The Cafe Break

Trekking around Greek Islands in search of photogenic cats and other interesting distractions can burn a lot of calories, especially with a full photo backpack in tow.

This image is from a small cafe just down the way a bit from the Hotel Philippi on Mykonos island. We stopped here several times during our stay to enjoy the chocolate-filled pastries baked fresh daily, not to mention the cappuccino and espresso.

I made this image with a 35mm lens (approx. 50mm equivalent), set wide open at f/2 to minimize the depth of field. I'm sure I was very close to the minimum focusing distance of this lens.

(Photo Tip: If you're going to take 'food pictures' while traveling, just remember to do it before you and your travel mates devour everything on the table.)

The Cat and the Junked Car

I was hiking up to some good high vantage points over the main port town of Mykonos one morning when I came across this fellow. He was exploring this field - probably on a morning hunt - and stayed still long enough for me to grab some shots with a telephoto zoom lens. He didn't seem to be a very trusting sort, so I stayed back in order to keep him from running off.

The reddish car in the background was an abandoned 'junker' vehicle that had probably been there for years. I wouldn't be at all surprised if it serves as a bit of a shelter for stray cats in the area during bad weather, etc.

In the Garden

This cat was a happy resident of Hotel Philippi on the island of Mykonos. The hotel has a wonderful large garden in its back courtyard area, which the cat liked to explore for hours on end. We stayed in this hotel for three days, and saw her roaming the garden on several occasions as we came and went.

Here's a portrait of her relaxing in the shade next to a stone planter. I have another image that shows her in a more interesting pursuit - but that will come later.

The Cubbyhole

It was a hot afternoon on Naxos, and Melissa and I were exploring the labyrinthine Kastro area of the main port town. We came upon a massive old crumbling stone wall about 50 feet off to one side of us, separated from the pedestrian area by a weed-filled field. In the middle of the wall was a single rectangular opening, several feet off the ground. Inside that opening was a single black cat.

One thing is certain: Greek cats are experts at finding cool shady resting places during midday hours. Could this be the same black cat that liked to visit our patio at Hotel Grotta (not very far from here)? Hard to say.

Given the distance between us and the cat above, I used a Pentax telephoto zoom lens racked all the way out to 200mm (300mm equivalent) to get this shot.