6 Examples of Texture in Travel Pictures

#TRAVELPICS 
the travel photography chat/share on Twitter

Monday we joined #TRAVELPICS chat on Twitter for a fun packed hour exchanging ideas and travel photos with like-minded posters. The theme was “texture” and participants shared their own travel pics about the theme and answered pre-arranged questions. Here are our replies.

Follow us on Twitter: @ChrisPappinMCC
 

Q1: What are elements that add texture to make your travel photos stand out?

A1: @AntiTourist #travelpics Cloud sky waves color water rocks buildings streets mountains are all elements that add texture #Mykonos #Greece #ttot

These first two images were captured during our 12-Night Mediterranean & Greek Isles Cruise

Q2: Whether it’s snow in a forest or tiles on a home, show us a travel photo that’s all about texture.

A2: @AntiTourist #travelpics   Acropolis a Journey Into Antiquity  http://bit.ly/1zBWs8Y #Athens #Greece #cruise #ttot

Q3: Share a photo of yours that shows off texture in a unusual fashion: shadows, birds, abstract patterns…

A3: #travelpics Glacier ice flowing in #Hubbard Bay #Alaska has interesting patterns #ttot #cruise

Photography opportunities abound in Alaska. As our ship cruised through Hubbard Bay, we emerged from our balcony cabin to capture floating chunks of glacier ice like this.

Q4: Interesting people lead texture to photos, stories, & experiences. Share a photo or tale of a bizarre or memorable encounter!

A4: #travelpics A Man & His Donkey http://bit.ly/1oY2adZ shores #Mykonos #Greece #ttot #cruise #photography

Click on the link above to learn more about this experience in Mykonos.  If you click on these images, you'll see larger versions of them which will help show the #textures we captured.

Q5: Specific or general, what’s something that has added texture to your travels? Get creative!

A5: @AntiTourist #travelpics Add special effects in the digital dark room to enhance your travel #photography http://bit.ly/1mOQjQY #ttot

The instructions were to be creative, so we dug into our archives and selected an image where we'd taken one of our photos and using a photo editor turned it into an entirely different image.   Click on the link to learn more about how this and other examples shared in that post could become a part of your travel portfolio.

 

Q6: Textures add interest to landscapes near and far. From your backyard to travels abroad, share a “colorful” photo!

A6: #travelpics Buildings & Streets of #Bergen #Norway composed of many colors & textures #ttot #photography

Our final example has a mixture of color and textures along with people to make a very appealing image.  Bergen is one of our favorite ports in Norway.  It can easily be explored on your own and there are plenty of photo spots to add to your enjoyment.

We only had an hour to share some of our #texture images.  The time passes so quickly during the chat.  Hunting through our archives to prepare for the chat brings back memories of our trips.

We hope that this has sparked your interest in taking your photography to a new level.  Follow the weekly #travelpics chat on Twitter for more ideas on this and other travel topics.   We'd love to hear your ideas as well, or better yet, join us for the next chat.

Thank you to this week's co-hosts: @AntiTourist, @TheTravelCamel, @Sihpromatum, @VibrantIreland, and @travellingmolly.

Have you seen the  #travelpics recap? http://bit.ly/17RRaFq

Join us for #travelpics on Monday's at 3 PM ET every week for a fun-filled hour related to travel and photography. 

Diary of Cruise with Chris to Greek Isles

 

Virtual Cruise with Chris

12-Night Mediterranean

& Greek Isles Cruise

Star Princess

May 30 - June 11, 2011

Our 12-Night Mediterranean & Greek Isles Cruise began in Rome, Italy with a two night pre-cruise stay.  We then took a train to Civitavecchia, Italy, where we boarded Princess Cruises' Star Princess for our cruise throughout the region.   The cruise concluded with an overnight stay in Venice, Italy.   The next morning we departed Venice for Rome via train for another day exploring the eternal city before heading home the next morning.   Click on the Blog Posts and FB Photo Albums to virtually journey with us on our trip.

	Port	Blog Posts	Photo Albums
1	Pre-Cruise Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy	Our Rome Adventure Begins Day 1 Pre-cruise in Rome Exploring Palatine Hill and Roman Forum When in Rome Relaxing at Trevi Fountain Visiting Vatican Museum St. Peter's Basilica - Vatican Special Vatican Exhibit Pope John Paul II Walking Tour of Rome from Vatican As Night Falls in Rome Rome to Civitavecchia by Train Sail Away From Civitavecchia	Rome - Colosseum Album Palatine Hill - Roman Forum Trevi Fountain Vatican Museum Line Vatican Museum Part 2 St. Peter's Vatican Pope John Paul II Exhibit Walking from Vatican Piazza Navona  Rome at Night
	Monte Carlo, Monaco	Cruising to Monte Carlo Monaco Monaco Grand Prix Track Excursion to Eze	Monte Carlo Off the Beaten Path - Eze
3	Florence/Pisa (Livorno), Italy	Off the Beaten Path Lucca Italy	Lucca - Walking Tour  Lucca - Church of San Michele in Foro  Lucca Duomo (Cathedral of St Martin )
4	Naples/Capri, Italy	Naples/Capri, Italy Amalfi Coastal Cruise Exploring A Lost City From Ancient Ruins to Shells in Napoli	Naples/Capri Arrival Drive to Salerno Amalfi Coastal Cruise Exploring Amalfi Drive to Pompeii / Lunch Exploring Pompeii Cameo Factory
5	At Sea	Star Princess Main Dining Room	Star Princess Food
6	Santorini, Greece	SantoWines Santorini Greece Village of Oia, Santorini Greece Continuing Santorini Exploration in Fira Sunset on Santorini	Santo Winery - Santorini Drive to Oia - Santorini Village of Oia Village of Fira Santorini Sunset
7	Mykonos, Greece	Images of Mykonos Kalafati Beach in Mykonos Panagia Tourliani Monastery Mykonos Windmills and Little Venice Mykonos Town Walking Tour Meet Petros - Mascot of Mykonos A Man and His Donkey	Kalafati Beach Panagia Tourliani Monastery Returning to Port of Mykonos Mykonos Countryside Mykonos Walking Tour
8	Athens (Piraeus), Greece	The Acropolis a Journey Into Antiquity Plaka The Neighborhood of the Gods Lunch at Metropolitan Hotel Athens Athens City of Contrasts Along The Attica Coast Temple of Poseidon Overlooks Aegean Sea	The Acropolis The Plaka Lunch Buffet - Athens Central Athens Scenic Attica Coast  Temple of Poseidon
9	Katakolon (Olympia), Greece	Step Back in Time to Ancient Olympia	Ancient Olympia Archeological Site
10	Corfu, Greece	Achilleion Palace Corfu	Achilleion Palace Corfu Town
11	Split, Croatia	Off the Beaten Path Krka National Park	KRKA National Park & Waterfalls Adriatic Coastal Drive to Krka
12	Venice, Italy	Concordia Disaster Rekindles Venice Restrictions Venice in Spring and Winter Sailing Into Venice by Cruise Ship Exploring Venice at Night	Arriving in Venice by Cruise Ship Venice Walking Tour Part 1 Venice Walking tour - Part 2 Venice - Evening 64 photos Venice at Dusk  38 photos Venice at Night  50 photos
13	Venice, Italy to Rome, Italy Post-Cruise	Venice Cruise Terminal to Pizzale Roma People Mover from Cruise Terminal Arriving Back in Rome  Back Home from Mediterranean Cruise	Venice to Rome by Train 39 photos

As you can see from the itinerary, this was a very port intensive cruise vacation.  As usual, when we travel "over the pond" to Europe, we like to arrive a couple days early so that we can extend our time there while getting accustomed to the time change.  In order to obtain round-trip airline tickets, it was necessary to return to Rome, Italy from Venice following the cruise.   This allowed us to spend another day in Rome and also made the trip a lot less stressful since we didn't have to worry about missing our flight home.

We hope that you enjoy your virtual journey with us to the Greek Isles.   As you can see, we haven't completed all the ports of call yet, so be sure to visit again for the updates.  Even better, "Like" us on Facebook so that you'll be notified as we post more pictures and stories.

A Man and His Donkey

Mykonos Town

Along the Harbour

It's a beautiful Sunday afternoon as we stroll along the harbour front of Mykonos Town.   This is our final installment, at least for now, in our series about our visit here during our Star Princess 12 Night Greek Isles and Mediterranean Cruise.

Mykonos is one of the most popular islands in Greece, and it is also one of the most famous islands. Many people think that the pictures from Mykonos Town are the symbol of Greece: tiny narrow alleyways lined by whitewashed houses with blue doors and windows. 

The Greek Tourist Office often use photos from Mykonos when they promote Greece. Many of the photos we've shown you thus far could entice you to visit Mykonos.

 

In reality, Mykonos needs little sales promotion. People from all over the world come here to swim and sunbathe at the fabulous beaches, shop in the boutiques, eat in the tavernas and cafes along the waterfront, or enjoy the high-energy night-life.

A Man and His Donkey

But for us, this Greek man riding upon his donkey, dressed in his Sunday best, is one of the images we want to remember.  We've told you about Petros the Pelican and the tradition surrounding him.  Here is another tradition that is still alive today in Mykonos.  We might have seen this same gentleman, with his donkey, selling vegetables in the alleyways early in the morning.   Now he is enjoying the fruits of his labors, along with his donkey, by the harbour.   He is happy to stop for tourists that want to take a photograph.   

This is the true Greece - a land rich in history and tradition, still carried out by its inhabitants and shared with the people from all over the world that explore its shores.   Come explore the shores of Mykonos yourself and spend some time learning about this beautiful country and its people.  We are glad that we had the chance to visit.

Our adventure continues in the ancient city of Athens, Greece.   Continue your virtual cruise through the Greek Isles via our blog and Facebook Fan Page photo albums.   We truly hope you are enjoying the journey thus far and perhaps will be able to visit yourself some day in the future.

Additional photos can be found on our Facebook Albums.




Click on the image to the left for more Blog posts about this trip.

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Meet Petros - Mascot of Mykonos

Petros the Pelican

When you are in Alevkantra, the small sand beach in front of Venetia (Little Venice), or strolling through the harbour area of Mykonos Town, you may notice a local inhabitant that grabs your attention. Of course, we are talking about Petros (Peter) the Pelican who is particularly fond of both of these areas of Mykonos.

An integral part of the island of Mykonos and its folklore, Petros has officially been declared its mascot. Living here since 1954 after the original pelican passed away, following a 30 year residency., Petros wanders the neighborhoods frolicking in the waterways. Everyone in Mykonos, including visitors from abroad, adores and admires the pelican. The children love to play with the pelican, and tourists gather around to take a few photographs.

Legend has it that more than 40 years ago a local fisherman stumbled upon a wounded Pelican whom he decided to nurture back to health. Once the Pelican regained his strength, the fisherman tried to set him free. But surprisingly, the Pelican did not become airborne to his destined abode. Instead he made Mykonos his home. With every passing day, the cute creature became the cynosure of all eyes and became a celebrity.

The sight of the Pelican is a joy to behold, and during our visit as we wandered through Mykonos, we were fortunate to see him perched on a small row boat, enjoying the attention he was receiving. Petros has a good life it seems, as local fisherman offer the choicest of fresh sea fish to the Pelican from their daily catches. Our album, Mykonos Walking Tour, has some more pictures of Petros along with the sights that he sees as he wanders through his home town of Mykonos.

Additional photos can be found on our Facebook Albums.




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Mykonos Town Walking Tour

Mykonos Town (Chora)

Walking Tour

Mykonos Town (Chora) is a prime example of Cycladic architecture. It consists of narrow whitewashed alleyways, small churches, white houses with wooden doors and windows and brightly colored balconies.

Leaving our motorcoach behind, we walked along the harbour until we entered the enchanting town itself.  Splashes of color on balconies, doors, and staircases contrasted with the white buildings almost bringing them to life.   It was as if they were calling us to explore more closely.


In the colorful harbour we saw small fishing boats and yachts coexisting with the larger cruise ships, including our own Star Princess.  Taverns, Greek restaurants (ouzeris), cafes and shops lined the main coastal street as we followed our guide, listening to the historical information and learning more about the main attractions along our path.

We saw an elderly gentleman riding a donkey and the town's mascot pelican, Petros, who were both posing for pictures. You can read more about them in another post.

The crown jewel of our walk to Little Venice was the Panagia Paraportiani (Our Lady of the Postern Gate), the most famous of the many churches of Mykonos.  It actually consists of  five churches, four comprise its base and the fifth is built as the dome on the top. Widely photographed, you won't want to miss the opportunity to capture it with your own lens.

Panagia Paraportiani is located on Ayion Anargyron, near the folk museum in Little Venice, Mykonos Town. After getting our photographs, we continued to explore Mykonos Windmills and Little Venice before starting our return to the ship.

This quaint Greek town had come to life for us this day, basking in sunlight with its buildings framed by the sea and the clear blue sky.  We couldn't have asked for a more perfect day to enjoy our stroll.

The images here are just a sampling of those memories which we captured for all eternity on digital "film".  Visit our Facebook Fan Page to see our photo albums:  Mykonos Walking Tour and Returning to Port of Mykonos.

There is much more yet to come from our 12-Night Mediterranean & Greek Isles Cruise Adventure.

Additional photos can be found on our Facebook Albums.




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Panagia Tourliani Monastery

Leaving the splashing waters of the Aegean Sea behind we boarded  our motor-coach for the ride between Kalafati Beach and the charming village of Ano Mera at the center of the island, home to the lovely ...

Panagia Tourliani Monastery

Originally built in 1542 and dedicated to the Virgin Mary, this monastery was our next stop. It has impressive architecture, whitewashed exterior and colored dome which have long charmed visitors from around the world. As we walked from our motor-coach, we could only see the bell tower rising to the sky.   Even when we got closer, the bell tower and arches above the entrance still dominated the scene.

Inside the Monastery

Making our way inside the monastery church, we light a small candle, getting the flame from one that was already burning.   This gesture is a way of presenting your petitions to God.

The church is only large enough for one or two small groups to enter at a time.   The cruise line  made special arrangements for us to be able to visit.   It is obvious that some restoration is in progress as evidenced  by areas that were covered in plastic sheets and blocked by wooden barriers.   Consequently it was more difficult to navigate through the small church, necessitating a horseshoe shaped traffic flow in one direction.  Perhaps that was actually a blessing as it controlled our movements, making sure that the exquisite artwork was not overlooked.

In the interior of the church, we can see an impressive wooden iconostasis (altar screen) made in 1775 by Florentine artists.  The screen is decorated with green, red and golden flowers.

There are icons of apostles and saints on the iconostasis as well as scenes from the New Testament.  The hanging incense holders are decorated with silver dragons having red eggs in their mouth, which show the Eastern influence.

Once again, words cannot adequately describe the beauty before us in this tiny little church within the monastery.   We have shared several of our images on our Facebook Fan Page in the Panagia Tourliani Monastery Album.

Following our visit to the church, we continued our tour of the exterior grounds of the monastery, ending up in the town square where shops and busy cafes were found.  

We walked through the farmer's market en route to the motor-coach.   The small parking area was completely filled this Sunday morning with cars and motor-coaches.   In fact, several motor-coaches were lined up in a row.  Traffic was coming from all directions and the drivers of the cars didn't want to wait for us to get out of their way and tried to figure out how to get around us.   Our driver certainly earned his wages navigating through this very crowded parking area.  We all cheered for the driver when he was out of the snarled traffic.

We will continue our virtual Mykonos journey in another post.   Until then, visit our Facebook page to look at some of the pictures of our Mediterranean adventure thus far.

Additional photos can be found on our Facebook Albums.




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Where have you explored? 

Gather your travel and food pics and join us every Wednesday night for the latest installment of #FoodTravelChat