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 ♥️♥️♥️
sweet bravehearts ❤ quiet little landers
Δημοσιεύθηκε: 4 Απριλίου, 2021 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 Σχολιάστε
Hello 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 mat
erial 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 a
nd 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…]
. .
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…]
. .
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…]
. .
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!
⭐ ⭐ ⭐
. .
Sunday, April 4, 2021
. .
WOW [🤩] for Hiking Ikaria on Instagram!
Δημοσιεύθηκε: 3 Φεβρουαρίου, 2021 Filed under: choses vécues, exploring, hiking, ikaria, photography, pleasure | Tags: blog review, environment, Greece, hiking, hiking trails, ikaria, instagram, Αθέρας, Ικαρία, Ορειβατικός Πεζοπορικός Σύλλογος Ικαρίας, Χάλαρη, landscape, OPS Ikarias, photography, Save Atheras, self-guided hiking, stories, why-ikaria 16 Σχόλια
Hello readers,like in my previous article, in this one too I am presenting again a set of posts from the OPS Ikarias facebook page. They refer to three consecutive entries in their home blog all with the same subject:
Hiking Ikaria Photos on Instagram.
Hey, readers, that’s amazing! 🤩
At last the true nature of our island has been discovered, appreciated, and most of all, enjoyed! This is so hopeful, so happy, so positive! When I saw the first of these articles two months ago I was almost in tears. Think that I was treated almost like a sick person when I spent months hiking on the island in 2005.
Υes, I know. Instagram is all about self-promotion – look at me doing this, look at me posing there – but what do you want, that’s only human. As long as there is balance between the self and the setting (and not too many filters), instagram may offer good evidence of the instagramer’s experience. I was so happy to see this – I mean, the nattural experience – in all the 150 frames displayed in the three articles below. And some of them are amazing photos too! I wish I could see a few in a site that would do more justice to them, let’s say a photo community like Flickr.
Anyway, enough with my thoughts. See for yourselves now. Each article contains (embeds) 50 images. They are the following:
«Τα βουνά της Ικαρίας στο Ίνσταγκραμ – 1ο μέρος»
(The Mountains of Ikaria on Instagram – 1st part)
«Τα βουνά της Ικαρίας στο Ίνσταγκραμ – 2ο μέρος»
(The Mountains of Ikaria on Instagram – 2nd part)
«Τα βουνά της Ικαρίας στο Ίνσταγκραμ – 3ο μέρος»
(The Mountains of Ikaria on Instagram – 3d part)
Closing this happy post, I would like to ask my faithful followers and beloved commentators to scroll down these long pages and choose a picture, copy the link and add it here as a comment. Because I think we are facing something new here. If we count in the beautiful captions and inspired descriptions found among several of these rectangulars, I think that besides and after the popular and inevitably trivial #ikariagram hashtag, there is enough quality material on instagram by now to initiate the hashtag: #hikingikariagram!!!!! 😚 😋
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Wednesday, February 3, 2021
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There are worlds within worlds for those who look 👁 👁 👁
Δημοσιεύθηκε: 26 Οκτωβρίου, 2020 Filed under: choses vécues, exploring, hiking, ikaria, photography, stories | Tags: adventure, aegean, Chalares, environment, Greece, greeks-in-crisis, hiking, hiking trails, ikaria, Ικαρία, Ορειβατικός Πεζοπορικός Σύλλογος Ικαρίας, ανεμογεννήτριες, μονοπάτια, Karkinagri, Kavo Papas, OPS Ikarias, photography, Save Atheras, things to know, Upper Chalares, wind turbines 9 Σχόλια
Hello readersthe title of this article which sounds like a famous quote I encountered a few days ago in the comment thread under the photo embedded on the left. It was one of the two answers to a very reasonable question addressed to my beloved explorers, the Hiking Club of Ikaria:
«Do you keep finding these places on your tiny island or revisit with new perceptions?»
Praise and respect to the explorers who take up the challenges!
With this idea in my mind today I have chosen to show you a few recent posts from the Hiking Club of Ikaria’s page on facebook. The first one is about a great hike along Atheras ridge pictured by the resident professional photographer Stefanos Kranas. The second is about the new project of the Hiking Club to open again the trails inside Ikaria’s biggest mountain gorge, Chalares Canyon. The third is again about Stefanos Kranas and his photos from a difficult but very rewarding summer hike from Karkinagri village to the lighthoue of Kavo Papas. And the fourth, well…, the fourth does not consern hiking. It is a protest against the impending installation of more than one hundred gigantic wind turbines on the backbone of the island. I have added that too because in midst of all the good times and adventures we should not forget that the nature of Ikaria as whole is threatened by total destruction in the name of profit.
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Ενα βιβλιο και αλλα δυο
Δημοσιεύθηκε: 31 Ιουλίου, 2020 Filed under: choses vécues, hiking, ikaria, photography, pleasure, stories, travel, Uncategorized | Tags: adventure, Aegean Sea, balancing rocks, book review, drama, good-book, Greece, Αύγουστος, Δεκέμβριος, Ικαρία, Ιούλιος, Κάβο Πάπας, Μακριδάκης, Μαλαφέκας, Μεσακτή, Πέζι, Πεσλής, my-lighthouse, novels, photography, rocks, stories, why-ikaria 12 Σχόλια
Τον φετινο Αυγουστο που δεν εχει πανηγυρια και ξενυχτια, εκτος απο μπανια σε μακρινες παραλιες και πεζοποριες στα βουνα, σας προτεινω να διαβασετε ενα βιβλιο και αλλα δυο.
Το πρωτο ειναι για ενα φαρο και θα σας το παρουσιασει η Νανα. Το δευτερο ειναι για τους βραχους του βουνου και θα σας το παρουσιασει ο Αγγελος. Το τριτο, τελος, ειναι για μια παραλια. Αυτο θα σας το παρουσιασω εγω.
Πιστευουμε κι οι τρεις οτι αυτα τα βιβλια, για διαφορετικους λογους το καθενα, ειναι πολυ αξιολογα, και θεωρουμε και οι τρεις οτι ειναι τιμη για το νησι μας που σταθηκε η βαση, η εμπνευση κι η αφορμη για να γραφτουν.
Ενάμιση Δευτερόλεπτο Φως
«…ότι ήταν ο Λάμπης μπρος και έκανε την ατμομηχανή, και ότι κοπάναγε με τις παλάμες του ανοιχτές τα τζαμωτά του φάρου να τα σπάσει, ότι κρεμιόταν από τα μπερντεδάκια κάθε νύχτα και τα έσκιζε έτσι καθώς χτυπιόταν, στη μέση ο Τσοχοσπύρος έκανε το βαγόνι και τον έπιανε από τον λαιμό τον μπροστινό για να τον πνίξει, τον έσπρωχνε με λύσσα, τον βλαστημούσε κιόλας συνεχώς, τον κοπανούσε όπου έβρισκε, και από πίσω ο εαυτός του ο γίγαντας, ο Κρεμανταλάς έδινε τον ρυθμό, έτσι έλεγε ο Βασίλης, και ότι πασαλείβονταν με γράσα και οι τρεις τους από το συρματόσχοινο του εκκρεμούς που κούρδιζε το οπτικό αλλά και με πετρέλαια από της αντλίας την τρόμπα, και λέρωναν ολόκληρο τον φάρο κάθε νύχτα και φώναζαν όλοι μαζί από την άκρη εκεί του κάβου και από την κορυφή του φαρικού φαλλού που αναβόσβηνε ξαναμμένος και σφύριζε το τρένο του και χαιρετούσε με αναλαμπές, κραυγές και ιαχές και δάκρυα και στεναγμούς και βόγκους τα βαπόρια τα περαστικά και τα ανυποψίαστα, που οι ναυτικοί τους όμως έβλεπαν στο φως του μονάχα την ελπίδα μιας στεριάς μέσα στη μαύρη νύχτα και στη θάλασσα, τίποτα παραπάνω…»
Λοιπόν, μη σας κουράζω, βρήκα πως το «Ενάμιση Δευτερόλεπτο Φως» είναι ένα πραγματικά πολύ ξεχωριστό βιβλίο. Όπως και ο τόπος της δράσης, που είναι ξεχωριστός ― ένας φάρος ανάμεσα στη στεριά και τη θάλασσα, ανάμεσα στον ουρανό και τη γη, ανάμεσα στη νύχτα και τη μέρα ― όλα στο βιβλίο αυτό είναι ακραία κι οριακά, γεμάτα ένταση και παλμό.
Τελικά μάλλον δεν μίλησα τυχαία για τρικυμία και ναυαγούς. Το Ενάμιση Δευτερόλεπτο Φως είναι ― αλληγορικά ― η ιστορία ενός παραλίγο ναυαγίου. Στην πιο κρίσιμη στιγμή, όταν η μοίρα πάει να καταπιεί σύψυχο και αύτανδρο τον ταξιδιώτη, αυτός σώζεται στο τσακ χάρη στην αναλαμπή του φάρου ― 18″ σκο
τάδι, 1 ½″ φως. Και τι φως! Μια αστραπή έξι χιλιάδων βατ! Επιφάνια!Μπράβο, κύριε Μακριδάκη. Το Ενάμιση Δευτερόλεπτο Φως είναι ένα μικρό αριστούργημα!
Και ευχαριστούμε και για την Κοκώνα 💗
Sculpture Garden of the Gods
«Ψηλά στις κορυφογραμμές του Αθέρα, πάνω από το οροπέδιο «Πέζι» της Ικαρίας, απλώνονται μεγάλες ανοικτές εκτάσεις, όπου ξεδιπλώνεται όχι μόνο ο χώρος αλλά και ο ίδιος ο χρόνος. Σε μια συνέχεια από την προϊστορική εποχή έως το σήμερα, οι πέτρες εδώ λένε ιστορίες πολλών χιλιάδων ετών. Λες κι είναι τα κόκαλα της γης, οι βράχοι ξεγυμνώνονται και μένουν έκθετοι σε ένα τοπίο που διαβρώνεται. Ανοίγουν νέες ρωγμές, στρογγυλεύουν με τον καιρό και ισορροπούν ο ένας πάνω στον άλλον, ώσπου να υποκύψουν σε κάποιο ράγισμα.
Τόσο στο σύνολό του, όσο και στα επιμέρους στοιχεία του, αυτό το τοπίο αφήνει τον άνθρωπο γεμάτο ερωτήματα. Εξάπτει τη φαντασία, ενώ ταυτόχρονα ζητάει και την εξήγησή του.»
Αυτά περίπου γράφει ο Αμερικανός συγγραφέας και φωτογράφος Thomas K. Shor στην εισαγωγή του βιβλίου «Sculpture Garden of the Gods» που δημοσίευσε λίγο μετά την πρώτη επίσκεψή του στην Ικαρία το 2014. Η έκδοση ήταν στα Αγγλικά και μόλις εμφανίστηκε με κάλεσε η Ελένη και έγραψα γι’ αυτήν τότε στο μπλογκ της. Εκείνη μάλιστα, με έναυσμα το βιβλίο του Thomas, ανέβηκε στο Πέζι τ
ην επόμενη άνοιξη, ανήμερα του πανηγυριού του Άη Σιδέρου, και τράβηξε κι εκείνη μια σειρά φωτογραφιών που δείχνουν το τοπίο περιγραφικά, όσον αφορά τουλάχιστον την άποψη του χώρου.
Όμως το «Sculpture Garden of the Gods» είναι κάτι πολύ διαφορετικό. Οι πάνω από 100 μεγάλες ασπρόμαυρες φωτογραφίες που περιέχει δεν τραβήχτηκαν την άνοιξη, αλλά τον χειμώνα, τον Δεκέμβρη, αν θυμάμαι καλά, ακριβώς την εποχή του χρόνου που αυτό το απίστευτο τοπίο, κάτω από την επίδραση των στοιχείων της φύσης και των ― συχνά ακραίων ― καιρικών φαινομένων, διαμορφώνεται, «κινείται» και μεταβάλλεται διαρκώς.
Το πιο σπουδαίο όμως στο βιβλίο του Shor είναι ότι, αν και φωτογραφικού περιεχομένου, δεν ξεκινά από την φωτογραφία αλλά από τη νόηση ― τη φαντασία και τη λογική. Μέσα από τις σελίδες του ταξιδεύουμε κυρίως στον χρόνο ― τόσο τον αχανή, αιώνιο γεωλογικό χρόνο, όσο και τον σύντομο, τον πεπερασμένο ανθρώπινο χρόνο.
Διότι τα τοπία του Shor είναι ζωντανά. Όλα τα θέματα που φωτογραφίζει, όλα τα θέματα που περιγράφει, μοιάζουν σαν έμψυχα. Ο συγγραφέας/φωτογράφος κατάφερε να δείξει ότι κινούνται. Κατάφερε να τα κάνει να μας μιλούν.
Όμως, για πόσο ακόμα;
Στον επίλογο του βιβλίου ο Thomas περιγράφει τους κινδύνους που απειλούν αυτό το πολύ ιδιαίτερο, «ρευστό» τοπίο: η ανεξέλεκτη υπερβόσκηση αποψιλώνει και ερημοποιεί τα βουνά προκαλώντας σοβαρές διαβρώσεις και καταρρεύσεις, ενώ η σχεδιαζόμενη εγκατάσταση πολλών θηριώδους μεγέθους ανεμογεννητριών κατά μήκος της κορυφογραμμής είναι βέβαιο ότι θα ισοπεδώσει τις βουνοκορφές και θα αλλοιώσει ανεπανόρθωτα το τοπίο του Αθέρα.
Γι’ αυτό το λόγο, ως επιμύθιο, ο συγγραφέας αφιερώνει το έργο του σε όσους αγωνίζονται να αναδείξουν την αισθητική και περιβαλλοντική αξία του βουνού της Ικαρίας και αναλαμβάνουν δράσεις για να το προστατεύσουν από κάθε κίνδυνο.
Προς το παρόν το βιβλίο κυκλοφορεί μόνο στα Αγγλικά, φαίνεται όμως πως θα υπάρξει και ελληνική έκδοση!
Προσωπικά τουλάχιστον, την περιμένω
με ανυπομονησία!
ΜΕΣΑΚΤΗ
«Την είδα να βγαίνει με μια κίνηση. Έτσι απλά. Να πετάγεται μέσα απ’ το κύμα και να στέκεται όρθια στην ακτή, το νερό να αποτραβιέται με δύναμη κι αυτή να παραμένει εκεί, καρφωμένη στο ίδιο σημείο με λυγισμένα γόνατα. Δεν το πίστευα. Ήταν άνθρωπος μέσα. Και ήταν γυναίκα. Έκανε πέντε βήματα προς τη στεριά σκουπίζοντας τα μάτια της, ξαναγύρισε και στάθηκε όρθια, ακίνητη, προς τη θάλασσα. Απέραντη πλάτη, ξανθιά με πολύ κοντό μαλλί, κώλος Tomb Raider… Κάτι μου ‘λεγαν όλα αυτά. Έμεινε λίγο έτσι, έκανε μεταβολή και άρχισε να περπατάει. Ίσια προς το Φλαμίνγκο. Λευκό μπικίνι, μόνο το κάτω. Πήγαινε γρήγορα, με ρυθμό, σκυφτή στην αρχή, κι ύστερα με το που σήκωσε το κεφάλι έκοψε απότομα γιατί είδε ότι δεν ήταν μόνη. Μάλλον θα είδε το Ίμπιζα, γιατί εγώ στη σκιά της καλαμωτής δεν πρέπει να φαινόμουν. Έβαλε το ένα χέρι μπροστά στο στήθος της, και συνέχισε να περπατάει. Στα είκοσι μέτρα, δεν υπήρχε πια καμία αμφιβολία. Ήταν η σέρφερ-θεά της Μεσακτής, η «Μάρα» απ’ το διήγημα.
[…]
Στάθηκε δίπλα στο δοκάρι της καλαμωτής, όρθια ανάμεσα σε μένα και τη θάλασσα, στα τρία τέσσερα μέτρα. Με κοίταξε. Δεν έβγαλε τα γυαλιά της. Ούτε κι εγώ. «Πιστεύεις στο Άπειρο;» είπε…»
Λοιπον, για οσους δεν γνωρίζουν ― αν και μετά από τοσα καλοκαιρια δοξας αμφιβαλλω να υπαρχουν τετοιοι ― η Μεσακτη ειναι μια παραλια της Ικαριας… Ουπς, τι λεω; Ειναι Η ΠΑΡΑΛΙΑ! Μια μεγάλη αμμουδια που καποιοι από μας τον Αυγουστο την εχουμε πως ειναι η Γκοα μας, η Κοπα Καμπανα μας, το Μαλιμπου μας, και ο,τι άλλο βαζει ο νους του καθενός μας.
Ομως, πισω απο αυτην την παραλια (και τα φαντασιακα της διπλοτυπα), πανω απο τον δρομο, ψηλα στους λοφους, απλωνεται η «terra incognita» ― το υπολοιπο νησι, καπου στο βαθος, μονο βουνα και δαση, αλλοι ανθρωποι, αλλη ζωη. Καμια σχεση.
Οι αντιθεσεις και η πολυχρωμια προσελκυουν και εμπνεουν τους πεζογραφους. Λιγοι ομως καταφερνουν να φτιαξουν με αυτες ενα καλο βιβλιο. Τη «Μεσακτη» του Μαλαφεκα με ηρωα τον κλασικο flâneur Μιχαλη Κροκο την διασκεδασα, μου θυμισε τα παλια, με εβαλε να σκεφτω, και ουπς! ― καπου μεσα σε ολα που αφηγειται, ειδα μια ηρεμη, εντιμη απογνωση που με συγκινησε. 💗
Δεν υπαρχει ελπιδα. Υπαρχουν ομως ιστοριες. Πολλες ιστοριες. Μια απο αυτες ημουν κι εγω ― ηταν δικη μου ιστορια. Μου εκανε καλο που την ξαναζησα.
για την αφιερωση! 😘
Χεχεχε! 😄 και χιχιχι! 😄
Σχετικο στο μπλογκ μου, το «Paper island»:
Μερικες σκεψεις για τα βιβλια και τα νησια
Ικαρια, 31 Ιουλιου 2020
UPDATE Sept 7, 2022 ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
ΑΛΛΟ ΕΝΑ ΥΠΕΡΟΧΟ ΒΙΒΛΙΟ!
Έγραψα γι’ αυτό στα goodreads:
Κάποια μέρα όλοι καταλήγουν στην Ικαρία by Βασίλης Δ. Πεσλής
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Το απόλαυσα! Ωραία δουλειά!
Επίσης, έδωσα μεγάλη βάση στην αγάπη του συγγραφέα για τα ζώα.
Νανά, Ικαρία 🙂
Όταν βρω καιρό, θα γράψω δυο λόγια γι’ αυτό το βιβλίο στο ιστολόγιο μου:
https://egotoagrimi.wordpress.com
Adventures, Fun & Attitude: Selected grams from Ikaria ♥ Part 2
Δημοσιεύθηκε: 19 Νοεμβρίου, 2017 Filed under: choses vécues, festivals, holidays, ikaria, photography, pleasure, stories, travel, Uncategorized | Tags: adventure, aegean, August, beach, free culture, free expression, freedom camping, GenDIY, good-conspiracy, Greece, greeks-in-crisis, grouvaloi, hiking, ikaria, instagram, ικαρία, millennials, photography, portraits, seasonal hippies, stories, summer 2017, transitions, travel, vanity, why-ikaria 13 Σχόλια……
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Hello readers!
This is the second part of… well, the first part. How these two successive posts came about is a long Greek story. It’s the story of the young travellers to Ikaria in the summer. It’s all loaded on Instagram. Enjoy and respect. This is the new DIY generation who are not looking for ready-made things but for the true experience, for whatever that takes.
I have displayed the pictures randomly and democratically all same size, but I can allow myself to say that my favorite is a portrait of a sweet young woman with a caption in Greek, which means:
«When you are hungry but still pose»
……………………..⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Note: None of the 100 pictures seen below have been downloaded but embedded into this post directly from the source. All rights reserved by the respective owners © 2012-2017
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…
……
Finally, the last picture: that was taken by Georgia, a local photographer last February. I
n the previous post Nana said I like to connect with the past. This is only partly true. I connect with the past and the past connects with me. That girl there looks as if it was me standing on that spot when I took this historical picture long long long ago, back in November 2005!!!
So long and take care
Eleni ❤
……
Adventures, Fun & Attitude: Selected grams from Ikaria ♥ Part 1
Δημοσιεύθηκε: 19 Νοεμβρίου, 2017 Filed under: choses vécues, exploring, festivals, holidays, ikaria, photography, pleasure, stories, travel, Uncategorized | Tags: adventure, aegean, August, beach, free culture, free expression, GenDIY, Greece, greeks-in-crisis, ikaria, instagram, ικαρία, millennials, photography, portraits, seasonal hippies, stories, transitions, travel, vanity 14 Σχόλια……
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Hello readers!
Now, don’t think I have betrayed Flickr but as it goes, from the side of Ikaria at least, sometimes the pictures fail in edge, spontaneity and personal touch. It’s no wonder my friends lately don’t add pictures from Flickr in their comments on my posts. They seem to prefer Instagram and I think they are right. Flickr is fine for the large picture and it’s jaw-dropping what you can sometimes see in there, but for the small picture, the snapshot, the ephemeral, subjective thing, Instagram, coming with all its smart filters and tricks, seems to win the game. No wonder (again) why it’s so popular with the under 30s. And these under 30s are the ones who flock together and liven up Ikaria in the summer. Are you guessing it already? You guessed right. Forget the introduction. This article is not really about photography. It’s about these under 30s. Cheers to their generation! All the spirit I love and cherish, they got it! And certainly a lot more!
Go, go, go, young travelers to Ikaria in the age of crisis!
……………………..⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Note: None of the 100 pictures seen below have been downloaded but embedded into this post directly from the source. All rights reserved by the respective owners © 2012-2017
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OASIFICATION! 🌳 🌳 🌳
Δημοσιεύθηκε: 30 Σεπτεμβρίου, 2017 Filed under: choses vécues, exploring, hiking, ikaria, photography, stories, Uncategorized | Tags: aegean, atheras, deforestation, desertification, environment, goats, Greece, ikaria, ikarians, Αθέρας, Κίνηση Πολιτών Ραχών Ικαρίας, ΟΠΣ Ικαρίας, Σπιτάκι της Μαμής, ικαρία, lets-plant-oaks, my-friends, oasification, OPS Ikarias, photography, portraits, preservation, volunteers 7 Σχόλια
WTF is this word? 😵 ❓ ❓
According to YourDictionary: Oasification
«The process of restoring water, soil, and plant life to an environment that has been degraded by soil erosion.»
According to the Wikipedia: Oasification
«In hydrology, oasification is the antonym to desertification by soil erosion. This technique has limited application and is normally considered for much smaller areas than those threatened by desertification.»
«To help the oasification process, engineers aim to develop a thriving dense woody plant cover to redress the hydrological, edaphic and botanical degradation affecting a slope.»
According to writer F. R. Chateaubriand: Oasification
«Forest precedes Man and desert follows him. Thus has ocurred with many civilizations that we know, settled in arid and semiarid territories. However, desertification is not an irreversible and hopeless process. In this new millenium we must be able to find the solutions to the problems that we generate. Against desertification: Oasification!»
According to the declaration of the three Ikarian Associations mentionned
at the end of my previous article «The little house in the desert»
«Besides that, again with our voluntary work, we intend to fence an area of at least 8.000 square meters around the shelter in order to protect it from the goats. This way, we will allow at least a small part of the overgrazed, eroded and almost desertified mountain plateau to grow green again like it was in the past.»
«Among the benefits resulting from this [project will be] the awakening of the local community concerning the desertification of the mountain volume of Ikaria through creating a visitable framed green space where endemic species will grow. This way, it will be proven in practice that this phenomenon and its disastrous effects (flashfloods, landslides, impoverishment of the soil) is not a natural, inevitable process but something that started for specific reasons [only] few decades ago and therefore, there is a way to stop it.»
«But most of all, what we want to do is to show with a project of our own -no matter its smallness- the great love we feel for our mountain, its freedom and its wild beauty.»
Well, t
hey’ve done it!!!! Against all odds (bureaucracy, indifference, fatalism, pessimism and hostile goat barons) on Sunday, September 24, more than 40 young local people gathered on the mountain and after several hours of hard work, they secured an area of 8.000 square meters around the old mountain shelter on Ammoudia plateau with a long line of welded wire mesh panels.
They ‘ve done it! Look at them at work! You can tell from the pictures which are all first quality, the feelings of joy and fulfillment shared by the participants. I am so glad I’ve helped in my own small way to this project. If things go well -and I have every reason to thnk they will- in less than 3 years, instead of that depressive, although sometimes also impressive, goat desert, we will have an oasis!
Notice: The gallery above is made up of 56 pictures I discovered in three posts at the OPS Ikarias Google+ page. They redirected me to three of their facebook posts: the first one, containing 12 pictures taken by my friend Angelos, the second and the third one containing a total of 44 pictures, taken by our friends from Italy, Paola and Ivo, founders of the association «Η ‘δική μας’ Ικαρία».
All pictures © OPSIkarias & DikimasIkaria 2017
For the title of this article I am gratedul to 
who looked up the meaning of the term «oasification» for me and
suggested that it would be more appropriate to describe the project
of fencing instead of the akward «fencing against desertification»
which wouldn’t make much sense to a reader who is not familiar
with our strange island and its strange problems.
.
• opsikarias2008@gmail.com
• kinisi.politon.ikaria@gmail.com
A Day at an Exhibition
Δημοσιεύθηκε: 26 Μαρτίου, 2017 Filed under: choses vécues, exploring, hiking, holidays, ikaria, photography, pleasure, stories, travel, Uncategorized | Tags: adventure, aegean, angelos, art, explorers, flickr, Google maps, Greece, hiking, hiking trails, ikaria, χάρτης, Κάβο Πάπας, Ορειβατικός Πεζοπορικός Σύλλογος Ικαρίας, ΟΠΣ Ικαρίας, ικαρία, μονοπάτια, landscape, landscapes of others, map, March, Mavri, my-work, OPS Ikarias, photography, rocks, wild swimming 14 Σχόλια- .
Dear readers💗As things are at my work I sometimes have to stay for hours at nerve-racking standbys. To relax tension the trick is always to turn my mind to Ikaria and then to look for something interesting to blog about my island. In most cases things don’t fall in as I wish. Inspiration is a bird in flight, but sometimes there are exceptions.😋
Last week during one of those standbys I mentionned above, and while I was surfing fruitlessly in Flickr, I looked for new stuff from friends and a wonderful new set of 29 pictures from Ikaria appeared in front of my eyes: «A Day at an Exhibition» – «Hard hiking, wild swimming and admiring rocks scuptured by nature in Cape Papas, Ikaria». What a brilliant title, description and of course, visual content!These pictures were taken by my friend Angelos, amateur photographer and leading member of the Ikarian hiking club, on a day of March while he and his friends were trying to find a trail through «a jungle of rocks sculptured by nature» (sic) to connect the remote village of Karkinagri with the even remoter westernmost tip of Ikaria and the historical, spectacular lighthouse which stands on it.... ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ...As you could see in this great map above, the trail was found! Therefore, I think we should expect to see more shots from this colorful and naturally artistic, wild coast of Ikaria very soon. But for the time being, these are the best I have seen. I am letting you enjoy them! Move your mouse over the thumbnails to read a few words written by the author about each picture. They are very expressive and enlightening!..
All pictures © Mountain Climbing & Hiking Club of Ikaria
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Côte de Naufragés Sauvés
Thank you very much, Angelos and
the other friends from OPS Ikarias!💗
Sunday, March 26, 2017
Picture Calendar 2017! 😎
Δημοσιεύθηκε: 12 Ιανουαρίου, 2017 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 Σχόλια
Dear 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
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!
🍁 🍁 🍁 🍁 🍁 🍁
Eleni's Blog in Ikaria 
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