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| Ithaca Greece - Winter 2005 - 2006. Greek Island Holidays in the Ionian. Ithaca Ithaki, the home of Ulysses and Homer |
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Winter on Ithaca 2005 - 2006 |
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Page 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 |
...January |
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| Sunday 1st January 2006 |
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Happy New Year - Hronia Polla |
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It was a cold and rainy night, but that didn't stop anyone from partying in the New Year. There were parties from Vathy to Kioni. Mylos Creperie in Vathy, had a big night, as did Margarita Cafe with Maki and Maria in Stavros. Apparently, they had the biggest night in the north. |
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iClick here or on photograph right for more pics of New Years' Eve celebrations at Rementzo Restaurant in Frikes and Spavento Bar in Kioni. |
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The last Sunday of 2005 into the new Monday of 2006. Left - It started witth the Odysseas Football Club knocking at doors around the northern Island collecting funds for the team. In return for the cash, you get a calendar with their photo and a Christmas Carol. It's not everyday you get an entire football team singing in your living room. |
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Below - This is how the New Years' Eve celebrations ended. Rementzo after the party. For what's inbetween, come back later for a sojourn in Kioni. |
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Mon 2 Jan - Below - Rainy Ithaki. It's cold, it's damp and it's wet. All of Ithaca is deep in cloud today. |
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Right - Oz, the usually lonely soul of Frikes, tending Kiki Mini Market in Frikes. Well, at least he has a bench to sit on. Below - Marie Joseph and husband Marc brave Ithaki in Winter to have a look around the island that Marie has fallen in love with. They are here from France. |
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Right - Frikes comes alive on the cold and wet day of Epiphany. Religious ceremonies on the island have a knack of tempting the locals into the streets, no matter what the weather holds. |
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fri 6 Jan - The morning saw wild and furious skies surround the island with storm fronts reaching Ithaki, imminent. The island has seen more than its' share of rain over the past weeks and as the black horizon nears the island, more rain is expected, but hopefully not before the Epiphany ceremony, the blessing of the waters has been officiated. The northern island comes out to bare wittness. |
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CLICK ON PHOTO ABOVE TO ENLARGE |
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Mon 9 Jan - Yes it's true, Ithaca has been vibrating a little lately. Two tremors near Cephalonia on Satruday. A 4.4 and a 4.7 R, and then yesterday, one big one further south, between Kythira and Crete. 6.9 R we're told. Most of us on the island heard the rumble, but didn't feel the shake. Tremors are common place in Greece, but quakes the size of yesterdays' are a little rarer. Luckily its' core was in the sea, so the damage to the neighbouring islands and the Peleponese was minimal. One man died of a heart attack. What is unique about this quake is that it was felt or heard all over Greece, as far north as Kozani, to Turkey and Italy. A wide reach. Phone lines were jammed (OF COURSE) so, sorry I didn't get to answer your emails. Ote as you know, is difficult to connect to at the best of times. |
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So, after weeks of rain and damp, the past 2 days have been the sunny old Ithaki we all love. Blue skies and clear, crisp horizons. Now that the clouds have cleared, it's quite chilly on the ground, who knows there could be snow on the Anoghi and Kathara peaks very soon. |
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Above - Raxi, the small village on the hills above Kioni, views. Dolphins in the bay. You can't see them, but they are swimming around the island. Below - View from the hills of Stavros. |
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Tue 10 Jan - Above - All it takes for northern Ithaca to have a stable water supply is for the connection of electricity. A mere 8 or so meters from the building to the pole and the German Technology Water Desalination Plant at Polis is ready to go. Kioni has one, Vathy has one and Stavros too, can have one, so what's the hold up??? Someone must know the answer to that. |
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Left - Spotting something odd on Ithaca isn't that unusual. There are many odd things hidden in the crevices of the island, things that make you scratch your head and ponder why, why, why. After a few years on the island, you don't even notice these oddities anymore, but today, while driving down to Polis beach, the oddest thing stuck out, and got the attention of my curiosity. There, in the middle of a perfect view, stood a house with a solid concrete roof, moulded and shaped in the obligatory style of the island. I'm not a builder or an architect, so maybe my thinking is what's odd here, but this solid concrete roof has me scratching my head and wondering why anyone would choose to do this. Maybe an architect or builder could enlighten me? Click here or on photo for a closer look. |
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Click here or on photo below left for Polis Bay Reflections. A Winter day at the beach. |
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Fri 13 Jan - Cat people on Ithaki, you may want to read this. Vicky McGuiness has organized with the charity organization 'Friends of Cats' in Athens, for British Vets to come to Ithaki around 18 February to neuter the cats on the island. For more information you can call Vicky on
6939624486
or ask or call Costa at the Odysseas Supermarket in Stavros,
2674031084. Cost per feminine cat 10 euro and cost per male, 5 euro. So ithaki, gather up your cats and lets have dinner at the restaurants next Summer without the feline invasion. |
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Left - These 2 pretty Vathinians are Naomi and Dina. (Naomi is the cute hairy one) Who says facial hair is a 'no no' for the femnine kind. On Ithaki, it's already very fashionable to have a little chin hair that's noticeable in the right lighting conditions. If I could look this cute with hair on my face, I'd throw away my razor tomorrow. |
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Right - On the upper slopes of Ithaca, a wild and barren landscape leads you to the mountain village of Anoghi, far from the tourism and beachlife of the low island.
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| Anoghi - In The Blue. Click here or on photograph above for a walk around the old mountain village of Anoghi and surrounds. |
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moving through a stormy day - stavros |
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Thu 19 Jan - Left - Click here on photo left for more winter impressions on Moving through a stormy day. After almost 2 weeks of our Indian Summer, the weather returns to the winter that Ithaca knows to expect. Rain, winds and black stormy skies. |
A treat for PAO Odysseas fans. Kioni local and supporter of Northern Ithakis football team, Yiorgos Karantzis, has commissioned a webpage/s for the team, which he will donate to the club. It will include the clubs history and photos. |
Other news is that Ithacan photographer, Stavros Delas is planning something that the island has lacked in the past. A collection of Ithacan photographs in the form of a book and photo album. It's about time. We all know that Ithakis' post cards etc. leave alot to be desired, so this venture will be one many on the island associated with tourism will welcome with open arms. Stavros Deals joins Christos Raftopoulos, with his moody impressions of Ithaca, in representing Ithaca to the world via photography. |
One of the windmills in Kioni is ready to bite the dust. A few dedicated locals are looking for ways to save this landmarkfrom disappearing with the next tremori, but permissions to fix it take as long as building permissions for a house. |
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