Summer '10 Snapshots! (pic heavy)

Hey everyone! Remember me? :)
Yes, that's right, I 'm back!


First of all, I need to thank you all for still being here, but even more so, for your support and your comments & messages that I 've received during this time, you guys blew me away! I didn't really think that anyone would actually miss me and my ramblings, but, to my surprise, I was proven wrong!

I still feel hesitant to address the issues that led me to take that break, but to give you all an idea, they were all related to this huge umbrella of "beauty blogging drama" in one way or another. Of course, the issues are still there, I just realised that I need to change my perspective in a way that the drama won't affect me - meaning you 'll probably see this blog altering its direction ever so slightly.

But enough with that, this post is all about (my) summer and the pictures I took on my mini summer vacation in Preveza (Preveza is a part of Greece's mainland, across the islands of Paxi and Antipaxi, which are inbetween Corfu and Lefkada to give you a rough idea).

So, this summer...





I engaged in some (safe) sunbathing, meaning only in the afternoon and with high spf that I renewed everytime after swimming.
I painted my toes with Essie's Vermillionaire.




I enjoyed the sea, even though the waves made swimming more of a proper workout than a relaxing activity.




I drank many iced coffees and lemon vodka granitas at the beach (I could seriously drink this stuff all day)!
My fingernails got reacquainted with Essie's Punchy Pink (and because the neon-ness of this shade wouldn't show in this lighting I will feature it in a future post).




I stayed at the beach until very late and watched more than a few sunsets. I love the beach even more when it's deserted!




I did some sightseeing: the next set of pictures were taken at the Nekromantio at Acheron river - Acheron river is where Greek mythology and ancient writers place the gates of Hades (underworld) and the Nekromantio is ensentually the sanctuary in which the living would interact with the souls of the dead.
The small christian church above it was built in the late 16th century and it was the archaeological excavations of the church that brought the Nekromantio to light.





The Nekromantio's oldest findings date back to the 14th century BC, but it was not until 200-100 BC that it took its final form. One can still now see and go through the various rooms: rooms for the priests, rooms for the pilgrims, storage rooms and rooms for the actual ritual activites.




This is a storage room, one of many. The purpose of the jars was to collect the offerings of the pilgrims to the gods of the under world. These may seem small in the photo, but believe me, they 're not, there's jars large enough there that could fit two or three of me, no joke!




The pilgrims would have to stay there for many days, as long as the priests would see fit and their diets were dictated by the priests as well - possibly foods with hallucinatory qualities. Only then, and after they had completed the offerings and sacrifices, were they allowed to communicate with the dead. The hallway up to that is basically a labyrinth, as shown in the photo above, one that symbolised the path to the underworld and would of course make sure of the pilgrim's fragile state of mind.




This is the actual room in which the pilgrims would call upon the souls of the dead to help them make a decision or ask them a crucial question. The room is actually right below the ground, quite literally the underworld! It's very imposing with its stone arches and rocky floor, but more importantly due to its history, it's hard to grasp that ancient people had actually been in that room asking for oracles....kind of eerie, don't you think?





This is me exiting the labyrinth (and a proof that I engaged in very safe sunbathing
, lol)!




Trying to find a shadow to sit under, yep, that's me under that huge olive tree!




And this is sth for my Greek readers: a sign that we randomly found on our way, so naturally we had to take pictures of it! Don't ask, none of it makes sense to me either, guess every village has it's crazy person!


And there you have it guys! That was it for my summer (for the most part)!
Thanx for making it this far!


Do let me know what you did this summer in the comments!

Any places you visited or plan on visiting?


What's your opinion?

  1. Yaaaay! Glad to see you back, doll! You're one of my very favorites, you know :) Love the pics and the history, you're so lucky you live in a place with such amazing ancient history and mythology! So cool! That granita looks delicious! And you look beautiful as well! Glad you had such a nice trip xoxoxox

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  2. lovely pics! im off camping cant waaaait!

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  3. Lovely pictures hun!!See you had a great time on vacation!!!You look so pretty and love the hair!!Nails...gorgeous!Great post!
    Hugs!!!1

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  4. Kalo fthnipwro loipon !!!!!! nice pics !!!!!!!

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  5. Awww, I'm so happy to see your post up Hun!
    OMG the two pictures of the seaside that you took at Preveza is sooo beautiful! Wow I don't think I've seen a sunset with colours like that along the horizon. I'm like you - I honestly prefer beaches when they're nearly deserted.
    Love both your Essie manicure and pedicure colours - very summer-ish!
    That must have been really neat to check out the ruins at the Nekromantio. Sounds so eerie though with all the talks about communicating with the dead :/
    LOL at your comment on the Greek sign about a crazy person in every village
    Hmmm, I don't think I'll be travelling much anywhere for the rest of the summer. It's already been a bit breezy here the past few days so it feels like Autumn is approaching! Time flies! But so far I went to Vegas, Kansas City and Pennsylvania this summer. I do hope to travel somewhere though before the year is out :) Not sure where yet, I'm really easy as long as the company is nice! Looking forward to your future blog posts Hun.

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  6. Hey! I'm glad you're back :) Punchy Pink is stunning on you! I can't wait to hit the Greek sun too in 3 weeks!
    x

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  7. @ellamarie84: Hey my love! :) Thank you for the welcoming! :) Lol! Yes, it was a much needed mini vacation, nth can relax me more than a few days at the beach! Sea and mythology, we have plenty of both, lol! :) Good to be back! xxx


    @Kerrymarie: Thank you dear! :) Have fun camping! xx


    @Blushingloves: Thanx doll!!! I just wish I had more days, oh well, maybe next year! Thanks for the compliments too (and to think that I only used foundation etc for evenings out, I was usually practically bare-faced for the rest of the day)! Guess relaxation can help the skin better than powders, lol! :) xxx


    @Mairyliscious: Eisai h prwth pou mou to eyxetai ayto! Kalo fthinopwro loipon kai se sena kopela mou! And thank you! :) xxx

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  8. Getting a break and bouncing back fresh is definitely a good idea.

    I love the nail polish, the photos and the place. :)

    Join our giveaway to win a fabulous dress. :)

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  9. Ohh looks like you had an amazing time! And I love that pink nail polish! x

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  10. @Supergirl: Thank you girl, nice to be back! :) x


    @Karen: Aw Karen, always love your comments, glad I 'm back, *virtual blog hug*, lol! :)
    Yes, the beaches are even better when empty, lol, especially for a beach lover like myself, since you can enjoy the slight breeze and the sound of the waves SO much better! It's like relaxation at its best!
    Lol, the thing abt crazy ppl in every village has an explanation: there's a greek idiomatic phrase that sorta implies there's each in every one, haha! But perhaps there's more, there's surely more in each city neighborhood, lol!
    Ah,the feeling of season change... autumn can be pretty, I hope we get some early autumn here as well! Hope u manage to get away one final time this year, traveling is the best way to clear one's mind!
    xxx


    @Kat O: Thank you darling! :) Hopefully I can make a post about some neon shades, but they are so tough to photograph, almost as tough as micro-glitter!
    Which place will u be visiting in 3 weeks? Hope u have a fab time!
    xx


    @gleenn: Thank you dear! Yes, a trip every now and then is definitely a must!

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  11. @Ariel: If only I had more days!!!
    Thx hun, post to follow soon! :) x

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  12. I could only dream of a Vacation in Greece!! I had read this Romantic Novel as a Teenager, which had a Greece Backdrop...Ever since, it was like this 'dream' to visit the Beautiful place...Another of my wishlist is PARIS...

    The beach and sunset is just Awesome!!

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  13. Glad to see you back...looks like you had a lot of fun:) Love the nail polish colours- especially the Essie...so pretty!

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  14. looks like you had a lovely time... i'm gonna miss summer

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  15. Xairomai pou epestrepses, mou eleipsan ta post sou!!!

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  16. how beautiful! the sky in the sunset picture looks gorgeous...I'm happy you had so much fun!

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  17. Amazing photos and i am so glad to see you back!!
    Love your hair color by the way.. should have asked for that!!!!!

    I am so with you on the lots of iced drinks during summmer.. however im scared in london cold ill die of pneumonia if i drink too many! hehe

    xox

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  18. @resham: It is nice, I can't complain, lol! Especially in the summer, although that might be a little too hot of you're not used to it!
    I hope you manage to visit your dream destinations one day! ;)
    xxxx


    @Lotus: Thank you so much, glad to be back! :) And I 'm working on a post involving one of the Essies as we speak, hehe! x


    @stella: It was really nice, I needed the relaxation, I 'm just hoping I get a few more days off next summer...! I 'm definitely gonna miss this summer too! So... kalo fthinopwro from now on I suppose! xox


    @Marietta: Aww! :) Tha prospathisw na eimai kalyterh blogger fetos, to yposxomai! :) xxx

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  19. @fantastic: That photo is a clear indication that I still have a long way ahead of me to learn all of my Nikon's settings...lol!
    Always love vacations to any beach location...if only I could do that more often! Sigh! :) xxx


    @Tali: Thank you Tali! :) The hair...well, I 'm sure it looked better before the 10 days in the sun and sea salt, the way u see it here, that's pretty much the fried after, haha (it's not a close up, wouldn't wanna scare u guys)!
    And cold drinks (with a splash of alcohol of course) are mandatory in my "summer book", lol! I can see how that's not an option in london weather tho (and in my town it's not that far off actually)! xox

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  20. glad to see you back too :) your pictures look amazing - I need to come visit greece soon.

    I think a small break is just what you need sometimes - I'll be looking forward to your ramblings!

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  21. @ladyb: Thank you doll and if you do ever come my way, you make sure to let me know! :)

    I know what you mean about taking some time off, with the busy lives we all have, our hobbies should be our happy places and if that doesn't happen, then it's time to take a break, it's not worth it if it adds more stress...! :)
    xxx

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