Postcards From Greece Photography - M1key - Michal Huniewicz

This is Santorini, the only Greek island I went to. Santorini was created in a volcanic explosion, and here you can see its crescent shape. Prior to the explosion (which took place sometime before 1600 BCE) it was a single island; now it is an archipelago of several small islands.

The main island of the Santorini archipelago is also called Santorini. The total area of the island is 73 km² (whereas the total area of the archipelago is 90 km²).

Too big to be a donkey, too small to be a horse; I'm assuming these are mules. On the road to the highest point of Santorini.

This Santorini lighthouse was constructed in 1892 and is now remotely controlled. It used to use fuel for the light, now it uses electricity.

This is my tripod, posing for the picture.

There are plenty of such abandoned windmills on the island. On the right hand side, the highest point of Santorini.

This is an Orthodox church in Athens.

This is the Acropolis Museum, and on the left hand side you can see the Parthenon.

Taken at night on the Leoforos Syngrou street. On the right hand side is what probably used to be an entrance to the Temple of Olympian Zeus. Its construction began in the 6th century BC during the rule of the Athenian tyrants, but was only finished by the Romans under the Emperor Hadrian, whom we met in my Jerusalem gallery.

This is the first building erected specifically for the revival of the Olympic Games in the modern world, opened in 1888. Its benefactor, Evangelis Zappas, did not live long enough to see the completion. His head is now buried underneath his statue (seen on the right hand side).

Speaking of erections, here's a statue of a satyr. Satyrs acquired their goat-like aspect through later Roman conflation with Faunus. They were associated with fertility, as you can see.

This is my friend, Khen of ancient beauty, whom we met in my Middle East, Assorted gallery, and who was my genial companion and proud tripod bearer for the trip.

Mount Lycabettus, visible in the distance, is the highest point of Athens (277m above sea level), and there's a cable car to take you all the way up.

Parthenon is a temple dedicated to the Greek Goddess Athena. Its construction began in 447 BC and ended in 432 BC. It was much later turned into a church, then into a mosque. In the Ottoman period ammunition was stored there, and during a Venetian bombardment it exploded, causing severe damage. Some of the surviving sculptures were taken to the British Museum where they are to this day, even though the Greek government has been trying to get them back since 1983.
It is now being partially restored. If you are wondering what it might look like when it's finished, google Parthenon in Nashville, where a full scale replica is.

This is the Panathinaiko Stadium. It hosted the first modern Olympic Games in 1896. It was reconstructed from the remains of ancient Greek stadium.

Back then, 150 BCE, it could host 80,000 spectators. Today it's 45,000.

This is, presumably, the athletes' entrance to the stadium.

This is the view from my hotel. The island on the right is where the volcano is. The part of cliff sticking out into the lagoon is where I decided to go on my last evening in Santorini. I didn't take my phone, I was hungry, but I went there anyway, and almost did not come back after falling inside a volcanic tunnel and sliding down to the edge of the cliff. I still have scars on my hands after pushing them into the gravel surface, trying to break. Stupidity at its best!

But I survived, proving once again that stupidity is not at all dangerous. I could then take this picture. It got cold and windy though, and I didn't make it to the very tip of the cliff sticking out into the sea, as this volcanic rock was very soft, and everything was breaking off and falling many metres down.

The island of Thirasia visible on the left hand side. This picture was taken in Fira, where I stayed.

Fira is the principal city of Santorini.

A dog, in Santorini.

Clouds over Santorini.

Those are NATO ships from different countries, if I'm not mistaken.

Santorini is full of churches, they are everywhere, over 250 of them (roughly 1 for every 50 people).

The ships, plus a ferry coming from Athens, on the right hand side.

Blue dome.

Fira seen from a hill.

Fira seen from Firostefani.

This dog was kind (and bored) enough to come with us, and didn't mind posing.

I climbed that rock, which is called Skaros. There used to be a castle there, which was destroyed in the 19th century by an earthquake.

If you follow the path and then walk down the cliff, you'll find a church, just like anywhere else in Santorini.

From Skaros.

Santorini at night.

This is a small port at the foot of the village Oia.

Khen and a nice cat that accompanied us for a while.