Category Archives: History

Tilos: a walk to the beach the day after the mountain destroyed my sandals

Posted on July 11, 2014 by BarryH

Though I set out with that specific intention, I didn’t get to have a swim on the day that The Mountain Destroyed My Sandals. I passed the top of the path down to Depsoti To Nero on my way back … Continue reading →

Posted in Greece, Hiking, History, Landscape, Mountains, Nature, Reflections, Wildlife | Tagged Agriosikia Castle, beach etiquette, Chile, folded rocks, French etiquette, goat compost, Greece, guano, Guano Wars, Livadia, Painted Dragon lizard, sandals, SKAI maps, swimming, Tholos Beach, Tilos, Youf Culture | Leave a comment

Symi: hidden from view

Posted on May 30, 2014 by BarryH

At the end of my stay in Greece last year I spent a couple of weeks on Symi and on the last day there visited a cave with a friend which she remembered having been to some 20 years previously. … Continue reading →

Posted in Greece, Hiking, History, Landscape, Monmouthshire, Mountains, Nature, Wildlife | Tagged Agios Theologos monastery, Bettws Newydd, calcite curtains, cave exploration, caves, Greece, hochlakos mosaic, iconastis, Oertenzi lizard, Painted Dragon lizard, Roukouniotis monastery, St Auddan's church, stalactites, Starred agama, Symi, Symi cave | 2 Comments

Symi: en route and arriving

Posted on April 10, 2014 by BarryH

“It is better to travel hopefully than to arrive” is an axiom, often repeated but first penned by Robert Louis Stevenson, which has become a cliché. The thought echoes and old Taoist saying that “the journey is the reward”. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Greece, History, Landscape, Reflections | Tagged Crusader city, Greece, plane travel, Rhodes, Rhodes harbour, Rhodes Old Town, sunrise, Symi, Symi harbour, travel | 6 Comments

Canadian Rockies: the Wow! factor

Posted on January 22, 2014 by BarryH

“Wow!” The Canadian guy in the seat next to me on the packed 15.30 bus coming back to Banff from Sunshine let out an involuntary exclamation of appreciation as we rounded a bend in the Trans Canada Highway and yet … Continue reading →

Posted in Canada, History, Landscape, Mountains, Winter | Tagged Canada, Lookout Mountain, Mount Assiniboine, Sunshine, Sunshine Meadows, Sunshine Village, Tee Pee Town, Wow! factor | Leave a comment

An alternative Christmas

Posted on December 27, 2013 by BarryH

I don’t enjoy Christmas. This year I was looking forward to it less than usual until I decided to do the unthinkable. Spend Christmas Day on my own. It’s a quirk of the human psyche that the things we choose … Continue reading →

Posted in Grumpy Old Men, Health and humour, Hiking, History, Landscape, Mountains, Pontypool, Reflections, Wales, Winter | Tagged alternative Christmas, choice, Christmas, Christmas Dinner, Father Christmas, Garn Wen, History of Christmas, loneliness, Pontypool Folly Tower, Saint Nicholas, Santa Claus, Saturnalia, solitude, Wales | 1 Comment

A sunset stroll

Posted on December 1, 2013 by BarryH

The weather forecast for Saturday in Old South Wales was for wall-to-wall sunshine. A real bonus after days of grey skies. As I struggled out of bed and the sun slipped over the ridge on the other side of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Autumn, Hiking, History, Landscape, Mountains, Pontypool, Wales | Tagged Blaenavon, Blaenavon World Heritage Site, Bus Pass, Bus Pass Britain, butter, Cardiff, Coity Mountain, eggs, Industrial Revolution, Old South Wales, Roath Farmers' Market, South Wales Valleys, sunrise, sunset, Wales, Whistle Inn | 3 Comments

Symi: history and the backbone of the island

Posted on October 24, 2013 by BarryH

Warning: This is a long walk ………. and it’s a long blog. Long, somewhat strenuous but not technically difficult, is the rewarding trek up to the main ridge on Symi and then along the spine of the island to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Greece, Hiking, History, Landscape, Mountains | Tagged Byzantine Stone Wine Presses, frescoes, Greece, heritage, hiking, kaldarimi, Megalos Sotiris, Ottoman Empire, Panagia Panaidhi, polar bear, sponge diving, Stavros Polemou, Symi, trekking, viniculture, walking guides, walks | 1 Comment

Greece: more high speed island hopping

Posted on September 28, 2013 by BarryH

Now that inter-island travel is both more rapid and more reliable it’s a viable option to hop from island to island for brief visits and sometimes when moving on it’s possible to make connexions without an overnight stay where there … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Greece, Hiking, History, Landscape, Mountains | Tagged archaeology, Crusader castle, ferries, footpaths, Greece, Greek Islands, hiking, Kalymnos, Kos, minarets, mosaics, Nisyros, Profitis Ilias Kalymnos, rock partridges, Symi, treks | Leave a comment

Nisyros: probably the most dramatic walk in the Aegean

Posted on September 22, 2013 by BarryH

I kid you not, this walk/trek/hike takes some beating. But it’s not a Sunday afternoon stroll in the park. Some short sections are loose scree, route-finding can be difficult, it’s sustained, and it’s wiltingly hot in summer. However, it’s a … Continue reading →

Posted in Greece, Hiking, History, Landscape, Mountains, Nature | Tagged footpaths, fumaroles, Greece, hiking, history, lava, lava bubbles, lava pinnacles, Nisyros, seismic activity, seismic fissures, sulphur, trekking, Volcano, walks | 3 Comments

Nisyros: Dragon Coast

Posted on September 9, 2013 by BarryH

The paper tablecloth in Irinis restaurant in the old square had a map of the island. Sipping my wine and waiting the few minutes before my fresh goats cheese, tomato and cucumber starter arrived, I glanced at it idly. Annotated … Continue reading →

Posted in Greece, Hiking, History, Landscape, Mountains | Tagged Coast, dragon caves, Dragon Coast, dragons, goat fences, Greece, lava, Nisyros | Leave a comment