View from the road to Kathara
Monday 19th January 2004
What's playing at Vathy Cinema -
24/25TH JANUARY - AKHRYXTOS POLEMOS - SKHNOTHESIA - MICHAEL MOORE
7/8TH FEBRUARY - TOY THEOY TO XOPTO - SKHNOTHESIA - NAITZEL KOOYL - PAIZOYN - BRENDA BLETHIN, GREG FERGUSON
14/15TH FEBRUARY - GLYKIA ZOH - SKHNOTHESIA - FREDERICO FELLINI
28/29TH FEBRUARY - H POLH TOY THEOY - SKHNOTHESIA - FERNANDO MEIREGIES, KATIA LOOD
6/7TH MARCH - AMHN - SKHNOTHESIA - KWSTAS GABRAS - PAIZOYN - MATIE KASOVITZ, ULRICH TUKUR
13/14TH MARCH - O POKO KAI T' ADELFIA TOY - SKHNOTHESIA - LUCINO VISCONTE - PAIZOYN - PENATO SALVATORE, SPYROS FOKAS
20/21ST MARCH - OI GENNAIOI THS SAMOTHRAKHS - SKHNOTHESIA - STAMATHS TSAPOYXAS - PAIZOYN - DHMHTRHS PIATAS, KWSTAS SANTAS, PENOS XARALAMPIDHS
27/28TH MARCH - GLYKA DEKAXI - SKHNOTHESIA - KEN LOWTS
2/4TH APRIL - PLAYTIME (1967) - SKHNOTHESIA - ZAC TATI - ZAC TATI, BARBARA DENECK
As usual, the cinema season ends with the beginning of Easter.
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Thursday 22nd January we saw the first snow fall on Ithaca for the year. Anoghi and Kathara were treated to a local influx sightseers to the mountain village to witness the roof tops, mountains and fields covered in fresh white snow. All around, on the mainland and Kephalonia too, there have been generous snow falls. The Aegean has had hurricane force winds reeking havoc with snow falls too heavy to be enchanting. Communities are trapped in their houses without electricity and frozen water pipes. Here on Ithaca we are lucky, thus far, to have spectacular views of snow-covered mountains in whatever direction we cast our eyes, and a little taste of a 'winter wonderland' of our own, without any of the inconvenience suffered on the mainland and the Aegean islands. All you Ex-pats out there in cyberland, isn't it time you have a taste of a Ithacan Winter holiday? It's beautiful here, come on over!
Papantis Tou Xristou
1st and 2nd February 2004
Today is the celebration of Jesus Christs' first communion, 40 days after his birth. Ithaca comes out to celebrate this religious occasion with the ferver of traditon that unites a community. Offerings of bread, oil and nuts line the Kioni church isle which leads to the blessed Icon fate had destined here. The Icon came from Zakynthos many, many years ago on it's way to Kerkyra (Corfu), but bad weather forced it to Kionis shores where it was discovered that the frame in the Kioni church, which was awaiting an Icon of it's own, was the perfect fit for the Icon on it's way to Corfu. It was seen as a sign and thus the Icon remained in Kioni. On Papantis, locals from all the Ithacan villages and from the mainland and beyond come to Kioni, offering up loafs of bread baked by the women on the island. Sunday 6pm a 2 1/2 hour service was held which will be followed by a morning service on Monday.
Picture right - Frikes Bay. A pink dusk ending the first day of February 2004.
Kalo Mina
Nektarios Vasilopoulos and Poppy Pagoulatou
G E T ..M A R R I E D
On Sunday 8th February 2004, the much loved Rementzo couple were married just outside Patras in the mountain village of Sela in the church of Saint Marina. Poppy looked spectacular (Nek too). The small gathering of family and friends travelled to Patras from Ithaki, Athens and the Uk. Nektarios' best man, Domonic, is a childhood friend from his life back in South Africa where he grew up. He and his wife Leith (I probably have the spelling wrong) came for a whirlwind weekend to take part in his best friends' wedding. There were tears and smiles and proud emotions from Poppys' parents Andreas and Vagelio Pagoulatos and Nektarios parents Lazaros and Tasia Vasilopoulos. The quaint little church of Ag Marina seemed like the perfect setting for this wedding. Intimate and simple. The priest ruled his domain with a lashing tongue if anyone giggled or spoke during the cemerony, which only encourged more speaking and giggling. During the ceremony when the priest talks about the wife obeying the husband, it is usual for the wife to step on the husbands foot as a gesture of "in your dreams', but the priest shook his finger at Poppy as a warning not to do that, and so now she'll have to obey Nektarios for the rest of their lives together. It was of course a Greek wedding, and Greeks always socialize during the ceremony. A serious Papas couldn't dampen the mood of Greek Wedding enthusiasm. And it was a really great wedding too, even though Vagelios fear that the priest would read from the entire book came to be true. A young nephew, obviously suffering under the length of the ceremony, began eating the rice which was passed out for throwing, and when it came to that all important tradition, there was no stopping the gathering from letting loose. One person (who shall remain nameless) came charging up from the back of the church and tossed that rice like he was pitching for a cricket match. Rice ended up in Nektarios' ear, which for a moment he feared would remain there. Poppy had luckily thought of everything by bringing a heater up to the church. Without it everyone would have frozen in their wedding attire and high heels for the duration. Personally I had no concept of time having had only a half hour of sleep in 24 and no concept of cold as I dress for comfort and not longer legs, that before I knew it, Poppy and Nektarios were pronounced husband and wife Greek style, and we were all lining up congratulating the happy couple.
After the ceremony it was time to party at the great little Taverna in the village below with good traditional fare and lots of village wine. The roaring wood fire in the corner fueled the gathering and off came the coats and scarves and out came the dancing shoes. The tradition of tapping cutlery (more like banging) on the plates to get the wedding couple to smooch, had Nektarios and Poppy lip-locked for most of the afternoon. After the meal, the tables were moved and dance dominated the floor. One of the girls from the Taverna took on dj duties. She was definitely a Dj with a difference. If she didn't like a song after the first few bars, she'd simply skip to the next. Sometimes she'd be skipping over 4 or 5 tracks which really had the guests hopping and dancing to the beat of her drum. It was all fun though. Everyone kept their clothes on and no one threw up. A really great day with a great fun loving crowd and a very, very happy couple. Na zisete.