Agüimes

Agüimes was not a major tourist destination, but following careful restoration of the old town, it has become a beautiful example of a traditional Canarian hill town.

The tonally shaded streets of the old town exude timeless atmosphere with bronze street statues and sculptures hidden around corners, ready to be discovered.

The subtle yellows, oranges, peaches and ochre tones of the old town walls create a warm, almost soporific effect.

I love the wall they plaster around the stones, leaving a pleasing asymmetrical effect.

Then a sudden shot of deep red blazes against the blue sky.

Las palmas

Exploring the capital city of Las palmas today.

Below is the Cathedral of Santa Ana. Also known as the Holy Cathedral-Basilica of Canary or Cathedral of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

I like the unusual geometric patterning to the wall paint and there’s plenty of little tiled details to enjoy too.

Below is one of the most iconic architectural sights in Las Palmas.

This colonial-style mansion in Las Palmas’ old town is known as the Casa de Colón (Columbus’ House).

Marvellous mosaics

Just a post dedicated entirely to some amazing mosaics that we found while exploring Port de Mogan!

If you can tear yourself away from the picturesque harbour and head upwards you might be lucky enough to stumble across this colourful joy!

This magical place is the Volver House of Mosaics. It was a guesthouse at one point, but I am not sure if you can still stay there or not.

Needless to say it is an incredible source of colourful joy to me and my camera!

Puerto de Mogán

Puerto de Mogán is an incredibly picturesque fishing village and popular marina in Gran Caneria.

It’s marina is surrounded by picture postcard perfect houses all in white with colourful stripes around the windows and walls.

Everywhere you look there are gardens full of colourful bougainvillea, palm trees, bird-of-paradise flowers, hibiscus and other rainbow bright plants.

It’s got a far more laid back vibe than the main tourist spots, with people whiling away the hours nursing a sangeria in one of the mariana restaurants, or promenading past the shops.

Sand dunes

Next up a taste of the desert with the sand dunes at Maspalomas.

Covering an area of 404-hectares (1,000-acre) in the area of the municipality of San Bartolomé de Tirajana, they have been protected as a nature reserve since 1987.

The dunes were formed by sand from the now subdued marine shelf, when it laid dry during the last ice age.

The wind blew the sand towards the coast of the island and created this incredible taste of the desert!

It’s giving us a little taste of the saharan adventure we’re having later this year in Morocco!

It’s making me feel a bit parched now so off for a cuppa!

Epidaurus Amphitheatre

The Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus is regarded as the best preserved ancient theatre in Greece due to its perfect acoustics and incredible complete structure.

It was built around the late 4th century BC. Originally the theatre had 34 rows of seats divided into 34 blocks by stairs and walkways.

Because of its incredibly engineered acoustics, actors could be perfectly heard by all 15,000 spectators – you can even hear the sound of a pin dropping!

Napflion

Gorgeous little Napflion is a colourful town with an impressive fortress.

Bourtzi fortress is an impressive structure that is worth the short boat trip.

The Venetian fortress stands on the rocky islet of Agioi Theodoroi.

During the Venetian rule it was connected to Akronafplia through a huge metal chain that secured the port against enemy ship attacks.

Napflion itself is a maze of pretty streets, cafes and eye candy for a happy snapper like me!

It also holds the prestigious title of being the first capital of the newly born Greek state between 1823 and 1834.

According to mythology, the town was founded by Nafplios, the son of god Poseidon and the daughter of Danaus (Danaida) Anymone.

The hubby is not so sure about our new hire car . . ..

Enjoy some more random colourful street scenes to round up our whistle stop tour of this pretty little town.