A Realist Adjusts the Sail: Patmos #1

On our way back into Greek waters from Kursadasi, Turkey, I was along side the ship as the students, not allowed to go to Turkey, boarded the ship to continue on to Patmos. On Patmos I was going on the tour to St. John's Monastery and Grotto of the Apocalypse. I'm splitting this stop at Patmos into two parts. There are too many photos that I like, that I want to share, to put them into one post.

First there is the view of the harbor. It was a wonderful contrast of blues and whites, with a sprinkle of green. It was everything that Greece is known for. At the Grotto, we were not supposed to take photos inside. I was standing back to allow the more religious of the group to be closer. All of a sudden, one after another, people started to reach up and put their hands on the cave ceiling and into the crevices. It WAS moving to think that this was the place that St John wrote the Book of Revelation and predicted the Apocalypse. During the winter months on Patmos, we were told that the wind howls around the island as though the world is coming to an end. I took one snap of the camera, no flash, hoping to get the moment, not the details. I hope I have not offended.

Back outside, and into the narrow streets on the island headed to our next stop. The people on my tour were so gracious to allow me to photograph scenes with few, or no, people in my field of view. And the tour guides really did a good job of shuttling their groups in a way that each group didn't overlap another group. Yes, there could be a lot of groups in a single location, but as you can see, our guide timed our visits to a site so that we were one of the first to arrive. Thank you Smartours and Granville (our guide).