from around the world. Published in "Sparks", the newsletter for the Museum of Science, Boston February/March 2006.
    01GRE-10-32_boats-Santorini.jpg
  • National Archaeological Museum, Athens, Greece: a beautiful sculpture of Aphrodite, Eros, and Pan was found on Delos Island and dates from 100 BC. Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of  love, beauty, pleasure, sexuality, and procreation. She was born of Uranus, or else from parents Zeus and Dione. Her Roman equivalent was Venus. Aphrodite is also known as Cytherea (Lady of Cythera) and Cypris (Lady of Cyprus) after the two cult-sites which claimed her birth. Myrtles, doves, sparrows, horses, and swans are sacred to Aphrodite. Eros was the Greek god of love, whose Roman counterpart was Cupid ("desire"). Some myths make Eros a primordial god, while others say he is the son of Aphrodite. Pan, the companion of the nymphs, is the god of shepherds and flocks, nature, mountain wilds, hunting, rustic music, and theatrical criticism. Pan has the hindquarters, legs, and horns of a goat, like a faun or satyr. Pan's homeland of rustic Arcadia associates him with fields, groves, wooded glens, fertility, and the season of spring. In Roman religion and myth, Pan's counterpart was Faunus.
    01GRE-29-15_Aphrodite-Eros-Pan-sculp...jpg
  • Athens, Greece: old shuttered window, yellow wall
    01GRE-28-30_shuttered-window-yellow-...jpg
  • "A man with fishes" is copied small by modern artist Spanos from a Minoan era fresco (originally 53 inches high) dating from 1500 BC. Volcanic ash preserved ancient frescoes at Akrotiri on Santorini Island, Greece. Artists paint frescoes on wet plaster, which allows dyes to sink in for greater permanence, but requires the artist to paint much more quickly than on dry plaster. This affects the flow of line and style. Geologic and human history of Santorini: Humans first arrived around 3000 BC on this volcano known in ancient times as Thira (or Thera). The island was a volcanic cone with a circular shoreline until 1646 BC, when one of earths most violent explosions blasted ash all over the Mediterranean, sunk the center of the island, launched tidal waves, and may have ruined the Minoan civilization 70 miles away on Crete. Remarkably, volcanic ash dumped onto the volcanos flanks actually preserved the village of Akrotiri and its 3600-year-old frescoes from the Minoan era. These are some of the earliest known examples of world art history, which you can now view in museums. In 286 BC, the volcano split off Thirasia (Little Thira) Island (to the West). The volcano began rebuilding, and in 197 BC the small center islet of Palia Kameni appeared. In 1707 CE, lava started forming Nea Kameni, the larger center island which erupted as recently as 1956 and caused a huge earthquake (7.8 on the Richter scale) which destroyed most of the houses in the towns of Fira and Oia. Fira and Oia have since been rebuilt as multi-level mazes of fascinating whitewashed architecture, attracting tourists from around the world.
    01GRE-16-10_Akrotiri-man-fishes-fres...jpg
  • On the flanks of Mt. Smolikas (2637 meters / 8649 feet), the second highest mountain in Greece, see the north Pindus Mountains (Pindos or Pindhos) to the southwest, including Tymfi Massif and Mt. Gamila, in Zagori, Epiros/Epirus Region. Although rarely seen, wild bears and wolves still roam Mount Smolikas, one of the wildest places left in Europe. Rental cars, public buses and tours can take you to this area of Zagoria from the local capital of Ioannina. People of every skill level can walk the wild trails, scramble, or climb rocks here. The non-technical ascent of Mt. Smolikas requires a full day round trip. Zagori (Greek: ) is a region and a municipality containing 45 villages collectively known as Zagoria (Zagorochoria or Zagorohoria). Photographed May 23, 2001. Published in National Geographic Traveler Guidebook for Greece 2007. Published in "Pindos: The National Park" (2010) by Alexander G. Tziolas, preface by Tom Dempsey et al, ISBN 978-960-98795-3-8.
    01GRE-40-08_Tymfi-Massif_Zagoria.jpg
  • Stay in a pension under the impressive Tymfi Massif, in Vikos village, Zagoria, north Pindus Mountains (Pindos or Pindhos), Epirus/Epiros, Greece, Europe. The northeast wall of Vikos Gorge is Mount Tymfi (or Greek: , also transliterated Timfi, Tymphe, or Tymphi), near the 40 degree parallel. Tymfi forms a massif with its highest peak, Gamila, at 2497 meters (8192 feet), the sixth highest in Greece. Vikos Gorge in northern Greece is the world's deepest canyon in proportion to its width, and at one point measures 2950 feet (900 meters) deep and 3600 feet (1100 meters) wide from rim to rim. Its depth is an impressive 82% of its width at that cross-section (depth/width ratio=0.82). Gorges in many countries have higher depth/width ratio, but none are as deep. Zagori (Greek: ) is a region and a municipality in the Pindus mountains in Epirus, in northwestern Greece. Zagori contains 45 villages collectively known as Zagoria (Zagorochoria or Zagorohoria).
    01GRE-32-35_Vikos-hotel_Tymfi-Massif.jpg
  • The Parthenon was first built from 447-438 BC, using Pentelic marble plus a wooden roof. Scaffolding and crane in 2001 support reconstruction for the 2004 Olympics, in Athens, Greece, Europe. The Parthenon is the largest Doric-column temple ever completed in Greece. It was designed as a treasury for tribute money moved from Delos Island and was dedicated to the worship of Athena. A huge, 12-meter tall statue of Athina Polias was placed in 432 BC. The treasury stored money from the Delian League, which later became the Athenian Empire. In the 400s AD, the Parthenon was converted into a Christian church dedicated to the Virgin Mary. After the Ottoman conquest, it was turned into a mosque with added minaret in the early 1460s. In 1687, an Ottoman ammunition dump inside the building was ignited by Venetian bombardment. The resulting explosion severely damaged the Parthenon and its sculptures. In 1806, Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin removed some of the surviving sculptures, with the Ottoman Turks' permission. These sculptures, now known as the Elgin Marbles or the Parthenon Marbles, were sold in 1816 to the British Museum in London, where they are now displayed. Greece wants them back. The Acropolis of Athens and its monuments were honored as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.
    01GRE-27-35_Parthenon-rebuilding.jpg
  • Thirasia Island (or Therasia), Santorini, Greece: arched cyan blue door with glass windows.
    01GRE-12-08_Arched-blue-doors-window...jpg
  • The Erechtheion (left) and Parthenon (right) sit prominently on the Acropolis in Athens, Greece, Europe. The Parthenon was first built from 447-438 BC, using Pentelic marble plus a wooden roof. The Parthenon is the largest Doric-column temple ever completed in Greece. It was designed as a treasury for tribute money moved from Delos Island and was dedicated to the worship of Athena. A huge, 12-meter tall statue of Athena Polias was placed in 432 BC. The Erechtheion, built entirely of marble in 421-406 BC, is the most sacred sanctuary on the Acropolis. The Acropolis of Athens and its monuments were honored as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.
    01GRE-30-06_Acropolis-Athens.jpg
  • Three oar boats moor in emerald water at Thirasia Island (or Therasia), Greece.
    01GRE-11-02_Three-docked-oar-boats-T...jpg
  • A grape vine grows across doors and windows of an old cracking stucco house in Kastraki, Meteora, Greece, Europe.
    01GRE-41-36_Old_house-doors-windows-...jpg
  • Loutro harbor, Crete, Greece: The only access to Loutro is by foot, ferry, or private boat on the Mediterranean Sea. Hikers exploring the rugged coast smell a rich fragrance of wild herbs.
    01GRE-24-10_hikers-harbor-ferry_Lout...jpg
  • Oia, Santorini Island, Greece: colorful red, yellow, and blue shop with porch.
    01GRE-03-38_Colorful-shop-Oia-Santor...jpg
  • Saint Nicholas Anapafsa Monastery (Agio Nikolaou Anapafsa) was built in the 1500s on a rock pinnacle at Meteora, Greece, Europe. Meteora (which means "suspended in the air") is a complex of six Eastern Orthodox Christian monasteries built by medieval monks on natural rock pillars near Kalambaka, in central Greece, Europe. The sandstone and conglomerate of Meteora were formed in the cone of a river delta estuary emerging into a sea about 60 million years ago, then later uplifted and eroded into pinnacles. The isolated monasteries of Meteora helped keep alive Greek Orthodox religious traditions and Hellenic culture during the turbulent Middle Ages and Ottoman Turk occupation of Greece (1453-1829). UNESCO honored Meteora as a World Heritage Site in 1988. Visit early in the morning and in the off season to avoid crowds.
    01GRE-44-09_Anapafsa-Monastery.jpg
  • Bell towers and blue-domed Greek Orthodox Churches grace the village of Oia on Santorini Island, an ancient volcanic caldera rim in the Aegean Sea, in Greece, Europe. Woven rugs bask in sunshine. Geologic and human history of Santorini: Humans first arrived around 3000 BC on this volcano known in ancient times as Thira (or Thera). The island was a volcanic cone with a circular shoreline until 1646 BC, when one of earths most violent explosions blasted ash all over the Mediterranean, sunk the center of the island, launched tidal waves, and may have ruined the Minoan civilization 70 miles away on Crete. Remarkably, volcanic ash dumped onto the volcanos flanks actually preserved the village of Akrotiri and its 3600-year-old frescoes from the Minoan era. These are some of the earliest known examples of world art history, which you can now view in museums. In 286 BC, the volcano split off Thirasia (Little Thira) Island (to the West). The volcano began rebuilding, and in 197 BC the small center islet of Palia Kameni appeared. In 1707 CE, lava started forming Nea Kameni, the larger center island which erupted as recently as 1956 and caused a huge earthquake (7.8 on the Richter scale) which destroyed most of the houses in the towns of Fira and Oia. Fira and Oia have since been rebuilt as multi-level mazes of fascinating whitewashed architecture, attracting tourists from around the world.
    01GRE-06-32_Oia-churches-rugs.jpg
View: 100 | All
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
x

Portfolio of Tom Dempsey / PhotoSeek.com

  • Portfolio
  • BLOG | PhotoSeek HOME
  • ALL IMAGES + captions
    • Worldwide favorites
    • ALL GALLERIES
    • CART
    • Lightbox
  • SEARCH
  • ABOUT
  • How to buy my images
  • Camera reviews + sales