Cunda is an island-cum-peninsula off the western coast of Turkey, in the Aegean Sea. Once home to more than 10,000 Greeks, Cunda now has a population of 3,500 Turks. Although the island boasts modern boutique hotels and resorts, many of its historic Greek structures–replete with spectacular, though weather-beaten, wooden doors–still stand, among them the dilapidated palace of the last Greek bishop of Cunda. Off-season, the island empties, the elements amplify. Wind reins. Stray cats slink up cobblestone streets. Stones fall over stones that fall over stones. It’s all salt air, barbed wire, and gray-green hills. Boats rock their ropes along a rocking pier. — JLF

Jason La Farge is an EthnoTraveler contributor.