A mild weather day to celebrate Independence Day on Ithaca. The north and south of the island held their parades separately, so it was a bit of a juggle to get both in.

One thing was particularly noticeable, and that was the numbers were down, both with the children in the parades and the attendees. In Athens all sorts of security measures were taken to avoid incident, but on Ithaca, the Independence Day parades were more akin with Fete day at the local school. A place for families. While everything seems upside down, on Ithaca, life is generally unchanged. It's still one of the safest places to live or holiday for that matter. This patriotic annual ritual resonates deeply with the Greek population. Even the children give off an aura of pride on this historical day for Greece. For larger pics, visit us on www.facebook.com/ithacagreece