White Windmill on Water with Red Roof, Leros, Greece
© nejdetduzen/iStock/Getty Images Plus
Windmill on the water
Asked to picture a windmill, most folks' minds will conjure up images from the plains of Holland or the writings of Cervantes. Windmills probably originated in ancient Persia, spreading across Asia well before they reached Europe. The example in our photo lies in between, situated on a European island just a few short miles from Asia. Leros is part of the Dodecanese chain of islands, which hugs the Turkish coast but is a part of Greece. It's one of many Greek isles that feature traditional medieval windmills: painted stone cylinders with conical roofs and thin-spoked sails. Built to pump water and grind grain, many of them can now be rented as vacation homes.
Seagull, wet beach, pink purple sunset sky, ocean waves
Palm tree island beach, San Blas Islands, Panama
Lighthouse at orange sunset over ocean, West Coast
Irabu Ohashi Bridge, Miyakojima, Okinawa, Japan
Castle Stalker tidal islet, Argyll and Bute, Scotland
Volcanic spire of Pinnacle Rock, Galápagos Islands
Lindos Acropolis Sunset, Rhodes
White sand beach, turquoise ocean, palm trees, hanging chair
