Natural pools and Swimming holes in Ikaria ☺️
Δημοσιεύθηκε: 11 Ιουλίου, 2023 Filed under: choses vécues, exploring, hiking, ikaria, pleasure, Uncategorized | Tags: adventure, aegean, angels' pools, blog review, enviro-lore, explorers, freedom, Google maps, Greece, hiking trails, χάρτης, Ικαρία, αγγελολιβάδες, μονοπάτια, map, nakedness, natural pools, vathres, waters, wild swimming 10 Σχόλια.Hello readers! ☺️
This is actually a long promised reblog of a popular article written by my dear friend Nana in June 2016. However, while the photos are on topic, the article itself is more abstract than you would expect judging from a title like «Swimming Holes in Ikaria». Because Nana, after some brainstorming on things that she eventually didn’t write about, decides to talk about wild swimming but only about the theory behind the activity. Everybody yells «Come on, give us the spots!» but no, Nana feels that people should first, before and above everything, understand the concept!
Well, that’s my friend! That’s why I love her! ❤️
So she goes and finds a famous book on the culture of wild swimming in natural settings worldwide and she translates in Greek several passages. I think it’s worth to visit her article and read them.
But hey! That wasn’t the reason I am rebloging! The reason is that seven years after that post, that is six days ago, a friend appeared with an amazing detailed map of all known and unknown natural pools and swimming holes of Ikaria!
Isn’t that wonderful! ❤️ ☺️
Now I’m shutting my big mouth and saying no more. I’ll just embed the map and copy below its introductory note. If you are not familiar with Google maps, you should know that there are descriptions, directions and photos inside each pin and that map contains about forty! Worth checking them out – even out of curiocity, just to admire the size of the work!
Inspired and motivated by an old aritcle in Greek by my friend Nana I have added some pins on the map of Ikaria on Google to indicate the best natural river pools of the island for enjoying nature, swimming or just chilling. Don’t take this map too seriously. It’s only a trivial attempt. 😉
🔴 Beware: not all of these locations are easily accessible and it’s not always certain that there will be water there as late as midsummer.
🔴 Don’t hold me responsible for any injuries while searching for these locations. We are talking about a very rough terrain and calculating distances and times while wandering inside these ravines can be very tricky.
🔴 Don’t get involved into these adventures alone and without a reliable smartphone with good connection and GPS facility.
🔴 I also suggest you carry a map of the island. I recommend the new hiking map of ANAVASSI Editions available also in digital form.
🔴 English edition: https://anavasi.gr/Ikaria-map-eng
🔴 Greek edition: https://anavasi.gr/Ikaria-chartis-gr
🚯 DO NOT LITTER
🧴 DO NOT POLLUTE
⛺ DO NOT OCCUPY
🔥 DO NOT LIGHT FIRE
In case of emergency:
Fire Station and Rescue Team in Agios Kirikos: TEL 2275022784
Fire Station and Rescue Team in Rahes: TEL 2275041045
Thanks ‘Love Ikaria’!
That’s all from me this summer!
Be active, be safe and enjoy!.
Eleni Ik.
Γύρισα από τη Λέσβο πολύ κουρασμένη όπως και τις προηγούμενες φορές και ευτυχώς εδώ τα βρήκα όλα ήρεμα και πολύ αγροτικά. Παρόλα αυτά είμαι ακόμα ταραγμένη γι’ αυτό σκεφτόμουν π.χ. να γράψω για θέματα αρχαία και αλλόκοτα όπως ας πούμε τα ΑΝΕΜΟΤΑΦΙΑ ΤΗΣ ΙΚΑΡΙΑΣ που ήταν ένα μαγικό εθιμικό που έθαβαν τους ανέμους που έκαναν ζημιές και που γι’ αυτό το εθιμικό βρήκα εδώ ένα καταπληκτικό καρτούν.
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Bare backs in Ikaria
Δημοσιεύθηκε: 20 Οκτωβρίου, 2022 Filed under: choses vécues, holidays, ikaria, photography, pleasure, Uncategorized | Tags: aegean, backs, free expression, free the nipple, freedom, Greece, ikaria, instagram, Ικαρία, ελευθερία, nature, people in landscape, photography, summer, utopia, why-ikaria, woman Σχολιάστε«ἡ λησμονημένη εἶναι ἡ πλάτη ποὺ ἀνατρίχιασε»
Μιλτος Σαχτουρης
beautiful, womanly, free, hot, playful, sensual, glamorous, posey, mischievous, dreaming, pretentious, sweet, proud, artistic, expressive, liberated, integrated, unloaded, relieved, uncensored, natural, come clean, spill all, unburdened, unharnessed, sun-tanned, forgiving, set free, bountiful, giving, superficial, daring, safe, relaxed, challenging, summery, exposed to view, unclad, sheltered, feminine, all right
«happy moment without harness and saddle»😉.
Just enjoy viewing.
Hard winter ahead…
Eleni ♥️♥️♥️
The Round of Rahes on Foot 👣
Δημοσιεύθηκε: 8 Μαΐου, 2020 Filed under: choses vécues, exploring, hiking, holidays, ikaria, pleasure, travel, Uncategorized | Tags: aegean, covid-19, Google maps, Greece, greeks-in-crisis, hiking map, hiking trails, ikaria, χάρτης μονοπατιών, Ικαρία, Ο Γύρος των Ραχών με τα Πόδια, μονοπάτια, Mountain Climbing and Hiking Association of Ikaria, OPS Ikarias, self-guided hiking, The Round of Rahes on Foot, tourism 11 Σχόλια.
Dear readers
As our lockdown in Greece was about to end last week the boys were listening to the Greek Deputy Minister for Sports, Lefteris Avgenakis on TV. He was saying that due to the health crisis all major sports events (read, football) are cancelled. The boys were very sad over this so I turned and paid attention. The Minister of Great God Football concluded his announcement with these words:
«It is certain that the crisis of the pandemic we are experiencing has created opportunities. This fact makes us very happy. We continue in the direction of promoting our health and I invite you to look for forms of alternative sports and to discover the joy of these activities and the endless beauty of our country».
I was really startled! I had never expected a Sports Minister of a Mediterranean country to suggest hiking instead of football!
Consequently, I see myself as perfectly complying with the government request as I am writing this article about hiking. It is, of course, about hiking in Ikaria and in particular, about hiking on one of the oldest and best hiking trails on my island, the «The Round of Rahes on Foot», a natural and cultural heritage trail created about 20 years ago which was just recently worked afresh by the members of the local hiking club OPS Ikarias.
This famed hike starts very near Armenistis. This village is the main tourist town of the island, therefore the Round, unlike the other distant hikes on the mountains, was designed as an easy self-guided sightseeing walk for plain tourists – not necessarily experienced hikers. The plan of the Round is like a lasso with the hiker walking first on the spoke to the honda and then following the loop rightwards back to the honda and on the spoke again to go back to Armenistis. The spoke streches along the ravine of the river Charakas for 2-3 km but after the honda the loop rises away from the river and cruises around Rahes properly speaking, through terraced fields, gardens, olive groves and pine woods, on narrow stony trails, village lanes and modern motor roads across village squares, until the peak of the hike (Point 12 on the map), the beautiful mountainous landscape at the two small lakes «Mikro Fragma» (alt. 500 m.) and the Monastery «Evangelistria Mounte», two perfect spots for resting and maybe deciding instead of going back on the Round to try one of the three long trails which start right in that area…
But what am I doing? You can read everything about Rahes and the Round of Rahes in the fact sheet attached to the digital map of the hike. Both of these very helpful documents are in English, with texts and captions based on the historical, printed edition of the Round issued in Greek nearly two decades ago. The new map, besides sights, important locations and countless photos, also includes the spots where the Round meets some very insteresting distant hikes, such as «The Trail in Chalares Canyon», «The Trail of Atheras Ridge», «The Trail in Myrsonas» and «The Trail of the Elves».
When in Ikaria, either you are a visitor or a resident, I advise you to follow this trail inside a mountain/island landscape, typical of the Mediterranean, yet carrying a peculiar tint which both estranges and befriends. It’s placid and in the same time it’s wild like… well, like me! So, I am naming today the Round of Rahes on Foot as The 8th Power Spot in Ikaria! Let these few photos below, taken by me in that area a long time ago, stand as enough evidence. Thanks!
NOTE 1: Large sustainable tourism projects like this don’t just happen by magic. At the end of their article about their work on this trail the makers express their gratitude to «Amikaria» and «Friends of Ikaria», two associations who have offered a lot to the project. Big thanks from me too!
NOTE 2: Although the Round is 14 km long, we are talking about an easy to medium hike never running too far away from inhabited areas. Even if so, however, the lovers of adventure in the complicated landscape of Rahes will surely find several secret spots to enjoy nature in private.
Believe me, we know! 😉 😋
Seven Power Spots in Ikaria
Δημοσιεύθηκε: 4 Δεκεμβρίου, 2018 Filed under: choses vécues, exploring, hiking, holidays, ikaria, pleasure, travel, Uncategorized | Tags: adventure, aegean, atheras, eleni-in-ikaria, explorers, Google maps, Greece, hiking, hiking map, hiking trails, ikaria, χάρτης, Ορειβατικός Πεζοπορικός Σύλλογος Ικαρίας, ΟΠΣ Ικαρίας, ικαρία, μονοπάτια, Mountain Climbing and Hiking Association of Ikaria, my-friends, OPS Ikarias, self-guided hiking 12 Σχόλια.
Hello readers!
The Sturmvogel 💗
said «Soul Powered Works»!
And I say now «Seven Power Spots»!!!
It’s wintertime and summer is a long way ahead, so let’s forget «narcinstagram» 🙂 for a while and get down to serious business. Because here I am going to catch the pending threads from Nana’s glorious old article «Hiking routes…» and weave some more cloth on the loom.
Skip the metaphors…
This article is actually about the work of Hiking Club of Ikaria in mapmaking! Let me quote Nana’s words about these people…
«In spite the lack of support by government and privates, OPS Ikarias are doing more than their best to promote hiking in Ikaria. In the course of time they have literally built with their hands a large network of very popular hiking routes in the island’s varied landscapes and since 2014 when they owned a page in Google they started making Google maps of some of these hikes. Though I have helped several times, it is never enough. There is and there will always be plenty more to do.»
«This entry stands as a due tribute, promotion and encouragement to their effort. As I said and as surprising as this can be, the OPS Ikarias are not funded by anybody. On the other hand, as far as marking and mapping the paths are concerned, given that they are very few and that the terrain of the island is very rough and complicated, they haven’t done badly at all!»
«However, their task is far from being concluded. The maps that I am presenting below to do not correspond to organized, marked and clearly secure trails of the kind we see in other parts of the world. So very often advise and guidance in needed in advance. But the good thing is that the OPS Ikarias are residents who live on the island all year long. So, before you take up any of these hikes, I am asking you to get in contact with them either through their Google page, blog, photo gallery on Flickr and group on facebook.»
And I, how am I involved? Well, I was the naive and ignorant newcomer who put a few red marks on this map of Ikaria and posted it on my blog back in 2006. It became so popular so fast on the net that I felt awkard and had to take it down (Nana, our good archiver, stored it though). You see, although I have done a lot in this direction, I wouldn’t take it on me to draw maps of my island, thus offering reliable guidance across its exciting but rough, exhausting and sometimes dangerous landscapes.
These times are over! Since that old red marker stained sheet of paper, we have had fine quality digital mapmaking on the net, interactive, with a signature, and for free, created by OPS Ikarias for the sake of hiking, nature, tradition, pleasure and sport. There is so much love into this things that I have decided to call the places included in these maps -places where they have dedicated so much time and work (Soul Powered Work!)– I have decided to call them «Power Spots»!
How many are they until now? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 !!!
So here they are, dear readers, nature lovers and possible future hikers of Ikaria, the Seven Power Spots of the island, checked, signed, branded and… blogged!
Love
Eleni
your faithful weaver
. 💗’
.
1) The Lighthouse of Kavo Papas
Check the OPS Ikarias review of the location
About the trail, check the OPS Ikarias map:
«Karkinagri – Kavo Papas»
and the amazing photos included in my article:
«A Day at an Exhibition»
2) «Σπιτάκι της Μαμής»
Check the OPS Ikarias review of the location
and my article: «The little house in the desert»
3) Δάσος Ράντη
See also my richly illustrated article:
«Legends about Ikaria: The Forest of Radi»
«The Round of Radi Forest on Foot»
(See also their review of the location)
4) ΛΑΓΚΑΔΑ
[♦] See the location on the map and read
the OPS Ikarias review loaded with many recent photos.
[♦] See the map & description of the 1st hiking route in the area:
«HINTERLAND»
A hiking round in the wild mountains of western Ikaria
Also in the OPSI blog: «HINTERLAND»,
γύρος στην ορεινή ενδοχώρα της δυτικής Ικαρίας.
[♦] See the map & description of the 2nd hiking route in the area:
«On the old dry stone built trails of Northwestern Ikaria»
Mavrianou – Vrakades – Langada – Amalou
5) Crossing Mt Atheras from north to south
With a stop for a meal in Taverna Plaka».
[Read the OPS Ikarias review of this place]
Map of the hike:
«Karavostamo – Dokimi – Arethousa – Chrysostomo»
Photos:
«Karavostamo – Dokimi – Arethousa – Chrysostomo»
The Pictures!!!
6) Chalares Canyon
[♦] The beautiful area and the old chapel of «Ai Giannis»,
also the epicenter of the «Musical Yards» events in July.
[♦] Read the OPS Ikarias review
about the trail in the Canyon.
[♦] Finally, for the experienced, the bold and the demanding:
«The Round of Upper Chalares Canyon»
7) Μονοπάτι του Αθέρα
[♦] This amazing long trail running on Ikaria’s high mountain ridge starts from the Tower of Drakano. Read the OPS Ikarias review of the place and check out the location on the map.
[♦] About the trail read the OPS Ikarias review
and check out the starting point.
[♦] Finally, the map of the first part of this hike. It’s one of the best I’ve seen on Google maps! I so hope OPS Ikarias will continue with this project!
«THE TRAIL OF ATHERAS RIDGE»
.
⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Finally, don’t miss to buy the new hiking map of Ikaria by ANAVASI EDITIONS!
All of these locations and trails are included, and even more, most of which offered gratis by the Ikarian Hiking Club!
Ikaria, Greece
Tuesday, December 4, 2018
Updated
Monday 29, August 2022
….
Musical Yards ♪♫♬ Μουσικές Αυλές
Δημοσιεύθηκε: 15 Ιουνίου, 2018 Filed under: choses vécues, festivals, ikaria, music, photography, Uncategorized | Tags: aegean, Greece, greeks-in-crisis, ikaria, ikarians, Κίνηση Πολιτών Ραχών Ικαρίας, Μουσικές Αυλές, ικαρία, July, Kar, music, Musical Yards, my-friends, nature-culture, rahes, st.john's, things to know, thoughts, tradition, volunteers, why-ikaria 11 Σχόλια
- One good thing about music,
- when it hits you, you feel no pain.
- [Bob Marley]
What do I know about music?
I know more than you ever thought, dear readers.
Perhaps because my mother was Italian, perhaps because music has been for me a good way to soothe a temper often volcanic, or just because I have strong lungs and throat, I have always sung and I think that my singing is not completely unacceptable to a trained ear. I’ve never had a musical education, and yet during a year or two of my crazy young days I could sing folk songs and jazz music from Hungary – and all that in Hungarian, oh yeah! 😀
What I cannot do, and that’s a life fact, is to dance.
All I do is jump and kick and dangle and that’s a pity because I love Greek music and all the music of the countries around Greece and that music is (90% of it) associated to dancing. So, I listen to it, sing it, but all the dancing is done within me.
What to do? Nobody is perfect.
This was just a soppy introduction. Bloggers are expected to write a couple of soppy things before getting into the subject, aren’t they?
Forget it.
😖
The subject here is the Music Seminar of Ikaria («Μουσικό Σεμινάριο Ικαρίας») also known as Musical Yards («Μουσικές Αυλές») and Musical Fireplaces («Μουσικά Τζάκια»), a long course of lessons, workshops and concerts organized by a small group of young Ikarians in the village of Christos Ráches every February and July.
You would say, what’s big about it? There are several prestigious and popular music seminars taking place in Greece, the most known ones being in Mount Pelion and Crete. Why a seminar in Ikaria? What more does it offer? And who are this “small group of young Ikarians”? It sounds like one more boring folklore festival. At best perhaps a more sophisticated, DIY generational “panigiri”. Nothing new here.
. .
Oh no, readers! Everything is new here! The seminar’s webpage does not explain very clearly the novelties of the event, so I have decided to say a few more things about it. For example, everything that goes around the Musical Seminar of Ikaria is hand-made, home-made and ever-evolving.
. .
Everything about the Seminar is countless hours of unpaid collective work done by local resident volunteers without support from the authorities, without sponsors and with only some help from few small hotel owners, car rentals and bus drivers.
. .
The most remarkable thing about it is that they don’t have art directors, managers, public relations, don’t have «connections». Totally independent and willing to pay the price for this, all and all these guys have is each other and the support of their community. All and all what they want is to do it. And by some magic trick, they do it.
But how? What’s the trick?
. .
. .
The trick is, first of all, dear readers, that it’s not a “big event”. Only capable of hosting a rough maximum of 200 students, the center of everything is the large yard of a countryside chapel near the village of Christos.
. .
Several classes take place under the oak trees in that yard, while other classes are hosted -guess where?- in the yards, patios and spare rooms of the surrounding family homes in the neighborhood. Hence, the meaningful name of the Seminar («Musical Yards»*), a name which does not only signify the location; it says a lot about the character of the event.
. .
It also shows the support it receives from the village community, not to mention that, in my opinion, it’s a great way to say «thanks» to the owners of the homes where the classes take place.
(* The same houses, plus/minus some, during the wintertime Seminar turn into Musical Fireplaces. Cool!)
. .
No buses, no traffic, everything is nested in nature, including the participants themselves, around 1/3 of which choose to accommodate themselves in the campsite set by the organizers near the church.
. .
. .
Secondly, “the small group of young Ikarians” is no other than the environmental, political and cultural association “Citizens’ Movement of Ráches Ikaria” («Κίνηση Πολιτών Ραχών Ικαρίας»), a 20yearold group still and always active in various fields (see my 2 footnotes down below).
None of them are idle or leisured patrons of arts; on the contrary, all of them are ordinary working people, faces that you see in the streets on their way to work in the morning.
. .
But there is an unseen difference: in spite of their smallness, in spite of their very limited financial resources, these people care! Moreover, they have skills and experience. Even though none of them are graduates of the Conservatory of Vienna, they know how to make things go right.
. .
Thirdly, the teachers! If anyone ever thought the Music Seminar of Ikaria is some kind of groovy thing, just a glance at the list of teachers is enough to change their minds. Each one in his or her own music, mostly the Oriental, traditional Greek or Balkan genre, as far as I can tell, they are the best among the best!
How come?
Because these teachers trusted the organizers and they liked the concept. Some of them even, who come again and again every year, have proved to be truly committed to this event. They brought along their own students, they helped the organizers with valuable advice and in general, they did a lot to improve the Ikarian Seminar and gradually establish it in the agenda of musical education in Greece.
. .
Against the tourist legend that no serious work can be done in Ikaria because everything is unfocused and relaxed, the classes are as demanding and as strict as anywhere in a city environment. Besides this, every year the teachers, to show their understanding of the concept of the Seminar, offer three evening concerts which are open to everybody. Arranging themselves in small groups in these concerts, the last of which always blows up to a big party, they play for hours without being paid.
A large audience from all over the island gathers to attend that last concert in the Yards and all the money collected is used for the causes of the Citizens’ Movement, the first of them always being the preparation of the next seminar.
. .
. .
The goal of the Seminar:
«Culture, communication, living together and playing music, teaching and being taught, knowing each other and having a good time too».
Yeah, we know, we know…
I know you know but I don’t think you know everything.
So, let me elaborate and add a few throughts of my own. They are strictly personal -although I don’t think I am totally wrong in what I am going to say. It’s no coincidence the Ikarian Music Seminar “Musical Yards” started in 2012. That was the terrible year when the Greek economic crisis peaked. That was the year of suicides, the year of social cannibalism when everybody blamed each other for the crisis and the dept.
In several occasions during that year, Art, and more particularly Music, did a lot to keep Greek society from breaking apart. To say the least, Music, and more particularly Greek (traditional and post-traditional music), reminded to us that in spite of our differences, we can still love the same songs and can still sing together.
. .
. .
Because 2012 was a bad year for Ikaria too, this was, in my humble opinion, the reason why the Citizens’ Movement, instead of some other activity, chose to put their bets on music. After all music plays an important role in the life of the island.
. .
One out of four mostly younger inhabitants play a musical instrument, one out of three is an excellent dancer and absolutely everybody loves to go out to places where there is live music – no matter what kind, no matter how good. So, why not invite other musicians to the island, not just for a concert or two, but to stay longer and share their art?
. .
. .
To cut this short, against all odds, with crisis on one hand, and the love for music on the other, without any support from the authorities and no sponsoring, the first Musical Seminar of Ikaria was crowned with success.
Although small at that time, Musical Yards was a pool of forgetfulness and forgiveness, a pocket of equality and fraternity, a refuge for the young for inspiration and hope, a spot where music was played, taught and performed without interruptions or interferences – other than the song of the cicadas on those old oak trees in the hospitable churchyard of Ai Giannis.
. .
. .
. .
It is still like this and now – 2018 – is their 7th year!
Who would have thought!
. .
. .
Last year I was there for only one day but that one day, as I was guided around by a friend, was enough for me to witness all of the above. The Music Seminar of Ikaria is cultural and social barrier breaker and meltdown. I think everybody involved in musical education – and I dare say all education- have something to learn from the way things go during its course.
. .
. .
I support Musical Yards with all my heart!
😍
Eleni
💗
. .
June 15, 2018
. .
. .
Except the first taken by kikiller all photos featuring in this article belong to Musical Yards. They can be found in the files of their website and their page on facebook. © All rights reserved 2012-2017.
⭐ ⭐ ⭐
. .
. .
A few articles in our blogs about the action of
«Kinisi Politon Rachon Ikarias» through the years:
Articles tagged «Kinisi Politon Rachon Ikarias»
in Nana to agrimi’s blog
Articles tagged «Kinisi Politon Rachon Ikarias»
in Eleni’s blog in Ikaria.
Πρόσφατα σχόλια