This page contains my favorite pictures from out travels to Greece and Istanbul. During the year that my husband was a Fulbright scholar, we stayed in Kiffisia, a neighborhood in northern Athens. In the Peloponese, we visited an an island called Monemvasia, a historical site that is also an upscale pedestrianized village, where people live in restored Byzantine buldings, Mystras, a Byzantine ghost town, Sparta, the ancient theatre, Epidauros, and Nafplio, considered to be the most beautiful city in Greece. On the mainland, we visited Meteora, which is a group of Monestaries situated on top of very tall rocks, now accessible by very long stairs, Thessaloniki, the second city of Greece. We also saw stayed on many Islands, including Hydra, famous for its old mansions built by wealthy shippers in the 19th century and for the fact that it is completely pedestranized, Spetses, known for its pine forests, Santorini, known for its spectacular views, especially on the side formed by a volcano about 5000 years ago, Syros, known for its dual cultures formed by both Roman Catholics and Orthodox Christians.
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| This is a view of Kiffisia, a neighborhood in north Athens. | This is a picture of Topkapi Palace, which housed the Sultan. It is now a museum. | This is a picture of the main harbor in Hyrdra. | This is a view of the sea in Monemvasia. | |||||
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| This is a picture of the trial marathon for the 2004 Olympics in Athens. | ||||||||