Eleni’s Ikaria (blog since 2006!)
Eleni’s blog in Ikaria
about the stupid side of me, my love for nature, loneliness
and Ikaria island
Eleni's Blog in Ikaria
this blog is about the stupid side of me, that's my love for nature, loneliness and Ikaria island.
Πρόσφατα σχόλια
A few images in this blog
Map of the hike: Livadi (Armenistis) – Agios Dimitrios – Christos Rahes – Kastanies (Tragostasi) – Mikro Fragma (Vathes) – Agios Polikarpos – Livadi (Armenistis) Specifications: Length: 14 kilometers, Max. alt. 500 m. Duration: 7-8 hours, Terrain: all kinds, with certain rough parts, Difficulty: medium on average, Marking: adequate, Water and food available in the villages
kitten boots
Not for profit!
Old houses built on steep ground in the historical part of the village next to a very violent mountain torrent
Dance and Save Atheras Ikaria
The most interesting photos on Flickr about «Ikaria + ridge»
Thomas K. Shor about his visits and his photographic project in Ikaria which resulted in the publication of a wonderful bool: ….. 2. Landscapes from the Greek Island of Ikaria «I first went to Ikaria in search of the Greece I knew from years ago and feared was gone with the advent of the Euro and the general homogenization that has overtaken so many places in the last years. Even as I went there, I feared it was but a dream I was chasing. I was looking for a photo/writing project and was ready to reflect upon whatever I encountered.» «To my surprise, and delight, I found on Ikaria a vestige of the Greece I once knew (and wrote about in my first book, Windblown Clouds), and I felt immediately welcomed and at home. The place resonated with me. But my even greater surprise is that though I’ve been writing about my experience of the island and the people I encountered, the main project to date emerging from my extended stays on the island is not stories from nor portraits of the island’s inhabitants —neither written or photographic— nor my extensive research into the island’s history; what has emerged is a series of landscape photographs from a particular region of the island’s upper mountainous reaches. These heights are far from human habitation, where the elements are powerful, where stone and wind produce balancing boulders with strangely animate shapes, where clouds cloak the mountains, then lift to reveal trees twisted into knots. Spending hours a day up there for weeks on end, sometimes entirely alone, revealed more to me than just the outer landscape. Maybe it was the way my eye caught the shapes of beings looking back at me from the rocks, maybe it was the intensity of the silence and the raw forces that were at play.» https://www.thomasshor.com/copy-of-sculpture-garden-of-the-god
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
Ikarian Hiking Club ‘OPS Ikarias’ logo
Flickr Photos
Recent activity in Flickr
- Παρουσιάστηκε σφάλμα. Το κανάλι ίσως είναι εκτός λειτουργίας. Δοκιμάστε αργότερα.
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Eleni's Blog in Ikaria 
Good luck with this more cultured interface. Though I prefered the old blog because it was more fun!
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Καλοτάξιδο! Το καρφί του μάλαμα καπετάνισσα!
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Η Παναγια μαζι μας!
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Χαχαχα… Μπήκα. Ξεκίνησα κι εγώ στο
χωρίς πρόβλημα. Κι απότι βλέπω δεν υπάρχει λογοκρισία.
Κράτα γερά.
φιλιά
Νανά
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x
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the rule of three… blogs!
🙂
x
S
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ah, what can a girl do? ;-))
triple hellos :-))
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Hella, Chronia polla
I am Ahmed I’m from Algeria and I live in France since 9 years for studies, now I finish my thesis. I had the chance to meet Greek people in Grenoble and to meet Greece when I visited Athènes and Patmos, and it’s damned for me because I have an obsession to learn the Greek language and music (because I play the Oud) and I have a stupid feeling for the sweet solitude and nature. I like to do a vegetable garden, learn to swim because I’m from desert of Algeria 🙂 I have a lot of skill also, to make small wind turbines to produce electricity 🙂 handmade. I would take care of a few goats and chickens.
Am I welcome to Ikaria ? I Would like to find people with alternative life Who trust on this choice.
Yasu
Ahmed
that make me happy if you listen for our music with my band Falfala : http://www.wix.com/falfala/trio
I play also in a Rembetiko band called Black Lukum, but we have not for now a web site.
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Hello Ahmed! I am Nana, Eleni’s friend and helper who always have an eye for comments and activity on her blog.
Yes, I think Ikaria would be perfect for you, evenmore because you play the Oud (wow! difficult instrument!). This kind of music is very popular in the island and you will find a lot of friends.
If you are interested, there is a small Greek Language School for foreign adults in a mountain village. It’s not too expensive and it’s got a good reputation.
But you can always learn Greek in the streets.
You will be very welcome
Aurevoir
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Nice to learn from you, yes I’m interested mainly to learn in the street and with people which become friends if I charmed their hearts and if I take my place in the community. I can exchange Greek courses by a French courses or Arabic courses, I can also exchange by North African and French cooking courses.
where do you live ? there is musicians in your village ? there is some people interested to Alternative projects ?
I do a lot of bike in France mainly the cylo-tourism (travelling with bike), and I like hiking. I have a sense to organise manifestations, and I have a lot of project in my mind, they need to be applied. I need only to meet people with whom there is a trust settled. I want to leave my life in France to Ikaria 🙂 for now I think a lot of and some friends tell me sometimes » Ahmed you are crazy, you don’t speak Greek, and you don’t know anyone..!!! »
I feel that is the moment for me to do it, to go, and thank you for your message that encourage me.
If it is OK, I will come in March after my thesis defence, and before travelling to Greece you are welcome to Grenoble if you decide to visit the Alps to hike on snow with RAQUETTE :), i have an apartment and I can receive you and Eleni if you want. Also if I have not the apartment after March I can tell some Friends to receive you.
In Grenoble there are a Greek restaurant called «Cafénéion» directed by Elias, a Greek Friend, he is a Crazy man from Kalamata; I like him. in this place we play a lot of rembetika, and I try to dance Sebekiko, and to learn Greek by listing to Greeks people conversations or Elias and his son Alexis (Alexis’s mother called Martine is a French women I don’t like her accent but it’s lovely).
here is my e-mail : ahmed-abdelali@no-log.org
thank you and happy to learn from you. You take my thank to Eleni for her Blog. I’m very happy to find it.
Yiaaa, et à bientôt.
Ahmed
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Salut Ahmed. This is Eleni. Thank you for your kind words and your interest in the island. Take your chances in March. Spring is a beautiful season to be in Ikaria (though it can sometimes still be winter 😦 )
Be assured, nobody carrying an oud on his back will be lost. The places I have in my mind for you to find friends are:
1) Paschalias tavern is Kampos (this village is very near the northern port, Evdilos), an unpretentious tavern which will remind you of the Algerian countryside. Great Greek food and they love music.
2) Carte Postale, a modern cultured bistrot but very Ikarian as well, in Armenistis, the touristic village of the island. That’s a place to get used to the view of the sea!
In both places musicians are welcome and there is live music as often as possible.
Maybe we will see each other there.
Bonne chance.
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Thank you Eleni, that sound good! If it’s OK, I will come by cycling, and concerning my Oud I will try to find a place in my bags 😦 alternatively I will see to send it by plan to Ikaria…
In the first time I will try to find a studio to rent and a job in the island. If you have any information (prices, web-site announcement, people who rent for not expensive !!!!) I will be happy to learn from you.
I hope to see you… to cook, sing and dance.
Au revoire.
Ahmed
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Hi Eleni, thank you for your great blog. I am planning a trip to Ikaria in July and wonder if I could message you to ask whether you may have some leads on a place to stay for the whole month. I would appreciate it and look very forward to sharing some of the experiences you have shared with us!
Sousan
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Hello Susan, thank you for visiting my blog!
I am afraid I am going to disappoint you. I am totally unconnected to accomodation. However I can suggest to you the northern side of the island, so make sure you land in the port Evdilos and head to the west, to Armenistis in particular, which is a tourist town. If you are planning to stay for a month, as you say, settle in one of the many small hotels there and then explore the surroundings by bus, rented car/bike or on foot to find something more to your taste.
I saw that you are in Flickr. Ikaria is very strong in this site so you could take up a search to get yourself an idea about what the island looks like. It’s not too touristic, I can assure you, and the reason is that there are only few good beaches.
Anyway, I don’t think you will have a problem in finding what will be best for you in July. The peak season starts only at the end of that month.
You have a very interesting blog, by the way.
So, until Ikaria…
I wish you the best
Eleni
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Bonjour Eleni.
Your blog is great. I live in Paris but i just decided after discovering ikaria that this is gonna change soon )
I am in ikaria now. Armenistis. I would love to have a coffee with yu , thanks!
00 33612962642
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Bonjour Eleni, sorry to get back to you just now , i didn’t see your answer, i thought i will receive it by email. I will come some days this winter to enjoy the island during winter, i will contact you. merci !
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Hello Eleni,
Just like many others I feel very grateful that I stumbled upon your stupidities.
Impatience must be one of my greatest stupidities: so instead of first going through your past ten years and then asking you my many questions – I will ask you my many questions first and then start reading.
A little paragraph of context: Past year I travelled to Okinawa with two of my fellow young adults with/after cancer friends. Recently I heard about the concept «blue zones». That’s how I found out about Ikaria. My friends condition is not that stable, so going back to Okinawa or visiting California or Costa Rica is not that realistic. Without a well-thought reason it seems I set my mind on Ikaria instead of Sardegna.
So, I want to set up an Ikaria program/journey for young adults with/after cancer and my many questions are about what should we do??? where should we be??? when??? And also, how’s the current situation regarding the refugees in Ikaria?
Any advice from your side will be appreciated.
Warm regards,
Michèle
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your answer.
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Thank you so much Eleni.
Not much concrete progress has been made regarding our «cancerkids to Ikaria masterplan» (but soon it will). Except for the fact that we decided that our main activity on Ikaria will be about doing something in order to sensitize regarding this topic. Once it gets more concrete and I will have some practical questions I will get back to you.
Warm regards,
Michèle
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So: today I found out through «youth in action» ( http://youthinaction.be/english ) there is a way to get EU money for this..
If we are two countries (Belgium & Greece) we need 9 participants of each country. 2 participants can be +30 years old. On my part I will travel together with most of them cancerkids (most of them more or less my age: 27). I can work together with whatever kind of Ikarian youth group (doesn’t need to be a formal recognized group). The egg sounds like a great partner.
Should I ask them if they have knowledge about an Ikarian youth group – or will you be part of/form the group?
«We» should write the proposal together (of course I will take the formal lead) – meaning that the actual content of our «cultural exchange» is still open.
Anyway, I do have an artist friend who is developing some kind of artistic project which we can all do together: it’s got something to do with memorial for the Aegean’s nameless dead, the resurrection of Icarus and a kind of psycho-social-creative therapy for young adults with cancer ..
Yesterday I have been told that it might be interesting to work together with young people from countries of the nameless dead ..
Anyway: first of all I need a Greek/Ikarian partner.
Michèle
michelepieters@gmail.com
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This sounds great, Michèle!
I am afraid I won’t be able to help because I hardly ever stay in Ikaria in the summer months. However, I think that Katrin of The EGG
may be of great help to your project by getting in contact and finding the right associates, seeing to your accomodation etc. I rather expect that things like that make part of her work as a manager of the activity center.
The concept sounds great too and I am glad I was able to help. Only that, though involving former refugees in the group work would be very beneficial for everybody, those people would not even want to hear anything about the Aegean islands again. Maybe in a few decades when they are old and have made a new life, they would. But not now. It’s too painful. On the other hand, you may arrange through Katrin a meeting with the doctor featuring in my article. She is an incredible personality who has worked as a volunteer doctor during distress situations in many countries. Fortune has it that as she came back to her home island to work in the local hospital, distress came after her and hit our door. She must have a lot to say to you and the kids.
Let’s be in touch
regards
Eleni
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I am afraid I am far from specialist in health issues not am I a fan of longevity in the popular sense of the word. As far as that is concerned, Ikaria has been over-estimated to a degree that’s getting like an urban legend (*). It’s true that there are some people here who live longer than the average but this is due to a less stressed and more natural way of life, daily exercise, community bonds and so on. If someone stays long enough to get into the spirit, the island offers a life lesson about finding pleasure in simple things, even enjoying hard manual work if it’s done with a purpose. I am not sure about what you are looking for. One thing I can tell you about it, Ikaria is much much smaller than Sardegna so it’s more practical 🙂 On the other hand, nobody will give you any tips on what to do. You will have to find it on your own. It’s part of the secret. 😉 However, since you are traveling with young adults and you have to have a schedule of some kind, you may take advantage of the various and always changing activities and seminars organized at or by
The EGG
Thanks again for writing. I wish a happy and healthy New Year to you and your friends!
Eleni
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I am delighted to read your blog.
How can I get in contact with you?! My email is marinadaros@hotmail.com
Please, I would like to talk to you!
Thank you in advance!
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Thank you for liking and following my blog. You already contacted me. 🙂
This is the right place to talk! So what’s up?
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Well, let me explain!
I am a Brazilian student, solo traveling in Europe! In July, I will reach Greece and stay in Ikaria for 5 days! At first, I was a little bit sad to have chosen for Greece in summer, because I thought it would be a place full of tourists and expansive accommodations.
I understand from your text that the inhabitants of Ikaria really look forward for their privacy in the island and that mass tourism is not the objective of the people who live there! Is it not mine as well. I decided to go to Ikaria because I am really looking forward for a deep experience trip. I want to learn from the locals and travel where the island takes me.
But as I told you, I am traveling alone and, as it seems, in Ikaria we should have a car to fully explore the island. I am looking for places to be in contact with nature and deeply relax and meditate.
That being said, as you are a local, I would like to ask you:
I have found an accommodation in Therma (hotel) and also an AirBnb in a village near Evdilos. I really don’t know which side I should choose, considering that I will have no car.
I really love going to the beach and hiking, but I am open for any experience in Ikaria!
What would you recommend me? (I also understand that your post is not a traveling guide text, and that tourism is not really the goal, but I really want to go there and traveling alone is a bit complicated sometimes!)
Thank you very very much in advance!!
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(What a beautiful name! We have a lot of Marinas in Ikaria!)
What you understood about Ikaria is correct and you make me very happy as a blogger that I was able to put this message across 🙂 So I think you will love the place!
Now let me make this as short as possible.
Therma is place for old people. You wouldn’t find anybody your age. Though the village is very relaxed and cosy, it’s a world of its own.
Nature is far richer on the northern side of the island so the village near Evdilos sounds like a good choice, only that you would have to spend a lot of your time hitch-hiking to go around, because unfortunately there is only one reliable bus service on the island and that’s the one connecting Agios Kirikos with Rahes and that again only once a day… 😦
Now this my suggestion. It’s a bit cliché but no less valid. Young lone travellers like you almost always head for Nas village, a few km from Armenistis.
I don’t know how you feel about camping but if you say you want to be in contact with nature, relax and meditate, Nas with the beach, the river etc. is the perfect place. And you don’t really need a tent. Just a sleeping bag is enough. You will find plenty of nice comfortable spots in the river in July which is not a very touristic month in Ikaria. And I am sure -I garantie, as matter of fact- that you will find several people like you there.
A tip: If you are in Ikaria between 9-15 july and you like or (evenmore) play music, don’t miss the courses and concerts organized by friends in the village Christos Rahes which is in the hills near Nas! Check out: «Musical Yards»
I work so I am never in Ikaria during the summer. Messages like yours make me wish I was.
Thank you very much for that!
Eleni
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I am afraid it isn’t possible… 😥
Read this recent post from the ferry company:
So act accordingly. Keep in mind that Ikaria is a small island with inadequate medical services.
Thanks for asking, and thanks for visiting my blog.
Eleni
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I am super happy to read your reply! Such a great message! Thank you very much!
I have never been camping before. I have read that camping in Ikaria is not allowed. How should I proceed about it? I dont want to get in trouble in the island! hahaha
I will arrive in the 21st of July! 🙂
Thank you! It is a pity that you wont be there! I would love to meet you!
Have a great evening!
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Don’t thank me! I love to talk about my island especially when I am not there and I missing it. This is a good reason I have a blog, by the way.
Listen, we don’t shout it because we don’t want the crowds of past years, but by now camping is, if not allowed, clearly tolerated inside the ravine of Nas. You won’t get into trouble. Either yo camp or not, ignore the lower part of the river. Walk on the road as far as the bridge and then hike upstream for as long as you like. You will find beautiful spots 🙂
You may stay in Therma and visit Nas for a day or two. You will enjoy the incredible contrast between the two little bays!
You are going to miss the music course but you will catch the peak of the Ikarian village festivals. Get ready for crazy dancing all night long!
Whenever you can, please send me a few words with your impressions and if possible a few photos.
Good luck. It was great talking to you!
Eleni
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My girlfriend, I and a couple of our friends are going to visit Ikaria, this summer. I found this very interesting blog looking for a non-touristic route in Ikaria, this seems very interesting and, you suggest nice walks in nature. I would very like to get in touch with you, and maybe also to meet you once there…
Sherit
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Thank you for visiting my blog and looking through it for particularly that reason:
I am off to work so I am not staying in my Ikarian home in the summer. But hey, why don’t you use this article for guidance? 😉 And if you need somebody who knows the island far better than I do why don’t you get in contact with our friend Xenia, the ikarian mountain guide? I think she will be on the island all summer long and I am sure she will be delighted to take you and your friends to nice places.
Besides my article about her, this is her own webpage recently launched.
Have a safe trip and a pleasant stay in my island
Kisses
Eleni
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