I'm back from Greece!!! With **59** pics!!!

[Miss Z]

Hello again Pet Talk!

I've had a spectacular holiday in Halkidiki in Eastern Greece, we stayed in a fabulous hotel well worth its five stars and we went on some really great trips out too. Of course, as requested, I've had my camera out quite a bit so I hope you all like these pics, there are 59 in total so it's going to take me a while to post them all http://petoftheday.com/i/our_smilies/tongue.gif but I really hope you enjoy them! So, without further ado, picture number 1:

Starting with the hotel, this was the view of the pool from our room
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/Greece001.jpg (http://s75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/?start=40#imgAnch58)

My dad and my brother playing volleyball in the pool
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/Greece003.jpg (http://s75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/?)

The hotel was beachfront, so here is the beach
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/Greece002.jpg (http://s75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/?start=40#imgAnch57)

And another http://petoftheday.com/i/our_smilies/smile.gif
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/Greece059.jpg (http://s75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/?start=#imgAnch1)

The view across the bay from the main balcony
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/Greece058.jpg (http://s75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/?)

My brother and I getting ready for a 'doughnut' ride. I don't know why our expressions look so moody, LOLhttp://petoftheday.com/i/our_smilies/biggrin.gif
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/Greece027.jpg (http://s75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/?start=20#imgAnch33)

Starting the doughnut ride
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/Greece028.jpg (http://s75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/?)

Lots more to come.....

[Miss Z]

Whilst my brother and I were swimming in the sea, we came across a little fish that was swimming quite slowly near the surface. My brother caught it in his bare hands and put it in a bucket where we had a look at it. We saw that it had been attacked by something, its tail and left fin were missing. We felt sorry for the fish, and set it free in a small inlet amongst the rocks where it would be safe-ish from another attack. We called the little guy 'Victor' as he had a victory over the predatorhttp://petoftheday.com/i/our_smilies/wink.gif
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/Greece026.jpg (http://s75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/?start=40#imgAnch59)



I decided to do something a bit different this holiday, so I went on a parachute ride! This is the bay where it began
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/Greece029.jpg (http://s75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/?start=20#imgAnch31)

Then I had to get strapped in (yes I am there, behind the big white thing;) )
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/Greece030.jpg (http://s75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/?)

Going up...
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/Greece031.jpg (http://s75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/?)

Higher and higher...
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/Greece032.jpg (http://s75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/?)

That little speck is me!
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/Greece033.jpg (http://s75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/?)

Coming back down again
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/Greece034.jpg (http://s75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/?)

Plenty more on their way...

[Miss Z]

Finally getting my feet back on a hard surface. It is such an amazing experience, I would recommend it to anyone. It's not scary in the slightest, you just get the great feeling of floating in the air and taking in the lovely scenery

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/Greece035.jpg (http://s75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/?)

One morning, we got up quite early, and got the chance to see this beautiful Greek sunrise from our room
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/Greece040.jpg (http://s75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/?start=#imgAnch20)

Sorry this didn't come out to well, but this is a 'Greek night', with traditional Greek dancing and food
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/Greece023.jpg (http://s75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/?start=20#imgAnch36)

OK, that's all the hotel pics, now for some more interesting ones http://petoftheday.com/i/our_smilies/biggrin.gif
This was the local town, Kalithea, which was very quaint
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/Greece025.jpg (http://s75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/?start=20#imgAnch34)

We went on a trip to Thessaloniki, Greece's second largest city. This is the view from across the harbour
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/Greece004.jpg (http://s75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/?start=40#imgAnch55)

This is the 'White Tower', a main point of Thessaloniki. However, nowadays it isn't all that white!http://petoftheday.com/i/our_smilies/tongue.gif
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/Greece005.jpg (http://s75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/?)



Lots more coming!

[Miss Z]

My brotherhttp://petoftheday.com/i/our_smilies/rolleyes.gif http://petoftheday.com/i/our_smilies/wink.gif
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/Greece006.jpg (http://s75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/?)


A park in central Thessaloniki
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/Greece007.jpg (http://s75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/?)

Ancient ruins down a main street in Thessaloniki
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/Greece008.jpg (http://s75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/?)

My brother and I in a restaurant
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/Greece009.jpg (http://s75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/?)

The view of Thessaloniki from the Acropolis, the highest point of the city
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/Greece010.jpg (http://s75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/?)

Wine caskets from ancient times in the Thessaloniki museum
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/Greece011.jpg (http://s75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/?)

Ancient statue and pillars
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/Greece012.jpg (http://s75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/?)

Absolutely loads more....

[Miss Z]

The museum was filled with much ancient handicraft, this was probably made for a rich Greek citizen well over 2000 years ago

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/Greece013.jpg (http://s75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/?start=40#imgAnch46)

A stone depiction of a family
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/Greece014.jpg (http://s75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/?)

Another statue
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/Greece015.jpg (http://s75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/?)

We also went on a boat trip around the three peninsulas of Halkidiki, mainly to see the third peninsula which is home to Mount Athos. This is a view of the bay we set off from
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/Greece016.jpg (http://s75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/?)

Cruising away from the shore
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/Greece017.jpg (http://s75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/?)

My brother on the boat
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/Greece019.jpg (http://s75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/?)

My mum and my brother on the top deck, with my brother's weird expression:o
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/Greece022.jpg (http://s75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/?)

More are on their way...

[Miss Z]

Mount Athos itself, with a beautiful river valley running down it

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/Greece020.jpg (http://s75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/?)

A monastery on Mount Athos. Monks have inhabited this peninsula for hundreds of years, and they still live here in complete isolation from the rest of the world
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/Greece018.jpg (http://s75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/?)

The town of Ouranopolis, where we stopped for a rest
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/Greece021.jpg (http://s75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/?)

Another trip we went on was to a waterpark, nothing too exciting about this but thought I'd include it anyway:)
My mum in the pool
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/Greece036.jpg (http://s75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/?start=20#imgAnch24)

My brother just landing in the water
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/Greece037.jpg (http://s75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/?)

My dad coming down the slide
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/Greece038.jpg (http://s75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/?)

The larger slides, my brother went on the white ones many times and came down like a bullet!:p He has no fear.
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/Greece039.jpg (http://s75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/?)

[Miss Z]

This is the entrnce to the tombs of ancient Macedonian kings, the most famous of which is Philip II. Cameras were not allowed inside the tombs, so unfortunately I don't have any pictures of that to show you, however, it was very interesting and the museum also below has plenty of information about the times of Alexander the Great.

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/Greece041.jpg (http://s75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/?start=#imgAnch19)

We also visited a greek winery, this is the cellar where the wine matures
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/Greece042.jpg (http://s75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/?)

And these are the huge wine storage tanks where the wine is kept before bottling
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/Greece043.jpg (http://s75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/?)

The winery was filled with cats to keep the mouse and rat population down, this little beauty posed nicely for the camera
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/Greece044.jpg (http://s75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/?)

And it turned out, she had a kitten. This little guy was so cute, I watched him chasing and catching an imaginary mouse for about 5 minutes instead of listening to the information the guide was giving us;)
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/Greece045.jpg (http://s75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/?)

The final trip we went on was to the waterfalls of Edessa, the highest waterfalls in Greece.
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/Greece046.jpg (http://s75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/?)

The view over the hills from the top of the waterfall
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/Greece047.jpg (http://s75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/?)

Still a few more to come...

[Miss Z]

Another view

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/Greece048.jpg (http://s75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/?)

Closer to the waterfall, you could feel the spray from at least 50m away and 10m up from where the plungepool was
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/Greece049.jpg (http://s75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/?)

Behind the waterfall
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/Greece050.jpg (http://s75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/?)

This was supposed to be another landscape picture, but my brother decided to stick his head into it just as I pressed the button:rolleyes:
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/Greece051.jpg (http://s75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/?)

My brother getting soaked at the bottom of the waterfall
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/Greece052.jpg (http://s75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/?)

The top of the waterfall
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/Greece053.jpg (http://s75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/?)

Another slightly smaller waterfall
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/Greece054.jpg (http://s75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/?)

Last few pics in next post

[Miss Z]

A beautiful 'water garden' view from the small restaurant at Edessa. That calm water doesn't look as if it's about to plunge down the waterfall!

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/Greece057.jpg (http://s75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/?)

My brother in the restaurant (sorry to have so many pics of my brother:p )
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/Greece024.jpg (http://s75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/?start=20#imgAnch35)

Some of the wonderfully shaped-rocks carved by the waterfall
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/Greece056.jpg (http://s75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/?start=#imgAnch4)

And last but not least... yep, that's a cat. He sat in there just by the payment office!
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/Greece055.jpg (http://s75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/Miss_Z_rat_luver/?)

That's it! I hope you enjoyed them. I would reccommend Halkidiki as a very relaxing and a pleasant place to spend a fortnight.:D :D :D

[Alysser]

Beautiful pictures, Zara! It looks like a wonderful vacation. I love the hotel and all the scenery, it's marvelous, every single picture was enjoyed here. :) I love the parachuting. But I thought you land in the water? :confused: I'm always offered to let me do it on trips but I chicken out. :p Anyway, sorry for blabbing, all the pics were wonderful! :D

[Killearn Kitties]

Such a photogenic country! I also like it because there is always plenty of opporunity to photograph cats. :D

I'm glad you had such a good time.

[elizabethann]

Those are great photos!

[Vela]

Thanks for sharing, looks like you guys had a great holiday. I'd love to visit there someday.

[Barbara]

What a wonderful trip- nature, culture and Greek kittys :) I'd like to go right now :D

[lv4dogs]

What wonderful pics and a very informative tour guide (you). ;) Thanks for sharing your experience & a bit of history. You sure are lucky to be able to experience such things.

[Miss Z]

I love the parachuting. But I thought you land in the water? :confused:

I thought that too before I did it. My dad did it a few years back and they brought him down in the water. But instead, you're attatched to a line, and when it's time to come down, the man sort of reels you in! He had to keep turning the boat because as I came down the wind kept taking me to the side and I was nearly in the water at one point. But it's all good fun :D

There were a lot of cats in Greece, I found a very cute tabby girl in a restaurant near the tombs of Philip II but I didn't have my camera with me at that point to take a picture. Lots of the tourist souveniers have cats on and I bought a poster of a black and white cat sitting contendly on a roof looking out across the sea.:) Also, for the dog-people amongst us, there were dogs too, but they were either quite camera shy or turned up at moments when I couldn't take pictures;)

I'm glad everyone likes the pictures!

[I_luv_rusty]

Zara looks like you had a great trip!! :D I enjoyed every picture, the hotel is beautiful! :eek: How old is your brother? He is a cute little kid. Thanks for sharing. :p I'm glad your back, I was just wondering the other day when you said you'd be back. :D

[Maya & Inka's mommy]

He?????? I cannot see any pics, just titles.... . Anybody has any idea what is going wrong here? I also cannot view movies from Catmandu... :confused:

[Miss Z]

He?????? I cannot see any pics, just titles.... . Anybody has any idea what is going wrong here? I also cannot view movies from Catmandu... :confused:

Hmmmm, there must be some reason why you can't see pics and movies from photobucket :confused:


How old is your brother?

He's 9. He looks cute, but don't be deceived ;)

[Sonia59]

Zara, thanks for sharing all these pics! I am glad you had great holidays. Nice place to go! :)

[lvpets2002]

:eek: :eek: OH My How So Breathtaken & Adorable Pics.. Thank you for sharing..

[My Peanuts]

Wow, what a beautiful vacation. Looks like you and your family had a lot of fun. :) I really enjoyed the pictures.

[cavylove]

wow, zara! it looks like you had a great holiday!

[Roxyluvsme13]

What beautiful gorgeous pictures! Welcome back, Zara! I missed you!

[Pembroke_Corgi]

Looks like a very fun trip, and your pictures are gorgeous!!!!!! Next time your family goes on vacation, can a few PTer's stow away in the luggage?? ;) :D

[Miss Z]

Looks like a very fun trip, and your pictures are gorgeous!!!!!! Next time your family goes on vacation, can a few PTer's stow away in the luggage?? ;) :D

LMAO, you probably can, we always take the most gigantic suitcases as my mum often thinks we need to take a lot of stuff :D

Thanks everyone!

[Anita Cholaine]

You're so lucky, Zara! I always wanted to go to Greece, it's such a beautiful country...
The pics are awesome, you had a great time for sure! :D

[Maya & Inka's mommy]

Hmmmm, there must be some reason why you can't see pics and movies from photobucket :confused:





I wish I knew what it is. The weird thing is I am a member at Photobucket too, and I have lots of my pics stored there.... :confused: :confused:

[lizbud]

I loved seeing all these beautiful pictures of your trip. Greece is one of
the many places I would love to see in person. The closest I've come so far
is the local Greek festival we have here every summer. :) Thanks for sharing
these.

[cyber-sibes]

Looks like it was a wonderful trip, thanks for sharing your photos!

[chocolatepuppy]

Such beautiful pictures and so very interesting. It looks like your family had a good time. Thanks for sharing! :)

[anna_66]

WOW! What a great vacation you had. Thanks so much for sharing it with those of us that will probably never be able to go there.
It's like taking a trip without leaving your chair:D