Blue Skies & Sea View from Tsambikas Monastery – IPSC World Shoot
One thing I love about traveling to matches abroad is the opportunity to experience the food, culture and sights. Instead of sitting around obsessing about the competition and my performances, I took every opportunity I could to explore the beautiful island of Rhodes. To add to the fun my brother arrived the first day of the match so we were able to share the experience.
One such excursion was to the Tsambikas Monastery perched atop a peak 300 meters above sea level. We drove up halfway to the Panoramic View restaurant where we enjoyed some fine Greek cuisine before hiking up the 305 steps that lead up to the monastery, a tiny Byzantine church. There is a local legend that any woman who faces challenges with conceiving should climb the steps barefoot and pray to the Virgin Mary where after which she will be blessed with children. The children born are named Tsambikos for the boys and Tsampika for the girls. Both names are unique to the island of Rhodes.
The climb was both steep and beautiful, but nothing could compare to the views at the top. The intense blue of the Mediterranean See and the beaches below were breathtaking. Here are a few of my favorite photos with more posted in an album on Flickr.
