Santorini (aka ‘Six hundred steps and an ice-cold beer again)

5 of 12 in “The Bucket List” series from Jemverse

Sitting on the harbour wall
with an ice-cold beer
Watching cool blue waters
in Santorini here
I’ve climbed six hundred steps
to Thira at the top
avoiding several donkeys
who looked fed up and hot

Advertisement

Rhodes (aka ‘Mandraki Harbour revisited)

4 of 12 in “The Bucket List” series from Jemverse

On Rhodes, the ancient city
built in medieval time
reflects the yellow of the sun
in every way, divine

Windmills on the harbour wall
once caught the southern breeze
Their ancient sails now still of course
beside Aegean seas

And in Mandraki harbour
where Colossus may have stood
I walked beside those windmills
because today I simply could

The Parthenon

3 of 12 in “The Bucket List” series from Jemverse

The Parthenon up on the hill
overlooking Athens city
Part of the Acropolis
in ruins (more’s the pity)
But there for two millennia
plus five hundred give or take
it’s looking pretty marvellous
for its age make no mistake

Sixteen hundred

Part 20 of 20 in ‘The Aegean Shores’ series

And of the sixteen hundred
just one-thirty occupied
Five this week we’ve been to
many more of which we’ve spied

Corfu, Kefalonia
Crete, Santorini, Rhodes
Five islands we’ve just been to
Though Greece, of course, has loads

Three Fortresses

Part 19 of 20 in ‘The Aegean Shores’ series

Corfu and three fortresses
to complete our holiday
The sea one and the land one
in the old town on the bay
And then through cobbled streets
to the new one on the wall
(The amount of steps I’ve climbed today
I’d rather not recall)

Sunrise

Part 18 of 20 in ‘The Aegean Shores’ series

The sunrise in Corfu
was the best I’d seen so far
And with sunlight on the water
it was quite spectacular
Islands in the bay provided
context for the scene
A rather perfect ending
for the great week this has been

Argostoli Bay

Part 17 of 20 in ‘The Aegean Shores’ series

Walked up Antoni Tristi
on the wall beside the sea
Watched the turtles playing
as they swam around quite free

Approaching Kefalonia

Part 16 of 20 in ‘The Aegean Shores’ series

Islands in the distance
across the azure seas
A force five blowing from the east
feels like a summer breeze
Kefalonia looming
on the horizon through the haze
For a seven-hour stopover
on the last but one of days

The Corinth Canal

Part 15 of 20 in ‘The Aegean Shores’ series

The boat was somewhat smaller
but the view was just as fine
Confirming that our choice today
was a wise one made this time

Traffic into Piraeus

Part 14 of 20 in ‘The Aegean Shores’ series

A traffic jam into Piraeus this morning
Many ships all in a queue
The Pilots letting one in at a time
As I watched from the prow with a view

Over the hills to the east the sun rose
Cast a golden glow everywhere
As each found its berth in the harbour here
(Though some were needing to share)

Perfect Day

Part 13 of 20 in ‘The Aegean Shores’ series

Today has been just perfect
with walks beside the sea
Here upon the isle of Crete
in the sunshine, Sal and me

And the clarity of the water
as it captures glinting light
Ever present as we sail
makes everything just right

The Venetian Lighthouse

Part 12 of 20 in ‘The Aegean Shores’ series

To the Venetian Lighthouse
on the old harbour wall
with the breeze from the sea
to cool down one and all
As usual we timed it
with no one about
as it’s only much later
that they all come out

Chania

Part 11 of 20 in ‘The Aegean Shores’ series

Past a little wooded island
down a Cretian estuary
To the Venetian port of Chania
sheltered from the sea

Leaving Rhodes

Part 10 of 20 in ‘The Aegean Shores’ series

Another first not seen before
Leaving Rhodes tonight
A big red tug at either end
exerting all their might

Moved the ship out from the berth
into open water
Allowed us to get underway
and moving as we ‘oughta’

A decade, a shirt and an island

Part 9 of 20 in ‘The Aegean Shores’ series

It’s ten years gone since last I walked
on this ancient cobbled stone
Yet familiarity presides
and it feels like coming home
I even wore the shirt I bought
all those years ago
For I could find another one
I might, you never know

Mandraki Harbour

Part 8 of 20 in ‘The Aegean Shores’ series

On Rhodes, the ancient city
build in medieval time
reflects the yellow of the sun
in every way, divine

Windmills on the harbour wall
once caught the southern breeze
Their ancient sails now still of course
beside Aegean seas

The boy, the ship and me

Part 7 of 20 in ‘The Aegean Shores’ series

Arising early with the sun
the boy looked out to sea
and saw a liner sailing by
where on the prow stood me

Six hundred steps and an ice-cold beer

Part 6 of 20 in ‘The Aegean Shores’ series

Sitting on the harbour wall
with an ice-cold beer
Watching cool blue waters
in Santorini here
I’ve climbed six hundred steps
to Thira at the top
avoiding several donkeys
who looked fed up and hot

Santorini

Part 5 of 20 in ‘The Aegean Shores’ series

Into the caldera at dawn
Golden tinge to the sky
Santorini all around
with Thira way up high

Anchors weighed, we drift
The tenders to the sea
Ferries to the waiting land
Sheltered in the lee

Kalamata Castle

Part 4 of 20 in ‘The Aegean Shores’ series

From Kalamata castle
having climbed for just a mile
Several ageing fir trees there
gave respite for a while

The heat was almost tangible
but we were not complaining
As the sun shines here ‘most all the time
But at home it’s probably raining

Kalamata Heat

Part 3 of 20 in ‘The Aegean Shores’ series

I found a spot of sunshine
with no-one else around
Overlooking Grecian waters
with just the ocean sound

It was very hot – some forty plus
but pleasant in the breeze
as we sailed to Kalamata
through Mediterranean seas

Leaving Blighty

It’s getting quite exciting
watching big planes come and go
Sitting in Departures
and going with the flow
It’s quite warm here but warmer still
in Corfu where we’ll be
Waiting for our flight to board
My wife here (Sal) and me

Helios presides

In cool blue water
Sailing into Grecian sun
Helios presides

Counting the days II

I’m not past my prime
yet sometimes I feel
it takes longer these days
to recover and heal

And I know that the sun
should help me feel well
But sometimes it seems
very much the hard sell

So I think what I need
is a break well away
A bit of a rest and
a nice holiday