One of my fondest travel memories is from our first trip to Greece together. (I had been there ten years before on a tour). We stayed at the Porto Fira hotel which spills down the side of the caldera in Santorini. It was very hot, and so we generally left the window open. Frequently we would be awakened by a cat who had jumped in the window and onto our bed just below the window. I never caught his/her picture. Although I do not travel with a cat as today’s Pet Travel story does, it really didn’t seem necesssary. They are everywhere and usually ready to be friends.
Here’s the view from that Santorini window, followed by some cats I have met along the road (s). Most of these pictures come from Greece, where they are almost a trademark–you can always buy a cat calendar in the local store– but I did spot one in Ireland.
Window opening to hazy sea in the Santorini caldera, Greece
Cat nap in Irish village outside tourism office
Kitten hiding in the bushes. Oia,Santorini Greece, ignoring the view
Cat that came with the rental house in Siphnos Greece
This gang was hanging out in the alley in the town of Ermopoli, the island of Syros, Greece
I love the insouiance of a cat with his own motor bike. Syros, Greece
I linked to the Porto Fira suites in the first paragraph, but it was many years since we were there, and I notice they have gussied up their rooms. They now advertise marble bathrooms, for instance, and when we were there we loved the fact that the shower was carved right out of the rocky side of the volcano. But I’ll bet they still don’t have window screens to keep out the cats.
To learn about three wonderful books about travel with cats, read the next post for Pet Travel Thursday. And to round out our day on cats, here’s an album with a cat cover and a song about a cat, introduced by Kerry Dexter.
These travel photos of cats are my contribution to this week’s Travel Photo Thursday. You can go to Budget Traveler’s Sandbox and see lots more travel pictures from around the world. These pictures are mostly scanned, so the quality isn’t what I would prefer, but nevertheless they are mine and I would appreciate your obeying copyright regulations.
Vote for my article on WorldTravelist.com, sharing the best travel content on the web.
About the Author:
A freelance writer who loves to travel. When she is not traveling she is reading about travel. When she is not reading or traveling, she is sharing with the readers of A Traveler's Library, recreating her family's past at Ancestors In Aprons. She writes frequently for Reel Life With Jane and other websites. Also co-author of a biography, Quincy Tahoma, The Life and Legacy of a Navajo Artist. Contact Vera Marie by e-mail.
Vera Marie Badertscher – who has written 684 posts on A Traveler's Library.
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Tags: BlogSherpa, cats, Ermopoli, Greece, Oia, Porto Fira Hotel, Santorini, Siphnos, Syros, travel photos
I’m a cat lover, and there is nothing I enjoy more than encountering a cat on my travels. Also, I leave Indy at home, so I am always missing her. Love these shots.
Nancie would like you to read..Travel Photo Thursday — July 12, 2012 — A Glimpse of Budapest
Love that cat on the bike.
One of my friends, a cat owner, says cats were people in a previous life. Explains that insouiance you mention.
InsideJourneys would like you to read..Manhattanhenge 2012
Love the gang of cats photo- so cute!
Fascinating cats everywhere around the world and on vacation
Eileen Ludwig would like you to read..Fascinating Fireworks
We saw so many cats when we were on our Mediterranean cruise – and my daughter wanted to stop and watch them all! I love the pic of the cat sitting on the motor bike!
Lisa Goodmurphy would like you to read..Paris With Kids? Mais, Bien Sûr
Our cat, Scout, gets sent on a “road trip” (to be boarded) when we travel and meows her way up and down the road, to and from home.
Dick Jordan would like you to read..Stuck on The Great American Summer Road Trip
Well, I’m not a big fan of cats, but love every one of your photos. Wish I could be looking out of that window in the top pic.
Cathy Sweeney would like you to read..Featured Museum: The Forgotten Fire
Cathy: I wish I could be looking out that window, too.
Interesting that Greece is inundated with cats. I see more dogs traveling in Western Europe!
Debbie Beardsley would like you to read..Roman Trier Germany
To tell the truth, I didn’t take pictures of dogs in Greece (even though they were plentiful) because they are a sorry looking lot. I think things may be changing, but in years past dogs were abused. Many times they were called “Turk”, which is the worst insult a Greek could think of.
Great pictures, even if they were scanned.
I think we could learn a lot about how to experience a place from cats. If you’re busy scurrying around all the time, you can really miss out on many of the quiet aspects of a place.
PamelaW would like you to read..Norton the Traveling Cat Trilogy – Pet Travel Book Club
Pamela: You give lessons to learn from your dog at Something Wagging. Well, there’s lots of zen lessons to be learned from cats, that’s for sure!
Another cat lover! I should have known. I was thinking that one day I should do a post on ‘cats I have loved/met/known/seen’ and you beat me to it. Love the photos!
Jackie Smith would like you to read..TPThursday: Jewels of the “Emerald Empire"
Jackie, I’ve owned both cats and dogs in my life. Nowadays in the desert, I’m frankly afraid to keep cats because owls and coyotes like to pick them off. I’ll look forward to your cat pictures.
I was blown away with the number of feral cats in Grenada, Spain. It seems to be a real problem all over Europe – though the cats you ran into look pretty darn sweet.
Leigh would like you to read..Canada’s Most Scenic Drive: Banff to Jasper, Alberta
you might like this about my encounter with a cat in Glasgow, then: http://musicroad.blogspot.com/.....music.html
Kerry Dexter would like you to read..Thinking about songs: Eddi Reader and Moon River
Love that picture, Kerry! That cat thinks it is Queen Victoria. And I’m going to go back and link to your story of the cat album in this article.
As a cat lover I loved this post. I really like the photo of the cats hanging out in the alley.
Laurel would like you to read..How to Become a Better Photographer in Less Than 5 Minutes