Album Real Animals from Martin M. Miles

Cape Sounion - Temple of Poseidon

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Sat, 13 Jun 2026 16:49:22 +0000

There is evidence of the establishment of sanctuaries on the cape from as early as the 11th century BC. The Greeks considered Poseidon to be the "master of the sea".

Given the importance to Athens of trade by sea and the significance of its navy in its creation and survival during the 5th century, Poseidon was of a particular relevance and value to the Athenians.
The Archaic-period temple of Poseidon was probably destroyed in 480 AD by Persian troops during Xerxes' invasion of Greece as punishment for the Athenians' defiance. After they defeated Xerxes in the naval Battle of Salamis, the Athenians placed an entire captured enemy warship at Sounion as a trophy dedicated to Poseidon.

The temple was constructed in 444–440 AD, during the reign of Pericles. It is perched above the sea at a height of almost 60 metres. Only some columns of the temple stand today, but when intact it would have closely resembled the well-preserved Temple of Hephaestus beneath the Acropolis, which may have been designed by the same architect Kallikrates.

Of the original 38 Doric columns, 11 were still standing in the 19th century, 5 more have since been re-erected.

Since time immemorial, the Cape and all its sacred sanctuaries have been guarded by these tortoises. This one is probably a "testudo hermanni".

Crete - Traffic

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Tue, 09 Jun 2026 20:27:34 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

Crete, the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, is located about 100 km south of the Peloponnese. Crete was the center of Europe's first advanced civilization, the Minoans, from 3000 to 1400 BC. The Minoan civilization was overrun by the Mycenaean civilization from mainland Greece. Crete was later ruled by Rome, then successively by the Byzantine Empire, the Byzantine Empire again, the Venetian Republic, and the Ottoman Empire. In 1898 Crete, whose people had for some time wanted to join the Greek state, achieved independence from the Ottomans, formally becoming the Cretan State. Crete became part of Greece in December 1913.

On the narrow roads all over the island, you might come across oncoming traffic like these sheep.

Larnaca - Flamingo

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Thu, 28 May 2026 21:16:41 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

Large groups of flamingos populate the salt lakes

Troodos – Mouflon

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Tue, 07 Apr 2026 12:13:28 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

As we drove round a bend in the Troodos Mountains, we spotted this mouflon on the road.

Mouflons were domesticated around 10,000 years ago, and the mouflons living in Cyprus are considered to be the feral descendants of those animals brought to the island by Neolithic settlers.

By the 20th century, mouflons had almost become extinct in Cyprus. Estimates from 1997 suggested a population of just 1,200 animals. So we were very lucky to see this one.

Lentillac-du-Causse

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Tue, 04 Nov 2025 15:54:54 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

Horses

Torhout

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Thu, 04 Sep 2025 19:44:26 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

Torhout is considered one of the oldest cities in Flanders, having existed as early as the 2nd century AD.

There was a festival in the city with dancing, music and lots of animals.

Crete

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Thu, 15 May 2025 20:23:42 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

Every family has a black sheep

Polyrrhenia

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Sun, 13 Apr 2025 18:45:21 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

Polyrrhenia was an ancient city south of Kissamos Bay, located on a steep hill near the modern village of Polyrinia.

Polyrrhenia is referred to as a polis in ancient sources. The oldest remains date from around 900 BC. The city supported the Romans and was therefore spared when they conquered Crete. The city continued to exist under Roman rule but declined in importance in the 1st century. From the middle of the 1st century AD, the city no longer minted its own coins and was later abandoned..

Archaeological excavations have been taking place since 1985. The remains lie on a double hill that forms the acropolis. The slopes are littered with the remains of houses, cisterns, and tombs. There are remains of a Roman temple. In total, the city covered about 30 hectares.

The ruins´ guardians

Loch Beag - Seals

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Fri, 07 Feb 2025 12:17:11 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

Hundreds of seals poulate Loch Glencoul and Loch Beag and they seem completely relaxed and not at all disturbed by the boat-trips

Loch Beag - Seals

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Thu, 06 Feb 2025 23:16:41 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

Hundreds of seals poulate Loch Glencoul and Loch Beag and they seem completely relaxed and not at all disturbed by the boat-trips

Loch Beag - Seals

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Thu, 06 Feb 2025 23:02:10 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

Hundreds of seals poulate Loch Glencoul and Loch Beag and they seem completely relaxed and not at all disturbed by the boat-trips

Orkney Islands

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Fri, 31 Jan 2025 18:07:36 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

About noontime I met this friendly young orcadian couple

Nairn

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Mon, 20 Jan 2025 20:01:33 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

Nairn developed from a fishing village at the mouth of the River Nairn into a spa town in the Victorian era. Due to its wide sandy beaches and favorable climate, Nairn is a popular holiday resort. Charlie Chaplin often spent his holidays in Nairn.

The seagull is resting on the sparkling clean car roof after a long day. And yes, I have rotated the photo 180 degrees

Dolly

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Tue, 14 Jan 2025 19:01:28 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

I got a bit spooked when I saw this herd of cows. Then I remembered Dolly the sheep. The first mammal to be cloned from an adult somatic cell. Dolly was cloned by staff at the Roslin Institute in Scotland. Could it be, that in a large scale strange looking cattle is cloned meanwhile too.

Glenquicken

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Sun, 29 Dec 2024 22:13:26 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

A large flock of sheep guards the Glenquicken stone circle. Even n bad weather.

Great Langdale

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Sat, 21 Dec 2024 17:05:33 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

Great Langdale is a valley in the Lake District National Park.

It is a popular location for outdoor enthusiasts - and a home of many sheep.

Llandudno - Donkeys

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Wed, 18 Dec 2024 21:35:05 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

Children loved the donkey rides on the beach. The idea of donkey riding was born in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, in 1886, and a few years later many other seaside resorts followed suit.

Children loved this mini-adventure on the back of these patient animals, but do the donkeys like it too? Animal rights activists vehemently doubt this and are campaigning for the abolition of donkey riding.

There are now ‘donkey rescue centres’ for these animals, where large and small donkeys, mules and hinnies are taken in.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

Presaddfed

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Mon, 16 Dec 2024 20:06:26 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

There are two neolithic tombs at this site. The southern tomb is the more complete; it has a capstone some 4 by 3 m, supported by three stout upright stones at the south end and by a single more slender stone at the north. The northern tomb is considerably damaged with two remaining uprights at the north end. The capstone has fallen and is leaning against them. It is unclear whether these chambers, which are only a few metres apart, were part of the same structure or were independent. It may have been, that at one time, both chambers were buried under a single mound.

Today the monuments are well protected by the cattle

Wales - Sheep

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Fri, 06 Dec 2024 22:00:21 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

About 20% of all agricultural work is made up by sheep farming. There are over 11 million sheep in the entire country.

Ohrid

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Mon, 04 Nov 2024 22:40:52 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

Ohrid became a "polis" under the name Lychnidos after Alexander the Great conquered the area around 335 BC. Around 148 BC, Lychnidos became part of the Roman Republic and thus a "colonia".

When the empire was divided in 395, Lychnidos was awarded to the Eastern Roman Empire. Lychnidos became a bishopric under the Byzantines in late antiquity. Lychnidos was destroyed by a devastating earthquake and it is unclear whether the city continued to exist or was re-founded by Slavs. The place was first mentioned under the name Ohrid around 880.

Ohrid was developed into a cultural and religious center of the Bulgarian Empire.

Today, a citadel, built on the walls of an ancient fortress, towers over the city. When Emperor Basil II incorporated Ohrid into his empire in 1018, he had the fortress demolished. At the end of the 12th century, the Bulgarians regained their independence and reconquered Ohrid in 1198.

The Ottomans took possession of Ohrid in the years around 1400. In the following centuries, the city became a supra-regional center of Islam, where mosques and places of the dervish cult were built. The city also remained a center of Christian art until the middle of the 15th century.

The conversion of St. Sophia's Church into a mosque took place during the reign of the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed I (1413–1421). In 1462, the Albanian resistance fighter Skanderbeg conquered the city. But it was recaptured in 1466. Around 1568, the city was badly damaged by an earthquake.

The lawns in the old part of Ohrid are a paradise for turtles.