| |
May - Tuesday 1st - The project I've been working on this past couple of weeks is now finally 'live' and online for you all to enjoy. e-Thiaki virtual postcards, is a collection of photographs from ithacagreece.com. There are already quite a few postcards uploaded, but there will be many more to come as I continue to update it. Just click on the photo Left to go there and begin to send the postcards of your choice. It's easy and it's FREE!! Share ithaca with your friends and keep this small island community going by enticing more people to come to Ithaki for their holidays. After all, it is a great island. We know that, don't we? |
| |
Now I'm off to enjoy 1st of May along with the rest of the island. There's sunshine to enjoy, food, drink and good company waiting. Have fun!! |
| |
Wednesday 2nd - Another glorious day yesterday for 1st May celebrations. It wasn't as busy as I thought it would be, but I guess more people are doing it from home in these more difficult times. In the south there was quite a bit more acitivity than in the north. |
| |
|
| |
Above - Raxi. Left - Sortiros church in Stavros square. Churches are the corner stones of Greek villages, as are the village squares. |
| |
Thursday 3rd - There's no doubt about it, whoever is lucky enough to be on Ithaki right now has been enjoying some of the best weather nature has to offer. It really is a wonderful time to be here. Summer is great because it's buzzing and vibrant with people and activity, sun, sea and (usually) love, but now, in May, it's a time that you can really get to know the locals, make some good friends and cement your relationship with the island in such a profound way that you may never shake free of the Ithaki feeling. Wild flowers still rule the landscape and Spring does in every way possible, inject something special into our veins. It's inspiring to say the least. Left - Ag. Sarantas corner shop has been an institution in the north for a long, long time. Below - A peak through the trees at the Kioni that isn't on the bayside.
Left - Platrithias taken from just below Taxiarchi church. Below - At dusk in Frikes, a healthy amount of yachting action could be seen in the harbour. The Season has begun! Below Left - Village life runs parallel with tourism in Frikes, as it does all over the island.
Left - A low lying mist obscurs the coastal Mainland from view. Below - Spring means bugs. This is one of them. Coming from Australia, where everything creepy and crawly is either dangerous or deadly, on Ithaca the bugs are just bugs. Nothing to worry about.
|
| |
Looks like today the temps are returning to what's usual for this time of the year. A mild and sunny 22C. If you're here, enjoy! If you're not, dream. |
| |
Friday 4th - It's going to be a busy weekend. The boat was full from Patras last night and not everyone got off at Kefalonia. ithaca got a big share too. At Piso Aetos there were hordes coming off the boat and quite a few getting on as everyone positions themselves on their home islands, in villages and towns to vote in Sundays elections. I haven't kept up with the Ithaki-side candidates this year as there wasn't really anything to talk about as we headed toward now, quite low key, although last night there were some rallies in Vathy. |
| |
Candidates:
PASOK
Kaliopi Lianou-Aravantinou
Sirodon Mosxopoulos
Georgia Floratou
New Democratic Party
Yiannoula Kouloubi
Spiridon Kouvadis
Pavlos Papadapos
Communist Party
Ekaterini Grigoropoulou
Yiannis Kourouklis
Aggeliki Tsolou
LA.OS
Chrisoula Antonatou
Gerasimos Diamantatos
Chrisostomos Koutabas
SYRIZA
Panaghis Drakoulogonas
Afrodite Theopeftatou
Alexandros Taflambas |
| |
These are the main contenders, but there are still many factions, independents etc. Too many to list. Greece is down to the wire. Either the people vote to stay in the EU by giving their votes to one of the top 2 parties or they vote against staying in the EU by giving their vote to one of the parties or Independents which haven't got onboard with the EU or the measures. My gut and reason says, in the end the people will vote for what they know and won't risk the possibility of chaos, regardless of the shouting and demostrating. We'll see.... |
| |
|
| |
Saturday 5th - Got up early this morning to an incredibly blue-sky day. The misty skies have been blown east and we have clear views again. It's just stunning. Really! This morning I'm heading off to Dexa to video a reading for the Steinbeck Festival which has fringe facets all over the world. As this festival has to do with Odysseas, it's fitting we do something for it too. Left - Kioni. Below - Frikes. |
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
Above & Below - Kioni mini market has been the villages' mainstay for many, many years. Locals and visitors count on all the goodies it has to offer all year around. |
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
Sunday 6th - Election Day. Half the people I've spoken with are voting, the other half aren't voting. No one really knows what results will emerge after the Poles close today. What we do know is that Ithaki still looks beautiful, election day or not. Above Left & Below - Dexa Beach. Left - Vathy along the bay road. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Above, Below and Left - Saturday night at Spavento Bar in Kioni. In previous years there were passionate conversations about politics. Now there is mostly apathy and at best a joke. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Monday 7th - Yesterday's elections gave birth to a few surprises, but in the end, will we have a government that can govern? Political commentators weren't hopeful as at midnight last night when the emerging results showed the New Democratic party may not have a significant enough advantage. Greece may still be blowing in the wind (economically and politically speaking) despite this historic election. On ithaki, the feel was laid back, but the underlying disappointment in the conventional parties showed in the vote, as SYRIZA emerged as the local favourite.
For some laid back pics of election day 2012 on Ithaki. Click Here or on photograph left.
I have a feeling it's not over yet. Keep tuned!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
. |
|
|
|
There is so much speculation about the future of Greece, Greece and the EU etc. etc. that there just doesn't seem to be an end to it, so let's concentrate on what we do have, at least for a little while. On Ithaki, we have a 'one of a kind' island that weaves it's way into the fibre of our beings despite the state of the economy in Greece. |
|
As part of the Steinbeck International Festival - Fringe Fest 2012, Jessica Bell read an excerpt from Zachary Masons 'The Lost Books of the Odyssey' at Dexa Beach on Saturday 5th May which was filmed for the Steinbeck archives in the USA.
Click Here for the video
|
|
. |
|
Wednesday 9th - Another great day with warm sunshine and mostly blue skies. Left - As is usual for this time of the year, walkers are enjoying the roads and paths of Ithaca. |
|
|
|
Above Left & Left - Kioni neighbourhood. Above - Stavros Square. Below - Kalivia. |
|
|
|
Not as many yachts in as is usual at this time of year, but as we head through May, more will come. Left - Frikes Bay. Below - As the wild flowers begin to slowly dry and disappear, the thistles are coming in to take their place. |
|
|
|
|
|
Left - Just a reminder that e-Thiaki postcards is regularly updated with new photograph postcards for you to choose from. Send one to a friend or save to your computer to print. Click on photograph left to be taken there. |
|
|
