The Fountain At Pigeon Square

At the end of the coppersmith alley, in the Sarajevo Turkish quarter, is this little square with this ornate drinking fountain. The fountain was built in 1891, incredibly. The flocks of pigeons have probably been hanging around since then too!

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Where The Great War Began....

Looking down the Miljacka River to the point on the opposite bank that played such a significant part in the Great War. Here, at the Latin Bridge was were Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in 1914, which triggered the beginning of World War I.

Sarajevo is full of history, war, sadness, memories, and resilience. So interesting!

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Glimpsing The Santorini Windmill At Sunset

Sunsets on Santorini continued to impress, with the view from the edge of the land jut into the Mediterranean at the Oia end of the island.

The image of the iconic windmill at the sea's edge here at Oia was the symbol of the sunset we were about to enjoy, and gave the view a focal point.

After walking from Fira, I made my way through the small, cobbled laneways of Oia to the peak of the island - with everyone else on Santorini, it seemed!

After having the Fira sunset practically all to myself, here at Oia I was battling on my tiptoes to get the view I wanted, with swarms of tourists, all vying for the chance to get their sunset photos.

Every available vantage point was taken, as the sun started to make it's progress towards the water. Rooftops, balconies and terraces were filled, and it seemed like many people had been there at their spot for some time, to secure the view. Being a solo traveler, though, I could work my way through the crowd, and find a good spot on my own.

The colour hue show that nature put on for us all to take in was spectacular, leaving no doubt that these sunsets are the most beautiful in the world. You just can't beat the sun dipping into the ocean.

The overwhelming crowd ooed and ahhed as the colours changed, and the sun disappeared. We were lucky on this evening too for some random clouds across the sky, which I think always makes a sunset more impressive, catching and enhancing the colour show.

Once the actual sun had disappeared from view, much of the crowd headed back into the streets of Oia to the restaurants and market stalls. This gave me a slightly better view of the terraces below, and the hive of activity all around this section of the little town.

So very pretty, this sunset is one not to miss on a visit to the Greek Islands.

Gushing River Neretva

Having walked through the cobbled market street of Mostar from the iconic Stari Most, I crossed another bridge over the Neretva River and caught this view.

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Doors Of Oia: Santorini Photo Essay

As I made my walk down the hill from my walk from Fira to Oia, more of the iconic white buildings signature to the Island, appeared with each step. Claiming their space on the caldera edge towards the sea and the volcanic island in the bay, each was so pretty and unique.

As the light began to fade, the hues were made even more beautiful, combining with the pathways, the sea and the sky.

Fifty, Plus Four: Country Counting

As I crossed the border from Montenegro to Croatia last year, I reached my 50th country.

According to the map program above, I have now visited 24% of the world, being 54 countries.

In the past 12 months, I have added the Solomon Islands, Greece, Montenegro, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, the United Arab Emirates, and Taiwan.

The challenge now will be to keep the momentum of visiting new places each year, as I face the prospect of getting a job in one place, without so much time to travel!

You can check out the progress of this map this the beginning of this blog, 10 years ago now, here through my Visited Countries tag.

Caldera Walk From Fira To Oia, Santorini

Walking along the track on top of the volcanic caldera in Santorini provides contantly changing, spectacular views!

That top photo is the view looking towards Oia from the edge of the buildings and resorts in Fia. This one to the left is looking back to Fia. So dreamy!

Inspired by a post I read about the walk over on World Wandering Kiwi when I was researching the Greek Islands, I was determined to do this on my visit to Santorini.

The walk is about 9.6kms, and starts within the white restaurants and hotels of Fira. In my research I read one tourist saying it was hard to find the path, and whilst it wasn't marked, it was pretty easy to just walk in the direction of Oia, the peek of land you could see across the bay. The worst that could happen in this built-up area is that you wander through a pretty laneway, for yet another amazing view of the water!

The path is very defined once you are through the bulk of Fira buildings, and climbs up and down until you have a clear view of Oia town. At just one point it leaves you, making you veer onto the shoulder of the road connecting the two towns, but it is clear where it starts again, and you are once again walking along the edge of the volcanic cauldron.

I planned my walk to reach Oia around sunset, which also meant that I had avoided the heat of the day.

There were endless photo opportunities along the way, with a couple of iconic Santorini churches providing perfect white-and-blue contrasts, and the sun was obliging with great light. It's also hard to beat the view of the sun heading towards the water, and the reflections that that gives.

As the sun started it's seemingly faster dip into the blue Mediterranean, I reached the highest peek, and could see the white dotted town of Oia below. The path got easier as the destination was in sight, and was mostly downhill.

Weaving my way through the tiny streets as the building density thickened, the volume of tourists also increased. Whilst on the walk there were about 4 other people doing it around the same time as me, but as I walked through Oia, everyone in Santorini must have been there!

The beautiful sunset at the end of the jut of land was the reward for the walk, and worth every step!



jouljet notes
Serious Tip: There is only one spot along the way to buy water, so carry some with you.
Cost: Free!
Time Spent: I took just over 3 hours to complete this walk, but stopped to take LOADS of photos.
Quirky Tip: The little church right at the top has some random props for photos, like a standing bell tower, and an old upturned wheelbarrow, both with the most incredible views as backdrops.