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June Saturday 23rd - We're sweating it out a bit these past days with very warm temps. Air-con units are zapping up the electricity big time. Perfect cloudless skies wherever you look. Left - Yachts coming in and out of Kioni Bay. Sails down. |
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The Gabriel family from Melbourne Australia are looking very happy to be on ithaca again. This year is a very special time for them all as one of them will be getting married. It's been awhile since we've had a wedding on ithacagreece.com so I'm very pleased to have been invited to take some pics. Not giving away too much, but the wedding will take place in the quaint chapel in Ag. Sarantas. It's the perfect place for a traditional wedding in July. |
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Above - On a hot day in the villages, there's nothing like sitting under the Bay Tree with a cup of tea until the sun goes down.
So Greece didn't beat Germany in soccer, who cares. We have better weather, beaches and a lifestyle they'll never achieve. Soccer is a small concession. |
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Sunday 24th - Left - Low cloud covered the Cephalonia Strait yesterday morning as another scorching hot day go under way. With little to no breeze, clouds and the heat mist stuck close to the surface of ithaki. Below - June is spider time. Wherever you walk there's a web and its owner ready for you to walk into. Good to take a stick along on your walks to move them out of the way. Nothing dangerous, just icky.
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Left - Ithaki's own Dance Group went to italy earlier this month to take part in the Santa Marinella festival on the 2nd June. Christostomos Manias from the Ithaki Dance Group, kindly sent in some photos for you all to enjoy. What a great way to share culture among countries. Music and Dance are universal languages that need no economic degree to understand. |
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A Note From the Ithaki Council
THE PARKING OF ANY VEHICLE ON THE YELLOW LINE WITHOUT THE DRIVER BEHIND THE STEERING, WILL HAVE AS A RESULT THE FOLLOWING PENALTIES:
80 Euro fine
REMOVAL OF NUMBER PLATES FOR 20 DAYS
REMOVAL OF DRIVER'S LICENSE FOR 20 DAYS
THE CROSSING OF THE VEHICLE ACROSS THE SQUARE OR ANY PEDESTRIAN CROSSING INFLICTS A FINE OF 200 EUROS.
MUNICIPALITY OF ITHACA
Now that more and more people are coming to the island, it's a good idea to heed the warning unless you want your pockets emptied into the Councils pockets. Spend your money on lunch and dinner, not on a parking fine. I believe these rules also apply to people hiring cars, as last year and friend with a hire car incurred a hefty fine for thinking the yellow lines indicated the parking area. Not so. Stay away from the YELLOW lines. They bite!
As we head toward the end of June, the first of the Summer Festivals begins in Frikes at the end of the month. I haven't heard which day has been elected for the festival. Usually it's on the 30th, but the village has in the past, elected to move it to the date of the nearest weekend so that more people from the south of the island would come up. This year the 30th falls on a Saturday, thus Frikes may actually have its Panighiri (Festival) on the specified date for a change.
Last years festival in Frikes was very quiet. Not alot of people showed up. It would be great to start the summer season of festivals off with a bang this year. We've lost the football, we're on our knees financially, let's not give up or give in to giving up the KEFI (Good Cheer) too. It's what Greeks are famous for. The oopa and ouzo, the dancing and the having fun. Put on your party hats and your dancing shoes and show some love for Frikes this year by getting along and getting into the spirit of things.
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Above - Lefki. Left - The talented and enthusiastic crew from the Ithaki Dance Group. Members of all ages, keeping up the traditions of dance from around Greece. |
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Monday 25th - Kioni Village is having a couple of cinema nights at the Kioni School (just a little way up the old road). Free Admission. Everyone welcome. First movie is on Wednesday 27th June - Earthquake. 1953 earthquake of Kefalonia. That was the big one for Ithaki too. Will be quite interesting I expect. Starts at 9.30pm.
On Thursday 4th July at 9.30pm you can see Politiki Kouzina (Political Kitchen) A Touch of Spice.
Left & Below - Kioni bay from Raxi as the sun has almost set.
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Tuesday 26th - A few people commenting on just how little sleep they're getting with this June heat wave. Those lucky enough to be near a bay side, get the benefit of a refreshing sea breeze, but inland, the walls are sweating.
Left & Below - Vathy Bay side. |
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Above - Captain Yiannis Hotel has great views over Vathy Bayside, a pool and a tennis court. Katerini has decorated some beautiful rooms over the past couple of years. Left - Fishing off a small wooden jetty at Aetos a little before the sun disappears behind the mountains of Ithaca. |
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Left - Melina Raft Frikes' own fashion designer and Ingrid our resident yoga instructor. It's 'Tip your Hat' time again on Ithaki as gypsies come with their wares and their musical instruments to collect a euro or two from locals and visitors. Business dealings that throw a little amusement into the mix. Below - Vathy |
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Left - L - R - George from Ourania's Apartments in Stavros, Aleka from Exoghi, Georgie, Aleka's grandson, Anastasia, Lazaros and Tassia's granddaughter, Tasia and Lazaros from St. Elias Villa in Stavros and Ourania from Ourania Apartments Stavros enjoy a night out in Frikes.
Below Left - Juan from Majorca and Paris is a regular to Ithaca each summer, bringing friends to the island on his yacht. He's always alot of fun and has woven his good heart into the fibre of the northern island.
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Above - Demetri and Lucky get a little too excited with the gypsy music which echoed around Frikes last night. Lock up those lips. The music can make you kiss hairy old men. Lucky was recently married to the lovely Maria who is still in Melbourne. Best she hurry up and get here... :)
The Frikes Panighiri is only 4 days away. Let's make the first festival of the season huge. Come along, drink just enough to get yourself dancing and enjoy the community spirit of the night. Saturday 30th. Be there or be square (haven't said that in awhile).
On a serious note, been noticing some very risky behaviour these last weeks with people on scooters and motorbikes carrying their children along infront of them. As Rien Post (Grillman from Rementzo) pointed out, this practice is like replacing the airbag with a child. Ithaki isn't the sleepy little island it used to be. There are many more speeding cars and other hazards on the roads now that make this very dangerous for children. I know some of them to be loving parents, yet they still risk their precious off-spring to chance. A big thumbs down to you all. It's not cool.
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Wednesday 27th - What can I write today? The Frikes Panighiri is on this Saturday, the weather is fine and conducive to being at the beach, the summer gremlins are making noises, there are more visitors coming each day and business seems to be looking up for many. Left - Kioni Bay from Spavento Bar view. |
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I've been so busy that I haven't had a chance to take a daylight photo in days. Hope to do so today because everything is so Greek blue, it's worth capturing on film (bytes). |
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