For the first time in my life, I experienced a “trip of a lifetime” with a cruise to the Mediterranean Sea last year. The trip had been in the planning stages since 2019 and was postponed twice due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
I was with a group of several friends, and when we finally boarded, I couldn’t wait to experience the cultures, food, sights and sounds of lands I had never seen before in person. Knowing our ports of call would be like speed-dating for a photographer, I had packed fairly lightly on gear, taking only one camera body and lens.
Mykonos, Greece, was our port of call on the next to the last day, and it did not disappoint. We had from about 8 in the morning until 6 that evening to explore the Greek island.
Whitewashed plaster walls and wood-trimmed windows painted with such intense shades of blue adorned several family chapels, public churches and other buildings in the sea port.
Cats are as common there as the ancient buildings and cobblestone footpaths weaving between businesses and homes. They are cared for by the community and seem to strut around with much the same attitude as the cats we have in the United States.
This particular cinnamon tabby was a doppelganger for my cat Tazz back home. The Greek kitty ignored me — much as mine does when she is sunning — and didn’t really want to be bothered. He’d claimed a prime spot on a windowsill in a beautiful church to bask in the warming morning sunlight.
When I first saw this simple composition across a plaza, the intense color contrasting against the white wall caught my eye. I didn’t notice the cat until I approached closer. His presence added an element making for a more interesting composition and story.
