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The Five Senses of Greece: Sight

1/21/2010

 
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Oh, the visions of Greece! One of my favorite Grecian senses—and , I’m sure, yours too! So, without further ado, let’s get started:

1.       Everything bathed in golden light: It’s the end of another glorious day. The sun is starting to make its way down into the sea, and everything thing takes on that glorious Grecian gold. It’s no surprise that the Greeks love their gold, and, in fact, if you are fortunate enough to have your loved one call you “My gold,” then you know that you are indeed their precious beloved. If you’d like to get that picture portrait for proof of your fabled trip, then do so at this time of day. You’ll literally glow in the light.

2.       Blinding bright whites: Most of us, when we think Greece, see all of those white cubic houses that populate the Cyclades, but what we don’t realize, what we can’t realize until we’re actually there, is the blinding nature of the white due to the incredibly piecing light that I have not found in any other land. This quality of Grecian light is so unique that it attracts photographers from all over the world, and captures the imagination of such writers as Lawrence Durrell. Yes, Greece is the land of the brightest light with whites so white and colors so bright that they overwhelm your eyes.

3.       Every blue imaginable: Just when you think that you’ve figured out that particular Aegean blue, or the clear deep sky blue of autumn, the light changes and the blues change with it. I’ve lost my soul in several layers of tempting sea blues, and, at other times, lost my body as well. I’ve witnessed many, myself included, who have literally jumped off the boat to swim in exactly that one particularly enchanting blue.

4.       Playful dancing streaks of  light across the sea: The dazzling dance of light on each drop of sea water is so captivating that I’ve asked God to reincarnated me as that particular light. It isn’t too great a leap before you’d swear you’re watching angels.
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5.       Piercingly pink bouganvillas and blood-red poppies against a dry wheat-colored landscape: The bouganvillas are everywhere. The blood-red poppies make their appearance at Easter. See Red Poppies, Greek Easter.

6.       Red earth, white marble: This is the land of stark contrasts of earth and air and sea.

7.       The Acropolis
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8.       Lightning: It’s ubiquitous—from the set of My Life in Ruins at Delphi, to the goat-populated mountain-tops, to the small sea-side harbors. 

9.       The brightest stars, the ever-present moon, and the blackest nights: Just as the brilliant light turns everything dazzling white, its absence makes the moon and stars their brightest, and, conversely, the nights their darkest.

10.       Glorious pink sunsets: The shimmering pool that was once the sun melts into the azure sea.

Annemarie
1/21/2010 09:46:02 am

Beautiful piece, Rebecca! It brings back so many colorful memories of Greece for me. I photographed a beautiful waterfront taverna in Mykonos and a gorgeous Poros sunset and their incredible hues still adorn my walls. The most amazing shade of blue that I swam in was off of Hydra. There is a great picture in my album of six 'mermaids' waving during that particular swim. What a warm memory for a chilly January evening...

Rebecca link
1/21/2010 10:35:21 am

Thanks Annemarie,
I'm so glad that you liked it. Doesn't Greece make us all photographers?! I took my first Greek pics with a plastic-lensed camera! The pictures came out so well that some still adorn my bedroom walls.
Have you been to my twitter page? My twitter background in a pic that I took of the Aegean. It's one of my favorites. Check it out: http://twitter.com/rebeccaelia.

Rebecca link
1/21/2010 10:38:03 am

Oops.
You have to drop the period at the end of the link to get to my twitter page:
http://twitter.com/rebeccaelia
Sorry about that!

Brenda Ropoulos link
1/22/2010 05:23:30 am

Rebecca! What a great piece and oh so true! It is the most amazing place in the world for just standing and *looking* ... it seems as though every wave, every sunset, every cloud, every ruin and stone carry their own sense of visual drama. I have so many "favorites" I can no longer objectively and credibly use the word! Thanks for sharing this.

Giassas!
Brenda

Rebecca link
1/22/2010 08:59:35 am

Thank you, Brenda. I completely agree with you. Lots of drama and beauty. Now I'm Greece-sick.

Yeia sou!
Rebecca

Marjory link
1/25/2010 04:05:07 am

I love these series Rebecca!! All the senses mingling together in an experience of synesthesia! Lovely. I visited Rhodes, Athens and Mykonos once, did not spend enough to notice every piece of the symphony so to speak, but I know I want to be back to that magical land, it felt like home.

Rebecca link
1/25/2010 04:32:57 am

Thank you Marjory. I can imagine that Greece is very much like your beautiful magical home.


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