Blog Review Ikaria 2008-2011 # 1

I am very interested in reading personal accounts about my island. To keep in touch with the place, media is good but there’s nothing like reading actual people’s impressions and looking at their photos.

Here is a list of blog entries about Ikaria that I like. I have been keeping them in my bookmarks since 2009 and I think that by now the list has grown long enough to share it with my readers. Because my ambition was this to be a review and not just a list of blog entries, I wrote a few words about each and picked out pictures and quotes. These quotes I sometimes hid “behind the pictures”.  Move your mouse over to read them.

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The first blog entry in my bookmarks was by Danae (aka chez mon double). It’s in Greek and I think it’s one of the best.

Ικαρία το Μάη

Μια τυχερη περιηγηση στον καλυτερο μηνα της χρονιας με καταπληκτικες αντιπροσωπευτικες φωτογραφιες και οξυδερκεις περιγραφες που φανερωνουν διαβασμα και προετοιμασια.  Οπως συνηθιζω, εχω κρυψει μερικες πισω απο τις εικονες και διαβαζονται περνωντας το ποντικι απο πανω τους.

 

    

     

     

Κι εδω τελειωνει. Ευχαριστουμε. Ξανα το καλοκαιρι.

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The next blog entry is also in Greek by ‘ikaroia’, a quiet, discreet character who loves Ikaria and Reggae music. One of the entries is about camping and  this entry has become one of the most popular ones -if not THE most popular- about Ikaria in the web! That for undestandable reasons. There is in fact a huge interest in camping in the island. When I, years ago posted my idea about it, the entry  got -and still gets- top hits!

Ικαρία και ελεύθερο κάμπινγκ

“…Για μένα η λύση είναι μια! Ξεκάθαρη και την έχω ξαναγράψει σε παλιότερο ποστ. Η δημιουργία camping στην Ικαρία !..”

. . .. . .

Διαβαστε οπως τα γραφει γιατι εγω δεν εχω να προσθεσω τιποτα. Εχει απολυτο δικιο! Θα τονιζα μονο αυτο που ηδη λεει, δηλαδη, να γινει ενα σωστο καμπινγκ σε ωραιο μερος, οχι μια ‘μαντρα’ ανοιγμενη με μηχανηματα καπου στο πουθενα που θα θυμιζε στρατοπεδο συγκεντρωσης…

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The next blog in my bookmarks is a great favorite. It’s in English and it contains several entries about Ikaria on various subjects (hiking, wildlife, maps, local life, adventures and the sad barrel dogs) each one illustrated with outstanding photos. This is Connecting Dots by Jernej Burkeljca, a Slovenian who spent 3 months and 1 week in Ikaria and wrote everything about it.

It’s hard to dig and choose from Jernej’s entries. They start with

“My Aegean Campaign”

and then go: “trippin’”

the hilarious “Hitchhikers Guide to Ikaria”

the very flattering for my friends’ work  “Hikers guide to Ikaria”

the troubles and excitements of the photographer in the wild

“A proper focus lock anyone?”

the extreme… “Rock hoppers”

the sad story of “The guard dogs”

(eventually called "barrel dogs")

the big adventure of “The Ridge walk” in 2 days!

an introduction to Ikaria’s rivers in the “Canyoning guide to Ikaria”

Have you noticed how good the photos are in the above entries?

See more and better in the galleries: Ikaria part 1 and Ikaria part 2.

Thank you Jernej!

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Can you speak Finnish? The last blog to review today is Johanna Robinson’s from Finland who was in Ikaria in the same period and for the same reasons as Jernej Burkeljca. Her blog entries about Ikaria make out a full diary of her stay in the island and for the little I could translate from Finnish, they were very interesting as to know how a 20 year old foreigner from up north feels in a remote island like Ikaria and in… winter!

But the actual excitement about Johanna’s blog is the photos! Unfortunately, there is no “gallery Ikaria” but if you scroll up and down her archives starting from April 2008 you will be amazed! Landscapes, adventures, smiling faces, bugs, flowers. I loved her flowers!!!

Somebody should dedicate a full article on Johanna’s photos from Ikaria. It would take time to pick, copy-paste and formate them in a special “photo entry” but they are so beautiful I think it’s worth the trouble. Some day.

Thank you!

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(to be continued...)