Bazaar Turkey

After we left the ruins, we spent some time

in the shopping area, or what we could call

the Turkish bazaar. There were lots of hand

made rugs, jewelry, those belly dancing outfits!,

and of course you could have your picture

taken on the camel. I spent way too much on

some jewelry to re-sell in my shop, but it was

beautiful. The shopkeepers here were very

aggresive, and wanted you to buy their goods.

I did my best!

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Wow...Ephesus

Our next stop on the cruise was Turkey,

and we stopped at the port of Kudashi.

This is the location of the ancient city of

Ephesus. It was thrilling to think we

were walking where the apostle Paul

walked. These are some of the best preserved

ruins in this part of the world. The largest

building was the library, and it looks like

something from a movie set...awesome.

There were a couple of the mosaic floors

still intact, too. Our guide was very proud

of her heritage and enjoyed sharing her

knowledge with us. She encouraged us to

tell others about this archealogical site and

urge them to come and visit. We did sense

a real need everywhere for tourism dollars...

I did my part to boost the economy!

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Mykonos...my favorite

Our first stop on the cruise was the island of

Mykonos. We arrived late in the afternoon,

and the light was just great. We did a walking

tour of the town, and there was a charming

photo op on every corner. I would love to get

to come back here someday and stay awhile.

It is best known for the windmills that were

used to grind grain. They are no longer operating,

but they are a big tourist draw.

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Cruisin...

We are on the cruise ship now, making stops at

a few of the islands. We stopped at Mykonos yesterday

evening, and it has been one of my favorite places so far.

White-washed buildings with blue shutters and roofs..

charming. We did a walking tour of the town, and took

lots of photos. I spent some time sketching before we

had to get back on the boat.

This is the island that has the old windmills on it that

were used for grinding grain. I already did a couple of

paintings of them and the boats in the harbor with all

the pretty little white buildings. There were also lots

of beautiful people on this island...it is kind of a hang-out

for the young and rich. Onassis is said to have stayed

here alot on his yacht, and many celebrities come here.

I think I could stay here and paint for about a month!!

Go to the website www.greeka.com and you

can see some photos of Mykonos

or just google it, and there are some good ones.

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Sketchbook Pages

I haven't been posting much of my art..so

here are a couple of pages from the sketchbook

that I keep during the trip.

The little pen and ink sketch was the view as

we were eating one night. We stopped at the

little fruit stand, and that is the string of garlic

that was there. Those are the columns from

Olympia, and the top page is fruits and flowers

that I saw while in the town of Nauphlio. (my

spelling, not theirs!)

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Rocks and Lions

More rocks...these are from ancient Mycenae,

the home of the mythological Agamemnon

and his kingdom. That is the famous Lion

Gate, that I studied so much in art history.

Our guide did tell us the heads of the lions

would have been decorated with stones and

gold, and so they were stolen long ago. The

location of this fortress is high atop a formidable

hill, as you can see by the views down into the

valley. Early explorers that found these structures

thought they had been built by the legendary

"Cyclops" because they found baby elephant

skulls that had a large hole where the trunk would

have been, and used their imagination!

That is the gold Agamemnon's burial mask (that

is actually a copy, we say the real one in Athens

today). And then that is the theatre at Epidovros,

the best preserved Greek theatre. They still use it

for theatre festivals every year, and it is said to

have perfect acoustics when it is filled to capacity.

And we think we are so smart...

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Dessert Intermission

I thought I would break up photos of lots

of rocks, etc, with some yummy pics of

dessert...my favorite! There is lots of gelato

here, brownies with ice cream, and baked

goodies like baklava. ummm

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Where to Start?!

I am back in Athens, and I am able to upload

some photos, if I can remember where I left

off?! This is Olympia, and we spent the day

here a couple of days ago. Our guide, Helen,

was excellent, and filled us in on the early

Olympics. The photo at the bottom is what is

left of the gymnasium, where the athletes worked

out and practiced.

The trio of columns left standing is part of a

temple, and the Corinthian column on the ground

was near that temple. The large broken pieces are

from the Temple of Zeus that housed the large

statue of the god. It has been toppled by earthquakes,

etc, and they have left the pieces where they fell.

The one section with the square hole in it shows how

the pieces fit together...there would have been a piece

above it with an extension that fit down in that hole,

much like ancient "legos".

The arched entrance is to the stadium, the best preserved

in the world. This is where they would run the races

and do the field competitions, all in the nude. They

covered themselves with olive oil and sand that acted

like a natural sunscreen. That is me, not naked, standing

by the track that went straight down and back, not in

a circle, like ours.

And then that is ancient Greek writing that adorned many

of the ruins there, recording ancient winners and records.

It all gave us a better appreciation for the present day games.

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Mycenae and Beyond

We are in the Mycenae area of Greece, and tomorrow

we go to see the Lion Gate, and some other ruins.

(no pics tonight...sorry! no wireless!)

I walked around this hotel some this afternoon, and

took some pics of the small farms and crops. There

are orange trees and olive groves. There were some

pomegranate trees and some artichoke plants (I had

never seen any of those.) And there were several

other plants with fruit that I have no idea about.

The wonder and variety of God's great creation

never ceases to amaze me.

I hope to add some more when we get back to

Athens. Check the earlier post with the pics of

the windows, and vote for your favorite!

I just went on Google and there are some great

pics of the Lion Gate...look it up!

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Shoppers Anonymous

If I have talked about food, then I must also

talk about shopping. I might have been born

to shop. And there are many places here to

do just that, and many interesting things to

buy. The last photo is "worry beads" which are

everywhere. All of the old men carry these

constantly, and click them and slide them, etc.

I don't really know what they are so worried

about...(maybe the economy?!) The pottery

with the figurines look just like the originals

that I studied about in art history. They all tell

a story from mythology or relate some historical

event. Kinda like "wikipedia in clay". Then there

are rugs, cute little puppets, and of course, jewelry.

The shop at the top was in Corfu, and I wandered in

after lunch. There was very unusual jewelry there, and

I met the owner, an artist who made some of the pieces

in the shop. I bought several, and she admired my

sketchbook and paintings. She loved one of some olive

trees, and I told her I would paint her one. And we

agreed she could pay for it in earrings! Her shop is

called Aiopa.

sheltongail@hotmail.com

The People of Greece

When surveyed, most people will say the

subject matter they enjoy looking at most,

is other people. I don't usually take a lot of

pics of people; I feel intrusive or rude sticking

my camera in their face. But if I can get

one from a distance or discreetly, I will. So

here are a few of the "people pics" from the

last few days.

The shepherd was along the highway, and our

sweet bus driver stopped so we could get a photo.

It is one of my favorites so far. The two old men

were right down the bench from me (see top photo)

while I was painting, so I snapped them unaware.

The street musicians were in Corfu serenading an

adjacent table. The Greek man in his embroidered

vest was outside a shop in Metsovo. The buggy

driver was very bored I think; tourism is down, and

I don't think he had many takers of the buggy ride.

And the charming young dancers performed for us

at a tavern in Corfu. And that is me painting in the

village of Metsovo. I have many of the other travelers

offering to take my photo somewhere, but I don't

often want in the picture. But I do like a record of me

actually working once in awhile, so there I am! I

really did some painting in Greece, and I have the

picture to prove it!

sheltongail@hotmail.com

go back a few posts and let me know your favorite

window photo...i will be giving a painting away,

check it out.