sweet bravehearts ❤ quiet little landers
Δημοσιεύθηκε: 4 Απριλίου, 2021 | Συντάκτης: Eleni | Filed under: choses vécues, ikaria, photography, stories, Uncategorized | Tags: blog review, faces, Greece, ikaria, ikaria-in-winter, ikarians, island in the aegean sea, island life, Ικαρία, lifestyle, photography, portraits, stories, up-with-lonely-winter, why-ikaria | ΣχολιάστεHello my dear readers,
today’s article is at the same time a new episode of my «The Who in the Where» set of articles and a new episode of my numerous reviews on what other people have written in their blogs on subjects related to Ikaria.
This time, however, the blog where I am borrowing material from is a completely new and different thing and I can’t but be very serious about it. The reason is that Women on Ikaria in BetweenMyWorlds pays a well-deserved, respectful homage to eight inconspicuous heroines who have struggled hard to build the foundations of a good life upon the rocky shoulders of our beloved island.
It is obvious to me that Birgit, the author of these eight beautifully illustrated pages, proceeded in her work not as a superficial magazine reporter but as a real friend and respectful mediator. She observed, she listened, she inquired, she listened again and took notes and photos. She let things settle and mutual trust established. Take time, hang about, lay back and listen – that’s the key to unlock the mysteries of the Ikarian character – always cautious, reserved and often mistrusful of strangers. But either by nature or experience, Birgit grasped the spirit, and that’s the amazing thing about her. She’s proven true to the intro statement of her blog:
«I always loved to travel and to sit down with people, listening to their stories. It is in those moments that the beauty of a place and its people is revealed to me… Here, the definition of «listening» got another meaning. Even though I don‘t yet master the Greek language, the island and the Ikarians have sent me on a long and interesting journey. Whenever possible, you can now find me on this remote island, hiking, collecting stories and appreciating precious moments of intense talks and golden silence… Based on my experiences on Ikaria, I paid more attention to the stories around me. In times where our life is charactericed by restlessness, I treasure my chances to sit down with someone for a while. Talking and listening, giving full attention to each other is the most welcome present I can receive and give today.»
Hey, hold it! The topic here is not the blogger. It’s the blog posts! And here I am, presenting to my readers «Women on Ikaria», containing the portraits of eight brave ladies who have trusted our tiny red rock for a better life. I believe that their example is creating new attitudes and positive perspectives, hopefully not only for Ikaria, I also believe, but for the rest of Greece as well.
And, hey people, don’t think they are the only ones!
Believe me, I know!
Thank you Birgit Urban!
Very much looking forward for more!
⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Stamatoula Vardarou: It takes a village to raise a kid.
«Stamatoula is hurring down the street in Agios Kirikos – a few strands of her thick curls come loose from her hair bun. She is late to open her shop and she knows that her neighbours will start worrying, if she is depassing even the Ikarian definition of beeing late. And she is right. While opening the door of her little shop in the upper main road of Agios Kirikos, Kosta, the owner of the coffee shop next to her, sticks his head out of the door asking her: ‘Where have you been? What happened? You are late!’ Stamatoula is smiling…» [read more…]
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Mandy Dragataki – the woman who is looking after your electricity bill.
«When you leave Ikaria by plane, Mandy might be the last person from the island who is giving you a hand. You can’t miss her: she will be standing at the boarding gate, her long dark hair braided in two strong braids, and with a smile she will check your passport and boarding pass, wishing you a “good flight”. When you see her there, handling the routine work of the ground staff, you might not imagine that her Ikarian story started just four years ago. Nevertheless she has roots on Ikaria, deep roots. Her grandparents are…» [read more…]
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Fotini Paroikou – Living in the Ikarian rhythm.
«Fotini drives her little car quickly over the bumpy dirt road. It is a hot summer day on Ikaria. Some kilometers further down the road, you can enjoy Messakti beach packed with hundreds of people, who are making the most of a typical Greek holiday day with sunbathing, surfing and beach volleyball. But up here, in the area of Pezi, it‘s a completely different story. You don’t meet anybody. Through the dust clouds…» [read more…]
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Marianna Markaki: when living next to the sea is the only option.
«If you want to get to know to Marianna, you better put your swimsuit on, take your swimming goggles and head to the sea somewhere in the area between Agios Kirikos and Therma on the Southern coast of Ikaria. Watch out carefully and if you‘re lucky, you might see a tall, sportive-looking woman with a spear gun, swimming between the rocks trying to…» [read more…]
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Silke Wagner – When love and jam make you stay.
«“Ja, da muscht halt gucke, dass du noch eine Milch holen tust” You may turn your head in surprise, eyes wide open, perplexed to hear a broad German accent while sitting in a coffee shop in Raches on Ikaria. But when this is happening, you are most probably sitting in the coffee shop of the “Women’s cooperative” in the middle of the platia of Christos Raches…» [read more…]
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Miriam Maass – finally taking life into your hands.
«Boofy, the little brown mixed breed dog, is jumping impatiently between the olive nets. He is bored. For hours he already stayed there watching Miriam, his owner, combing down the olives from one tree after the other. He cannot stand it any longer. Nor can he stand the smell of the olives any longer, or does he want to explore the grove once more. He knows this olive grove by heart: It is nearly Christmas time and since the beginning of November he has not only examined every single mound of soil in this grove, but he also got stuck in an endless chain of the same routine: in the morning, Miriam, his beloved owner, drives him from Nas up to Proespera, where she‘s supposed to harvest 117 olive trees by herself…» [read more…]
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Elena Zepou – I hang up my ballet shoes between goats and chicken and I am fine with it.
«Elena bends her body up and down at the ballet bar. She closes her eyes and little by little she gets into the rythm of the music, she put on this morning: «Cesare Pugni – The Esmeralda Variation». This is her moment, this is her ‘time out’ before a busy day starts off. She is testing some steps and after a short time…» [read more…]
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Eirini Stathogianni – Τhe woman who is putting Ikaria on your skin.
«Eirini kisses her little daughter good-bye, then she starts the engine of the small white transporter. It is a cold winter afternoon in December on Ikaria, the Northern wind is blowing rain drops against the windscreen. Even though Eirini knows the road by heart, she drives slowly, concentrating on every bend in the road. Winter weather can be very treacherous on Ikaria and the…» [read more…]
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Update: Sunday, September 12, 2021
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NOTES:
a) This article is actually a reblog. All texts and photos © Birgit Urban, all rights reserved. The material presented here has not been downloaded but embedded directly from the source.
b) BetweenMyWorlds does not accept comments but only e-mails. Aligning to the blogger’s preference I won’t accept comments here either. However, if you are on facebook, I think you may be able to add a comment by visiting the links pinned under some of the paragraphs of this article.
c) I take full responsibility for the title of my article. The second part of it is a loan after one of my most cherished old articles:
«φree αssoσiation».
Thanks for reading!
⭐ ⭐ ⭐
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Sunday, April 4, 2021
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Picture Calendar 2017! 😎
Δημοσιεύθηκε: 12 Ιανουαρίου, 2017 | Συντάκτης: Eleni | Filed under: choses vécues, festivals, flying, hiking, holidays, ikaria, photography, pleasure, stories, travel, Uncategorized | Tags: adventure, aegean, calendar, flickr, Greece, hiking, hiking trails, icaria, ikaria, ikaria-in-winter, island in the aegean sea, χειμώνας, ικαρία, μονοπάτια, layers, merominia, my-friends, OPS Ikarias, photography, things to know, up-with-lonely-winter, winter | 8 ΣχόλιαDear readers,
in Ikaria almost every village, community or association makes a picture calendar for the new year to raise money for various causes and needs. Competition is tough so these calendars are getting better and better in both concept and context every year. Take for example this one by the Ikarian Radio Station on the subject of mushrooms. (By the way, do you remember my post about Ikarian mushrooms?)
Anyway, I am not a village, that’s obvious! And my purpose is not to raise money either. I am one of the co-founders and co-administrators of a small photo community about Ikaria on Flickr and there we have the same tradition as on the island itself: every year we produce a Picture Calendar! The idea behind it is not money of course. All I want is to present some pictures which, besides their quality, are worth to be seen by anyone who is interested in our small stripe of land. They are pictures typical of the corresponding months and/or typical of what goes on in Ikaria during these months.
This year too I made a Calendar for the group, but as I said in the forenote, this time the choice of photos would not be mine. They would be either the viewers’ choice through Flickr or merely at random through Google Image Search. So if you click on a picture below, a new window will open to a Flickr Search or a Google Search page showing all the results, for example, of «Ikaria» and «January«, «Ikaria» and «February» etc.
The only bit of choosing I did was to pick a photo as a sample from the first rows of both websites. The reason was that as we scroll down the pages, the pictures tend to be less and less relevant to the topic, that is «Flickr + location + month».
I hope you will enjoy this. The larger pictures on the left direct to Flickr. The smaller pictures on the right direct to Google. Click and watch our Ikarian monthly panorama!
Happy New Year!
I’m back & sea turtles! •·.·´¯`·.·•. •·.·´¯`·.·•☀
Δημοσιεύθηκε: 22 Οκτωβρίου, 2016 | Συντάκτης: Eleni | Filed under: choses vécues, holidays, ikaria, photography, pleasure, stories, travel, Uncategorized | Tags: beach, caretta-caretta, eleni-in-ikaria, environment, funny, ikaria, ikaria-in-winter, island in the aegean sea, χελωνάκια, ικαρία, loggerhead sea turtles, my life, nature, October, photography, preservation, sea turtles, stories | 9 Σχόλια.
Two days ago and I’m back in Ikaria and I am taking part in my own cleansing ritual as always early in the morning and after that I put something on and lie on the sand and I am tired and I drowse off and although it was cold earlier, now the sun rises higher and I wake up from the heat, and I think I’m dreaming ‘cause next to my waist, and my left thigh small black creatures emerge from the sand hot babes and they look as if made of rubber and they are six or seven (maybe there were more while I was asleep) and they crawl and paddle towards the sea – because they are newly born baby sea turtles!!!
😊 😍
And I jump on my feet and one more baby crawls out of the sand from the spot where I had laid my head and I’m trying to reach my camera while I’n also trying to keep my pareo around my waist and the camera drops on the sand and I am wasting time to clean it and I think that I’m screaming -from impatience, excitement and joy…
😖 😆 😄
And I open the lid of the lens and I finally take three good shots!!!
📷 😤
Bravo, chelonakia!
Bravo, baby sea-turtles!
Thanks for the short crazy moment
I felt you were my own little brats!!!
👶
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Now in case some of you thought I am some kind of animal enchanter ☺ – according to latest records, loggerhead sea turtles are not uncommon in the eastern Aegean islands, including Ikaria, and that in spite the fact that we don’t have many appropriate sandy beaches. Several friends have seen nests and even witnessed mothers laying eggs.
The Who in The Where (2)
Δημοσιεύθηκε: 7 Αυγούστου, 2016 | Συντάκτης: Eleni | Filed under: choses vécues, exploring, festivals, hiking, holidays, ikaria, photography, pleasure, stories, travel | Tags: anthropology, anti-mykonos, eyes, eyes and smiles, faces, flickr, flickr-photos, frugality, Greece, Greeks, greeks-in-crisis, ikaria, ikaria-in-winter, ikarians, instagram, island in the aegean sea, πρόσωπα, ικαρία, μονοπάτια, lifestyle, local identity, my-beta-island, my-friends, my-idea, my-neighbors, people in landscape, portraits | 9 Σχόλια____
«…συνηθισμένοι εις τον θεληματικόν κόπον μιας ησύχου ζωής, ανυπόδουλοι, εξ αρχής της κατοικήσεως των εις εκείνα τα υψηλά βουνά – έχουν ευτυχείς μακρά από την πολυτέλειαν και κακοήθειαν των διεφθαρμένων πολιτειών, ανδρείοι ως ελεύθεροι, φιλόξενοι ως Έλληνες…»
(παλιο ανωνυμο)
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Hello readers!
There is no need to say much about this kind of post. I think I said more than enough in my first, very enthousiastic «The Who in The Where» 4 years ago. The focus again is on people, our people or the people who visit Ikaria but who somehow seem to have always belonged there. Or is it that our mysterious but so peaceful island has always belonged to them? I don’t know… I only know that I am missing it. I hope that as usual I will return in winter. Meanwhile, go ahead and look through my choice of new pictures of beautiful, meaningful human figures and faces from the summer months as well as the winter in Ikaria. Some of them I know, some others I don’t but I am proud of them all! These people are my next of kin. And though I writing this in a grey overheated city while wearing an uncomfortable formal suit, my heart is with them! I hope you like them too!
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All images open directly on the bloggers’ or photographers’ own spaces and it goes without saying that they are copyrighted. Special thanks to © angeloska, © Ορειβατικός Σύλλογος Ικαρίας and © egotoagrimi
More material in Flickr can be easily found if you type: «Ikaria + portrait», «Ikaria + face», «Ikaria + girl», «Ikaria + boy» etc.
Closing this let me add that there are more shots but that’s not «The Who in The Where» – that’s …
«Only Few in Only Few Places»! 😀
‘The Hiking Trails of Ikaria’ – illustrated interview by OPS Ikarias
Δημοσιεύθηκε: 14 Μαΐου, 2016 | Συντάκτης: Eleni | Filed under: choses vécues, exploring, hiking, ikaria, photography, pleasure, stories, travel | Tags: adventure, aegean, atheras, documentary, ecotourism, enviro-lore, good-conspiracy, Greece, hikers, hiking, hiking trails, ikaria, ikaria-in-winter, ikarians, interview, ΟΠΣ Ικαρίας, ικαρία, μονοπάτια, my-friends, OPS Ikarias, people in landscape, photo rapsody, photography, photostory, preservation | 11 Σχόλια.
You know that my blog likes interviews and this one… well, it’s a good one because it’s like a documentary! I mean that you can just stare at the photos (loads of them) streaming over the questions and answers, only that I thought that the context was interesting too, so I got into the trouble to translate the whole thing in English and then I sent it over to be added as subtitles to the video on youtube. Which video is an illustrated version of an interview to my good Ikarian friend, Angelos K., founding member and representative of the Mountain Climbing and Hiking Association of Ikaria (OPS Ikarias), by Babis Kokosis for «The Hiking Trails of Greece» a regular radio show on «The Voice of Greece», the international Greek state Radio (ERA 5). Unlike what you might have expected, the pictures do not show landscapes and trails and maps and stuff like that but people!
As the introduction goes:
«The photos showing in this video made by OPS Ikarias were taken along our various hiking trips and many other activities in the nature of Ikaria from 2008 to 2016. They are a tribute to our older and newer friends and members of the Club who walk and enjoy the island’s fascinating landscapes and take part in the club’s projects and activities. They are our inspiration and our one and only support. This video is dedicated to them!»
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***Find button to turn on "subtitles". Seen best in full screen mode!
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You can read my translation of Angelos’s radio interview by opening this link to OPS Ikarias Google docs. The interviewer introduces the show like this:
«Today we will visit Ikaria, an island that has managed, in spite of the growing tourist development, to maintain a big part of its cultural traditions.
The natural particularities of Ikaria are many. They are shaped by the geographical features and the position of the island in the Aegean Sea. Ikaria consists of a long mountainous mass stretching from east to west forming a ridge with heights over 1000 m. and separating the island in two sides: the northern side with mild slopes, forestlands and abundant waters, and the southern side with stony grounds and steep slopes. Therefore, it displays an impressive variety of landscapes and natural sights which the visitor can discover by following its numerous trails while getting in touch with its history and the legendary particular way of life of its inhabitants.
Let’s find out a bit more about the hiking routes of the island as well as what a hiker may encounter in them through our talk with Mr. Angelos Kalokairinos, representative of the local Hiking Club.»read more...
And if you are a Greek reader you can check out the original transcript in this link.
The video, seen best in full screen mode, it goes without saying, includes a selection of pictures from the Flickr Album: «Mountain Climbing and Hiking Club of Ikaria». I have exercised my influence 🙂 and gotten a specially coded link so you can see all the pictures -not only the public ones. So take advantage of this privilege and enjoy an amazing slideshow! But if you just like a quick view, here is the album straight out of Flickr:
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I WANT MORE OPS Ikarias Videos!!!
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[related links]
Eleni Ik
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Ikaria, May 14 2016
[BIG DAY!]
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Back home for Christmas
Δημοσιεύθηκε: 27 Ιανουαρίου, 2016 | Συντάκτης: Eleni | Filed under: choses vécues, festivals, ikaria, stories, Uncategorized | Tags: aegean, Armenistis, eleni-in-ikaria, Greece, greek-entries, history, ikaria, ikaria-in-winter, ikarians, ιστορία, ικαρία, January, my-beta-island, squall, stories, storm, the-island, the-sea, tradition, up-with-lonely-winter, winter | 9 Σχόλιαβρισκομαι στην Ικαρια και δεν αντεχω παρα να γραψω στη γλωσσα του τοπου, δηλαδη στα Ελληνικα. Ειναι χειμωνας, εποχη για παλιες ιστοριες. Ομως δεν μου βγαινει να σας πω μια δικη μου γιατι ειμαι πολυ κουρασμενη.
Back home for Christmas
«Έχω βρεθεί καταχείμωνο στην Ικαρία, τότε που οι λιγοστοί κάτοικοι λουφάζουν περιμένοντας να περάσουν οι δύσκολες εποχές. Αγριεμένος ο καιρός, τρία μέτρα ψηλή η θάλασσα, ορμάει με πάταγο στην προκυμαία και η νύχτα προμηνύεται όλο βουητό και αντάρα. Ο Αρμενιστής, ένα παλιό ψαροχώρι, εκτεθειμένο στους βορεινούς καιρούς, δεν κρατάει το χειμώνα πάνω από τριάντα ανθρώπους. Όσοι δεν κάθονται γύρω από τη σπιτική φωτιά μαζεύονται στον καφενέ, τραβούν τα παραθυρόφυλλα και τις ξύλινες πόρτες που μαστιγώνονται από θαλασσινές ριπές. Παλιοί ναυτικοί και μετανάστες που γύρισαν ύστερα από χρόνια στην Αμερική, βολεύονται γύρω απ’ τη σόμπα, ψήνουν κάστανα και πίνουν ρακί.»
«Ο μπάρμπα-Δημήτρης, ο Κόχυλας, ο καφετζής, άρχοντας της λιτότητας, αράζει σ’ έναν πάγκο στη γωνία, χωμένος σ’ ένα βαρύ δερματόδετο βιβλίο που αν κανείς κάνει τον κόπο και πλησιάσει, θα διαβάσει: “Απομνημονεύματα του Στρατηγού Σαράφη„. Η γυναίκα του, η κυρά-Μαρία, όρθια στην άλλη γωνία, στην κουζίνα, τηγανίζει ψαράκια που τσιτσιρίζουν στο τηγάνι της. Ο καφενές τρίζει από την επίθεση των καιρών και όσοι είναι μαζεμένοι γύρω από τη σόμπα ξαναμμένοι από τη ρακή, το ρίχνουν στη συζήτηση για τα καράβια που έπιαναν παλιά στην Ικαρία.»
«Το μεγάλο ερώτημα που ρίχτηκε στη κουβέντα, είναι: “Πότε ήρθε για τελευταία φορά το Μιμίκα Λ. στον Αρμενιστή„. Ήταν το ’47 ή το ’49; Για όσους δεν ξέρουν τι λαός είναι οι Ικαριώτες, πρέπει να πω ότι είναι πρωτομάστορες του καλαμπουριού και των ιστοριών. Όταν άρχιζε ο Στρατής ο Αφιανές ερχότανε μια στιγμή που βρισκόσουνα, χωρίς να το καταλάβεις, κυκλωμένος από παντού να τσαλαβουτάς μέσα στο τραγελαφικό και το παράδοξο. Κι όταν σηκωνότανε όρθιος ο Σταμάτης ο Κόχυλας, ο μεγάλος αδελφός του μπάρμπα-Δημήτρη, που ’χε κι αυτός έναν μικρό καφενέ πάνω από την προκυμαία, κοντός, ξερακιανός, αργομίλητος, τότε απλωνότανε νεκρική σιγή. Κι έπειτα, τα καλαμπούρια. Οι Ικαριώτες μπορούν να πειράζουν ο έναν τον άλλον για μια ολόκληρη νύχτα. Το κάνουν σαν ένα παιχνίδι που γυρίζει γύρω-γύρω κι αυτός που αρχίζει θα δεχτεί με τη σειρά του τα πειράγματα των άλλων. Άντρες πλατύστερνοι και βαριοκόκκαλοι, γέρνουν πάνω στην καρέκλα και με μάτια που λάμπουν από περιπαικτική διάθεση αμολάν το καλαμπούρι ενώ με τα χοντροδάχτυλά τους τρίβουν το κάστανο και ταυτόχρονα περιεργάζονται μία το θύμα και μία τις αντιδράσεις της παρέας. Ώρες-ώρες ο καφενές σείεται από τα γέλια. Πότε ήταν λοιπόν, το ’47 ή το ’49; Ήταν πριν από το γάμο του Τάσου του Φραγκούλη ή τότε που ο Τσαντίρης ο γέρος γύρισε από το Σικάγο και είπε ότι θέλει ν’ αφήσει τα κόκαλά του εδώ πέρα στα χώματα τα πατρογονικά.»
«Όποιος δεν καλοθυμάται γίνεται αντικείμενο γενικής θυμηδίας. Μετά η συζήτηση προχωράει στα παλιά καράβια. Το Προπολεμικό «Φρίντο» που έκαιγε κάρβουνο, το «Παντελής», το «Δεσποινάκι» και η «Μαριλένα» πρώην «Κωστάκης Τόγιας». Μετά ερχότανε το «Μυρτιδιώτισσα» η «Μιμίκα Λ» και τα ιταλικά: ο «Κολοκοτρώνης», ο «Καραϊσκάκης» και το «Έλλη». Καράβια, φαντάσματα καραβιών που πέρναγαν σαν παλιές γκραβούρες μέσα απ’ την κουβέντα τους.»
«Αλήθεια, τι απόσταση από το “Μιμίκα Λ.„ μέχρι το “Αιγαίο„! Κι από το Ο/Γ “Αιγαίο„ στις αρχές της δεκαετίας του ’80 ως τα σήμερα, τέλη του ’90. Παλιά σιδερένια βαπόρια με στρογγυλές πρύμνες, μυτερές πλώρες και ξύλινα καταστρώματα. Παστωμένα με άσπρη λαδομπογιά, με δερμάτινους καναπέδες και ξύλινες επενδύσεις. Το “Αιγαίο„ παλιό και ταλαιπωρημένο διέσχιζε το Ικάριο, βυθιζόταν με την πλώρη μέσα στο κύμα κι όταν σηκωνότανε πάνω από την ίσαλο γραμμή έβλεπες τα μίνια και τις ξεφλουδισμένες μπογιές του. Οι Ικαριώτες όμως ήταν βαθιά δεμένοι μ’ αυτό το πλοίο. Τους έφερνε στον Πειραιά μ’ όλους τους καιρούς κι από κει πίσω στο σπίτι τους. Γέρνανε στις κουπαστές και αγναντεύαν το νησί τους καθώς το καράβι έπλεε κατά μήκος του για μια ολόκληρη ώρα γιατί είναι ένα εξαιρετικά μακρόστενο νησί η Ικαρία.»
«Όπως το πλοίο έβγαινε από τον Άγιο Κήρυκο και τράβαγε δυτικά παραπλέοντας όλη τη νότια πλευρά του νησιού που την δέρνει το Ικάριο δείχνανε ο ένας στον άλλο με το δάχτυλο, και ονομάζανε με το όνομά τους, όλα τα χωριά, ένα, ένα. Γέροι με χοντρά τζην και καρρώ πουκάμισα φοράγανε εκείνα τα παλιά αμερικάνικα γυαλιά με τον μαύρο σκελετό που έδιναν οι αμερικάνικες κοινωνικές υπηρεσίες, το αμερικάνικο ΙΚΑ, στη δεκαετία του ’60. Στις πλάτες τους κρεμόταν ο γυλιός φτιαγμένος από δέρμα κατσίκας με το τρίχωμα προς τα έξω. Γυναίκες μαντηλοδεμένες, νύφες, γαμπροί, παιδιά.»
«Διακρίνανε τα χωριά το ένα μετά το άλλο και στο τέλος πια τον Μαγγανίτη και μετά το Καρκινάγρι, που κρέμονταν πάνω στον απόκρημνο βράχο. Ξεχώριζαν το δρόμο που χρόνια τώρα πάσχιζε, με τις μπουλντόζες και τα φουρνέλα, ν’ ανοίξει η ΜΟΜΑ για να ενώσει το νησί. Κι όταν προσπέρναγαν το ακρωτήριο Παππάς, με τον φάρο του, τότε ήσυχοι πια κατέβαιναν στα σαλόνια του καραβιού και παρέες-παρέες άνοιγαν τα φαγητά με τα κεφτεδάκια και το ψωμοτύρι και τραβάγανε κοντά τη νταμιτζάνα με το κόκκινο Ικαριώτικο κρασί.»
« . . . »
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Τι ωραιο κειμενο!
Καλε μου αγνωστε αναγνωστη αν θελεις κι ενα οχι για τη θαλασσα αλλα για το βουνο της ιδιας ή πιο παλιας εποχης, διαβασε στο μπλογκ της Νανας το:
Κι αν θες τη γνωμη μου, πιστευω οτι και σημερα πισω απο το τσιμεντο, τα μηχανηματα και το τουριστικο πασαλειμμα επικαλυμμα, κατι δυνατο απο ολα αυτα υπαρχει ακομα. ❤
Ελενη Ικ.
Ικαρια, 27 Ιανουαριου 2016
What I blogged about in 2015
Δημοσιεύθηκε: 12 Ιανουαρίου, 2016 | Συντάκτης: Eleni | Filed under: choses vécues, exploring, festivals, flying, hiking, holidays, ikaria, photography, pleasure, stories, travel, Uncategorized | Tags: adventure, aegean, eleni-in-ikaria, enviro-lore, environment, Greece, hiking, ikaria, ikaria-in-winter, island in the aegean sea, ικαρία, μονοπάτια, my-friends, nature, nature-culture, photography, preservation, stories | 9 ΣχόλιαHappy New Year, my friends!
The same as last year it’s again time to review for you my blog posts of 2015. I wasn’t counting but now I can see they were actually twelve, one for every month! If you are too lazy to scroll, you can just click on the image on the left and you will be directed to Google Image Search to see a gallery of random pics from my posts of 2016. But if you like things to come one after the other, go ahead and scroll below my gaping mouth 🙂 I have set my posts in order of appearance: a book, two maps, a guiding woman, a group of friends, a cook, a craftsman and a crazy girl, a food gathering man, a survival manual, yoga in the wild, hikers in the wild, my river and me, mushrooms, and finally, amazing landscapes in winter. I hope 2016 will be as rich with good subjects as 2015. I hope,..
I am in Ikaria now and it feels like in a lifeboat: heading for the unknown but safe and calm.
Tuesday, January 12, 2016
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Mushrooms!
Δημοσιεύθηκε: 8 Δεκεμβρίου, 2015 | Συντάκτης: Eleni | Filed under: choses vécues, exploring, hiking, ikaria, photography, stories | Tags: adventure, aegean, ecotourism, enviro-lore, environment, Greece, hiking, hiking club, ikaria-in-winter, χειμώνας, ικαρία, μανιτάρια, μονοπάτια, lost-village, mushrooms, my-friends, Myrsonas, nature, OPS Ikarias, preservation, up-with-lonely-winter | 5 ΣχόλιαHello friends! 🙂 🙂 🙂
Mountain Climbing and Hiking Club of Ikaria © all rights reserved
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~ ❤ ~
Ακομα κι αλλα τοπια των αλλων
Δημοσιεύθηκε: 15 Δεκεμβρίου, 2014 | Συντάκτης: Eleni | Filed under: choses vécues, exploring, hiking, holidays, ikaria, photography, pleasure, travel, Uncategorized | Tags: aegean, atheras, Cézanne, eleni-in-ikaria, empty-landscapes, environment, flickr, general takes, Greece, ikaria, ikaria-in-winter, island in the aegean sea, Αθέρας, ικαρία, μονοπάτια, landscape, landscape shots, landscapes, landscapes of others, nature, photography, preservation, rocks, travel, wind turbines | 2 Σχόλια.
Hello readers,
everybody is picking olives and this is going to last for many weeks. There isn’t much to say about life here, so let me go on blogging «landscape shots of others». You can read the outlines of this project in the first part of the series. which begins with a memorial gallery of my own Ikarian landscapes from the glorious past. In my previous entry I got carried away into metaphysics and escapist thoughts but I promise this time I will be more sober. No more rocks and cliffs where only eagles, hermits and crazy Ikarians would take their chances. The landscapes I chose today are smooth and reasonable, at least as smooth and reasonable as an island like Ikaria can be… 😉
The choice was made using the oh! so useful Flickr Search «Ikaria + landscape» (refresh if it doesn’t load) sorted by «relevance» giving results oh! so wonderfully untouristically random and magical almost like a crystal sphere.
Here are the 12 shots I chose: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
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This was the third dozen of my landscape shots of others chosen among the not so popular and less known pictures. I thought they deserved to be seen. We don’t live on the beach. We live inside of around these landscapes! So this is it. The fourth part which, God will, be uploaded in the New Year, is going be a surprise!i Wait and see…
to be continued…
Eleni Ik ❤
Thursday December 18, 2014
When I am tired of the world
Δημοσιεύθηκε: 23 Νοεμβρίου, 2014 | Συντάκτης: Eleni | Filed under: exploring, hiking, ikaria, photography, stories, Uncategorized | Tags: adventure, aegean, atheras, balancing rocks, empty-landscapes, enviro-lore, Greece, hiking trails, history, ikaria, ikaria-in-winter, ikarian-enigma, ikarian-legends, ikarians, χειμώνας, Ορειβατικός Πεζοπορικός Σύλλογος Ικαρίας, ικαρία, μονοπάτια, landscape shots, landscapes of others, lost-village, monasteries, my-friends, mystic, OPS Ikarias, photography, religion, rocks, thoughts, up-with-lonely-winter | 11 Σχόλια ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
You know, the last thing Ikaria is known for is church life and monasticism. The people are very religious in a natural, casual way, indifferent of formalities, nevertheless always showing a sincere and full respect of higher forces which control our destinies. Whether one believes in the salvation of the soul or not, religion provides consolation because, salvation taken apart, it does speak about the soul while economics do not. And believing in the soul, the existence of a soul, whether this soul is immortal or not, is something very important in the life of the island. Religion also provides occasions for celebration and community gatherings. It also offers an explanation for natural things as well as for «luck» : God’s will. And natural things and lucky or unlucky circumstances are also important elements in the consistence of Ikarian life. To cut this short, we have churches – a lot of big and small churches. They are, so to speak, our guardians, houses of God, houses of the spirit (soul) of the community: «be good and be good to each other» (be good to God).
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But what about monasteries? Thereupon we are a failure. Although there are a few monasteries, there is no monastic tradition in Ikaria, at least none as strong as in some other islands. In my opinion, besides our natural dislike for discipline and formalities, the most important reason is that the island is poor and cannot sustain monastic communities. The rocky soil produces hardly enough for the population so the Ikarians, even though devout believers, could not afford, so to speak again, professionals in prayer, experts in salvation. Like everything else in Ikaria, the tending of the soul had to be done by the poeple themselves with the occasional help of an educated priest or solitary monk.
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Yet, there are exeptions. If monasteries didn’t thrive, small hermitages were abundant in the slopes of Mt Atheras. But let’s not think that these retreats were inhabited by anchorites who pursued unification with God like in Mt Athos or Sinai. Though little is known about the lives of these people, it’s obvious to me that they were more or less ordinary men and women who either by some misfortune or simply because of taste, discarded the joys of the marital bed and the comforts of village and family life. They walked away from the world, seeking solitude, entrusting their fate to their labouring hands, to good God and to Mother nature. I am all respect for them. It’s hard to believe that in am island as virgin and wild as Ikaria and in a time when most settlements were of the kind of «lost villages» (see, entry), there were people who sought even more solitude and peace! Out-of-the-worldness must be some sort of second nature to us. The outer the better, the further the better, the remotest and most inaccessible is the best, ask my friend Nana & co about it!
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Anyway, this entry was not meant to be a dissertation of the religious ethics of the Aegean. I have come to Ikaria for the winter and recently my friends, the explorers of OPS Ikarias, in the course of a project to create a long-distance trail from one side of the island to the other, have been in love with a wild area under the tops of Mt Atheras where according to local legends various groups of monks lived in different periods of time from the 15th century to the 1800s. I saw the photos and I found these landscapes absolutely enthralling.
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What made men and women walk out of the world and settle in places like this? What kind of experiences were they after? Were they looking for God? Did they want be gods themselves? Was it because of a practical reason such as piracy, oppression, social disorder and percecutions? Or is it something inherent to the human nature? Escapism? Some people just drop everything and go?.. Is that it? 🙄
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I have always been too committed to everything I do and to everybody I love to even think about escaping. But as I am growing older, sometimes I am tired of the world and this makes me wonder. Until I sort this out, you take a good look at those rocky wildernesses. Take a good look at those vast views to the mountains above, the sea straight ahead and the skies all over. I am inviting you to find your answer.
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