What's New On Ithaca Greece

• 1
• 2
• 3

 

July 2019

Friday 12th

Above - Sunrise over Aetos on the way to Vathy always looks spectacular.

The heatwave broke yesterday to everyone's relief with a cooler wind blowing across the Ionian, giving us all some great respite. The high humitidy blown away and cooler night to get to sleep to.

Above - Raxi, outside of Kioni, is a wonderful little hutch of traditional cottages and houses and the life to match, all within walking distance to Mavrona Bay for a swim at it's beaches.

Saturday 13th - Some windy and unsettled weather over Greece these past few days and over the weekend. It's hot and a bit misty mostly, but that's not unusual. The Summer heat mists up the horizon every year, but having said that, the weather here is as upside down as it is everywhere else in the world.

Monday 15th - Slightly cooler these past 2 days. Below - Mavrona Bay. View from the top of Raxi.

Above - Popular Kioni Bayside.

Tuesday 16th - Early mornings on Ithaca give such brilliant light.

Wednesday 17th - Tonight starts the Festival Season with the first Panighiri for 2019 - Ag. Marina in Exoghi, so get your dancing shoes on and line that stomach for a full night of entertainment and frivolous fun.

Friday 19th - Apologies for such a late Exoghi Panighiri but the flu had other ideas for me. Click here or on pic below for more pics courtesy of Demetri Vlassopoulos.

Above - Luckily these things look horrible but are pretty innocuous. Nothing of any danger here really.

Sunday 21st - Last night was of course the Kioni Panighiri and again I missed it due to the flu, but don't despair Demetri was out there shooting away.

Above - These fantastic folk from Swimtrekking Club have swam from VASSILIKI (LEFKADA) to ARKOUDI to AFALES (ITHACA) The SWIM took 7 HOURS 45 MIN and covered an area of 22 KM. Swimmers were fed every 30 minutes. A truly international selection of athletes honouring the memory of the dramatic swim of Giorgos Koutsoubelis (Kondilatos) and Panos Kallinikos in September 1944. At the end of the second World War on September 1944 the resistance of Ithaca and Kefallonia decided to go to help the resistance of Lefkada to fight against the Germans. From Ithaca there were 31 young men who left the Island on a Kayki boat to get to Nira to meet with them.

After waiting for all the others over a day, Giorgos Koutsoubelis (Kondilatos) and Panos Kallinikos (Popoff) got suspicious. They decided to swim to Ithaca and to bring back a boat which could take the whole group of resistance back to Ithaca.

They took a door plus a piece of wood from the floor from the Lighthouse to support their sea crossing.

When they arrived at Afales (North Ithaca) an army boat with Italian soldiers and 1 Austrian officer stopped them. The two Ithacans made them believe, that they were two fisherman who had lost their boat to avoid being arrested. The soldiers took them to Fiscardo and the next day back to Polis Bay Ithaca.

In the meantime all the other resistance on Lefkada were killed. Giorgos and Panos were the only two who survived.

Diane Segalen
Trygve Grindheim.(NORWAY)
DAN GARR (USA CALIFORNIA)
YVES WATT(AUSTRALIA / VANUATU)
ANNA WARDLEY (ENGLAND)

Sunday 21st - Last night's Kioni Panighiri was a great fun night for everyone who attended. Click Here or on photograph below for more pics of a fantastic night!

Tuesday 23rd - It feels a little quiet this year. Maybe the 3rd Theron short film festival will entice you all out of your apartments and yachts to enjoy some art in the form of film by some very talented film makers from all over Europe. Get it down into your diaries. The place is the ruin next to the town parking lot in Vathy.

Friday 26th - The Clean Beach Pirates are around the island cleaning up the beaches. It's a great effort made by these dedicated cleanliness pirates, but they are not the only ones cleaning the beaches, Local Ithacans get out with their garbage bags before each season starts, to collect the rubbish left by winter storms around our shores.

Below - Documentary maker, Cyril Lafon is on Ithaca for the screening of Nostos in l ' Île D Ulysses at the old school in Lefki. Last night's outdoor screening was very well received and attended. When Cyril first came to Ithaca 2 or so years ago, we had the pleasure of showing him around and chatting with him about his project and now, after all this time, Ithacans get to see the fruits of his labour.

Saturday 27th - In Vathy the WWF boat is in the harbour. The big Panda that indicates the "NO OIL" for the Ionian crusade. Please join us in keeping our paradise the paradise we love and depend on.

Above - Amie Few and Ryan became engaged on Ithaca on the 17th July. Romance is alive and well on our little Island.

 

 

---

July 2019

Summer Holiday on Ithaca Greece

Friday 12th

Whether you love the north of Ithaca or the south, one thing is certain, everywhere you go you will meet friendly locals that happily go out of their way to help you.

 

Saturday 13th - Thunderstorms expected tonight and into tomorrow.

Monday 15th - It's nearly time for grape picking and then stomping them and making wine.

Tuesday 16th - Can't believe we're already half way through July. It's a busy season this year!

Wednesday 17th - After a cooler change, today it's warm and sunny again.

Friday 17th - Warm weather ahead and with a big earthquake in Athens, it may be time to get on the NO DRILLING FOR OIL platform again. It's ludicrous the Greek government would agree with deep sea drilling in an earhquake area. Below - early morning in Vathy. All is quiet.

Sunday 21st -

 

Above - The Swimtrekking Club route. It's a huge swim that didn't happen without a good support team. Congratulations to the whole team. Fantastic honour to those who died.

Sunday 21st

Tuesday 23rd

 

 

Friday 26th - Only a few days away from the end of another month. I'm sure days go far too quickly, especially for the visitors on the island who try to cram in as much of summer holidays as they can before having to return to their busy lives.

Above - They mightn't look like pirates, but when it comes to cleanliness, they are ruthless.

Above - Film and Documentary maker, Cyril Lafon being introduced to the Ithaca community before the screening of his documentary of nostos in l ' Île D Ulysses.

Saturday 27th - Summer nights in Frikes are spiced with good food and good company.