Isles of the Aegean

Welcome to Isles of the Aegean – a novel concept combining travel and travel literature into an adventure that puts you into the shoes of the author and makes you feel like travel companions on the same exciting journey.

On a beautiful Mediterranean spring morning, just a couple of years into the 20th century, a passenger ship steamed out of the Egyptian port of Alexandria bound for Turkey. Its slow passage to Istanbul kindled a love affair with the Greek islands that would smoulder in the heart of one passenger, V. C. Scott O’Connor, for a quarter of a century before he finally returned in 1927.

'Sea-Pool' in the Old Crater of Santorin' from the book. Painted in 1927 by Nicolas Himona.
‘Sea-Pool in the Old Crater of Santorin’ from the book. Painted in 1927 by Nicolas Himona.

Over the course of the ensuing two years, he journeyed through the islands exploring the history, culture and customs of the Greek people, at a time when the borders of modern-day Greece were still in dispute. In 1929 he published an enthralling and enchanting story of his travels in the book Isles of the Aegean. His love for the islands simply cascades from the pages of the book and his account, despite being over 90 years old, is on a level that transcends time. The emotions and sentiments he describes will strike a chord with the island traveller of today.

'Sunlight on an Aegean Home' from the book. Painted in 1927 by Nicolas Himona.
‘Sunlight on an Aegean Home’ from the book. Painted in 1927 by Nicolas Himona.

The book provides the perfect itinerary for the modern-day, island-hopping explorer. Many of the places described in the book are now well-established on the tourist map, however, traces still remain of the old Greece described by VC. The book and this companion website expose a different dimension that will entice you to explore new, out-of-the-way places that you would probably never have dreamt of visiting, often just around the corner from the busy resorts. Follow VC to the real Cyclades and let him lead you to places that will burn themselves into your memory forever – you’ll have great adventures along the way.

This website is the companion to the e-book of the same name, a fully digitised version of the original book, updated to take advantage of the features of today’s e-book reading devices and apps. It’s tightly interwoven with this website in order to expand upon and illustrate VC’s writings and to show what still remains today. Hyperlinks in the book bring you seamlessly to the relevant section of this website while numerous other links provide information from other sites, such as Wikipedia, should you wish to explore VC’s topics in greater depth.

Next time you’re off to Greece, download a free copy of VC’s e-book to your tablet, phone or other e-book reader, or read it on-line on this website. When you tire of the beach, jump the next bus or ferry, let serendipity be your guide and JOIN THE ADVENTURE!

Enjoy that adventure – oh – and don’t forget to tell us about your experiences and discoveries via the blogs on this site.

In VC’s words:

For the pleasure of scenes such as these and the sentiment they convey, the traveller must come himself to Greece. Words do not describe them, no brush can tell of their infinity.