What a wonderful time we had in Zakynthos!
Invited by a good friend and customer of my husband,
owner of four amazing hotels, we spent the long Easter
weekend on the beautiful Ionian island. Thanks to his kind
invitation, we relished not only Greek hospitality but the
unique spring landscape and witnessed the solemnity
of Easter rituals.
There is a great video in English giving credit to
the Zakynthian Easter
which still keeps alive the Venetian influence
ever since the Italian Rule.
Marching bands and vivid street celebrations
(One of the four Philharmonic bands of the island
on Good Friday).
The capital of the island
Zakynthos
belongs to those few regions which experienced
the Renaissance and the
Enlightenment instead of the
Turkish yoke. In fact, the Italian input grafted
from the local
element is
everywhere present, creating a very interesting
and beautiful culture.
The statue of the Glory
While tourists
were soaking up the sun around the swimming pool
of the hotel, we have been
strolling all around the island
with good company and good mood. Too bad was
not longer!
It put so much energy in our reserves...
With its beguiling landscape of wildflowers, the cypress trees rising
out of shimmering olive groves, Zakynthos remained in our memory
as one of the most charming places to visit.
Shipwreck
(Navagio)
One of the
most famous beaches on the planet, tourist
trademark of the island and Greece .
It was created in 1982
when a ship carrying contraband cigarettes from Turkey , ran
aground due to adverse weather conditions. It’s defiantly worth
getting on
board one of the boats taking cruises and enjoying the
majestic scenery of the turquoise
waters as Navagio beach is
only accessible by sea. Lack of time, we admired the
view from
above on a special platform that exists up the cliff.
as far as
writer Lawrence Durrell was concerned.
Durrell had the mots justes, as always.
Like legions of travellers
and tourists before and after, he revelled in the
intensities
of light and colour that Ionian islands reflect
from the mirrors of sea and sky."
Independent journal - June 2013
The
bell tower of an old church at Kiliomenou village
Ιn a place like this, hidden in the middle of an ancient olive grove
offering an amazing
panoramic view of the surroundings, is
located the hotel Elegance Suites of our friend Stamatis.
Thank you so much for being so gently generous dear friend!
This escape
will remain unforgettable!
"From the steep prow I marked with quickening eye
Zakynthos
with every grove and creek..."
Oscar Wilde
Such wonderful photos of Zakynthos and thank you for your accompanying words, loved to see this island back which I visited together with eldest daughter about 8 years ago. We toured around the island by bike and your photos reminisce about that time.
ReplyDeleteRegards, Janneke
such lovely images...Greece is so beautiful and with lots of history too what's not to like...wish I could just take a little dip right now in that perfect azure sea ahhhh bliss...enjoy your week...Gail x
ReplyDeleteQue belleza de imágenes, Grecia es preciosa, me encantaría poderla visitar algún día,gracias por compartirlas.
ReplyDeleteBesos.
Wow...beautiful pictures of a wonderful island, I can imagine you had a wonderful time here. This invitation was not bad at all!!
ReplyDeleteSending big hugs to you! Xxx Ingrid
What a beautiful place - thank you for taking me along! I can almost feel the sunshine.
ReplyDeleteCathy x
Wowwww olympia......you live in a beautiful place ...looooooove it......enjoy your post ...That blue sea is amazing.......love love love Ria x
ReplyDeleteOh, this place is so very beautiful with the azure water, colorful wildflowers and gray and green trees. Everything is lovely, including the buildings and ships. Such incredible history, also. Thank you for sharing the beauty and I am happy that you were able to enjoy a little time away. Hugs xo Karen
ReplyDeleteOlympia,
ReplyDeleteYour photographs are stunning! I'm glad to read your vacation was so enjoyable.
The photo from the cliff above Navagio Beach makes me feel a bit dizzy, and gives my heart a flutter. Thank you for sharing another beautiful post
Lieve Olympia,
ReplyDeleteDit verblijf tijdens Pasen op prachtig eiland op uitnodiging van goede vriend zal je nooit vergeten.
Wat heb je fantastische foto's gemaakt, het voorjaar spat er vanaf.
Sommige foto's lijken op schilderijen uit Romantische School.
De link naar Engelse video is voor mij niet te openen(Not Found Error 404)
Heb wel op de website van Elegance Suites gekeken, ziet er zeer luxe uit maar voor onze beurs met pensioen wat ook elk jaar minder wordt niet te betalen....
Maar ik treur daar niet om want onze genoten vakantie's zijn er ook om met veel plezier op terug te kijken.
Bedankt voor het delen en ik ga nogmaals een kijkje bij je foto's nemen,kan er geen genoeg van krijgen ☺
Lieve groet♥,Ger
Dear Ger, thank you for letting me know that the video didn't work. It's ok now!
DeleteWhat a great treat to find your latest blog first thing this morning.
ReplyDeleteThe photos of the sea and olive groves on Zakynthos are really beautiful
Thank you Hilary!So sweet of you...
DeleteOlive groves, wildflowers, Mediterranean sea – what a wonderful post. Thank you for sharing your holiday and brightening my morning. Sam x
ReplyDeleteDear Olympia - the sun shines out from my computer screen with colour and intensity as I look and admire your beautiful photographs taken on Zakynthos. Wonderful architecture, with beautiful flowers in both the gardens and in the wild.
ReplyDeleteInterestingly we have just had the most wonderful 6 week series on TV about the Durrell family which was filmed on Corfu. Another series is already scheduled as it has been so popular. Hope that you might get the chance to see it too.
Amazing pictures! The chickens have the best life ever!
ReplyDeleteHello Olympia
ReplyDeleteI am very glad to read your new post. The photos are absolutely fantastic.
A beautiful trip and a beautiful narrative and photos to remember it. A great post, Olympia. We'll have to put this on our travel list!
ReplyDeleteI am so happy for you dear O that you were able to go to this amazing place. What beauty is in every photo! I'm so glad that you would post these so I could travel here too!
ReplyDeletesending hugs...
Spring on an Island ... so special.
ReplyDeleteWonderful photo's of some great times, thank you so much for sharing.
Take Care
All the best Jan
Those wild flowers are amazing and the sea images look so enticing it must have been a wonderful way to celebrate the Greek Easter. Sarah x
ReplyDeleteI love seeing the fascinating places you visit Olympia, a little snippet of life in a completely different country with different scenery and customs. What a lovely time you must have enjoyed. Have a lovely week. I wish it would warm up in England, it is still quite chilly for this time of year! Sharon x
ReplyDeleteThis is the stuff dreams are made of Olympia, and yes, where blue begins. Shipwreck Beach is unbelievable!
ReplyDeleteI believe my daughter visited this island last year and loved it.
It pays to have good friends :)
So many beautiful photos. I love this place. Lucky you.
ReplyDeleteHugs from here
Je ne connais pas encore ce petit paradis, pas plus que Céphalonie.
ReplyDeleteMais je rêve d'y aller et ton billet augmente encore mon envie. Peut-être au prochain printemps!
Belle journée à toi Olympia.
Bises
Amazing photos, Olympia!! I am always impressed by your posts and want to fly to Greek!I enjoyed the traditional Easter Ceremony on the video, either. What a beautiful island Zakynthos is!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing!!!!
What a wonderful place. I love your photos, especially those of the rural landscapes. Stunning!
ReplyDeletewhat a lovely selection of photos, that blue blue blue water is breath taking! I could feel the heat and hear the beetles when I looked at the rural photos - lovely :)
ReplyDeleteStunning photos, Olympia! Thank you so much for taking us along to this gorgeous place. Spring on a Greek Island. Can't think of anything better.
ReplyDeleteAmalia
xo
Wonderful evocation of easter time in Greece. Those flowers are something else! Beautiful post, thank you.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous pictures of an absolutely beautiful place! I love how you find such fascinating things and little extras to make your photos really interesting as well as colourful and beautiful. Thank you for sharing such delights with us Olympia!
ReplyDeleteHappy weekend.
Helen xox
The color of the water took my breath away! It's stunning and oh, how I wish I could jump in and go for a swim :)
ReplyDeleteYour photos always inspire me, sweet friend. Thanks for sharing! Thinking of you and wishing you a lovely new week. Hugs!
Oh, look at all the daisies! I am really into the daisies lately. It looks like you had a very nice Easter celebration, Olympia. Navagio beach is beautiful. The water is so pretty. Those purple flowers are also seen at the ocean near Jess' house. That statue is cool also. Your pictures are always delightful, my friend. Spring is a great time for taking wonderful photos.
ReplyDeletelove, ~Sheri
Thank you so much, I have been to Greece but the only island
ReplyDeleteI visited was Corfu.
This was such a great post,
loved it. yvonne
To visit your blog is like travelling with a nice friend! Love this post...lovely pictures from a lovely island!
ReplyDeleteHave a happy weekend, take care.
Love, Titti
Gorgeous photos, thank you for sharing your beautiful Spring trip with us. Hx
ReplyDeleteHow lovely dear Olympia. You talk about the Italia influensa. I have been visiting Corfu, and I remember my Sister in law said; "it reminds me of Italy"
ReplyDeleteI n f l u e n c e it should be
ReplyDeleteI n f l u e n c e it should be
ReplyDeleteHow lovely dear Olympia. You talk about the Italia influensa. I have been visiting Corfu, and I remember my Sister in law said; "it reminds me of Italy"
ReplyDeleteSo levely pictures:)
ReplyDelete