A small pedestrian area in the center of Nicosia is fully painted with graffitis, looking like completed works of modern art. There are no graffitis on Nicosian walls like in the Greek cities, apart from a few unaesthetic slogans. Until last year, Pythonos street was overwhelmed by the nightlife pulse, full of tables of neighbouring cafes and bars. This year it was almost abandonded, with just one bar in the end of the road. Most probably, these graffitis will be ruined by the weather conditions of the restorations of surrounding buildings, on the walls of which they are painted. (Photos-Text: George Zafeiropoulos-www.greecewithin.com)

An International Contemporary Art Convention took place between the 13th and 16th of September in Zappeion Megaron of Athens. It is an annual event of a growing popularity. Zappeion was overwhelmed by thousands of visitors, a fact proving the big interest of Greeks for modern art. Exhibits were so many that it would take hours to see all, while the willingness of the artists themselves to help the visitors on their works was impressive also. The selection of the art on this album is not at all representantive; images of the works were taken with minimal equipment.

Despite being the second in size island of the Cyclades, after Naxos, it is rather less promoted than most of the islands, thus remaining intact by the mass touristic invasion and keeping its historical classiness and architectural magic. It is very close to Athens, inhabited since 4000 BC. It has considerable vegetation, compared to the rest of the Cyclades, and it is very often affected by strong northern winds, which make life and sailing too hard; but on the other hand, offer coolness and an amazing clarity to the atmosphere, pleasing photographers the most. A reader of greecewithin.com, Giannis Psaroulis, provided us some of the images he shot a few days ago in Andros. We publish them with delight and we congratulate him for his photographic skills.

That warm day of August the sky was crystal clear in Kymi and nothing gave the wild outburst of the weather that would follow. This area is facing the open Aegean Sea. The landscape is wild, with mountains and vertical shores beside the sea. Most days of the year the sea is agitated with enormous waves, due to the strong winds.

A Cyclades island of unique aesthetic, in a distance of just one and a half hour from Lavrio, Attica. It is offering a simple beauty and images of soft curves, without any tall mountain; just hills of serene outlines. A calm and terse place, carefree and least complicated, ideal for an honest relaxation. A friend of our page from Thessaloniki, Anastasia Mytileka, was charmed by Kythnos and provided us with some of the photos she captured from it the previous days. Using simple photographic means, she made us a partaker of the island’s magic. We thank her and we congratulate her for her photographic skill.

After each big wave the passengers on the boat were shouting: "Well done captain, may the Seven Children bless you". The captain was a young man, smiling awkwardly, holding strongly the boat's wheel. This strong shake didn't last more than ten minutes, the calmness returned while the boat got into the arc of the volcano’s caldera.

It is an old festival of 15th of August, close to Tripolis, lasting a week. Its origins can be found in the times of the Frankish rule, many centuries ago, and it is dedicated to the Assumption of Mary. It is a vast bazaar in which one can literally find anything; from clothes and pots to jewelry and toys. It is also an endless grill shop (and crematorium) of female pork, called “gournopoula”, as well as a sweetshop. The noisy funfair also, a place of gathering for young children, is of a particular interest and fun. In the older years, the festival would be chaotic and exotic, full of dust and noise, with a Round of Death, voluptuous singers, drums and clarinets; nowadays one could say it is rather modernized and has lost most its special charm.

In 1942, during the Occupation of the Germans and the Italians, a 13-year-old boy in Tripolis saved the bones of Theodoros Kolokotronis, the revolutionary leader of 1821 against the Ottomans, putting his life at immense risk. After 77 years, this man tells us this breathtaking story.

Artemis Hatzigiannaki is a talented notary with a talent in painting, who evolved into a remarkable painter. Her favorite themes are Smyrna and Athens, which she represents with a unique sensitivity and originality.

When looking from above, from the village of Kandalos, it looks like a blue hole in the dark brown fields of Tegea. It consists of a central artificial reservoir of water that floods around it from the waters of endless rains of winter. The Tripolis plateau is a haven of wildlife and archaic beauty, which in the winter is plagued by the merciless cold. When the north wind blows, the atmosphere is clear as glass and nature is crystallized and silent.

Pamvotida Lake magically attracts photographers and especially in winter inspires them to experiment in black and white photography. All year round offers atmospheric images, but in the foggy days resembles an endless open photo plateau. Grays are so rich, that the few colors look like unnecessary gems that do not serve much in anything.

"There are many Turkish, American and European schools in Constantinople, which are really outstanding. None of those, though, can compete with the glory of The Great School of the Nation. Whoever graduates this school has his soul marked to the end of his days".

Legendary natural lake next to the sea on the coastal zone of Athens. It is where a huge underwater cave and a labyrinthine tunnel network of unknown total length begin. Famous divers from Greece and abroad have so far explored tunnels with a total length of 3.1 km. Eight divers have lost their lives in their efforts to solve the mysteries of the lake, thus access to the cave by non-experts has been banned since 1995. However, bathing in the lake is still safe and allowed. The depth of the lake reaches 80 meters and the temperature of its brackish water varies from 22 to 29 degrees Celsius. It is a wetland of special natural beauty, part of the NATURA network and protected by the RAMSAR treaty. The water of the lake is healing, so it attracts many visitors, who enjoy a therapeutic bath in the enchanting environment. Inside the water live small black fishes, of the Garra Rufa family, who surround the bathers and exfoliate them. Until some decades ago, visitors of the lake were mainly elderly aristocrats from Athens, but during recent years it has attracted bigger and more modern parts of the population. It is also preferred by visitors from mainland European countries, who trust and practice alternative healing therapies.

A famous beachside resort in Pieria with an endless beach, many kilometers long. It’s almost impossible to see this beach filled with people. At dusk, the scenery changes dramatically. The sky darkens, no breeze can be felt and the sea suddenly becomes calm. One can take interesting photos at this time of day. Photographers always feel small and lonely in endless Macedonian beaches. Macedonia is one of the most unique regions of Greece. This is why its beaches are the talk of the town during the summer.

The historic centre of Kalamata, with its old houses and narrow alleys, brings back nostalgic memories that enchant photographers. The area behind the church "Ypapanti Sotiros" and the small byzantine church of "Agioi Apostoloi" looks like a residential oasis: Traditional shops that sell kerchiefs, hats and pasteli sweets (traditional Greek honey and sesame bars) and many small ouzeri (Greek taverns) which serve tasty mezedes (finger food). And all this, situated conveniently close to the new, modern Kalamata - a beautiful city with low buildings and filled with bougainvillea, stretching along the tropical sea.