What's New On Ithaca Greece
August 2021
Friday 13th
While Athens streets are empty, Ithaca and other islands are bursting with Summer life. The beaches are full, the harbours are vibrant and the mood is high.
Sunday 15th - ΦΟΝΙΚΑΣ (FONIKAS), ΛΟΣΦΙ (LOSFI), ΜΠΕΡΔΕΜΑ (BERDEMA). 3 names you probably won't have heard of unless you're the parent of one of the boys in the hip hop crews. Proudly Greek, down to keeping the spelling Greek and unashamedly political in their lyrical content. Angst is building among these young people who live mostly sheltered from the harsh realities on the Mainland, but that doesn't mean they don't have an opinion about the world as it is right now as everything is in their future and effects them either negatively or positively.
Monday 16th - We're missing alot of loved faces on the island this year, primarily the Australians who have some very deep roots on Ithaca. The island feels quite strange without the thick accents echoing around the villages.
Wednesday 18th - Ithaca is heaving, but as Greeks prepare to go back to their towns and cities on the mainland, the island will slowly start to empty again. Everyone's hoping for a September surge, not of the illness type, but of the visitor type.
August 2021
Summertime on Ithaca Greece
Friday 13th
Below - 14th and 15th August -Fimios Theatre Groups present a Tribute to the 200 years since the Revolution of 1821
Theatrical analogy by Periklis Vassilopoulos
14th August at the Irio Vathi ( next to the museum). Free Entry
15th August at the Saint Ioannis church courtyard 9 pm. Free Entry
Sunday 15th - Besides Ithaki's Hip Hop crews being able to voice their concerns through creative means last Friday night at the old school in Kioni, it was also an opportunity for them to let their hair down and celebrate life in a way that they can appreciate. It's been a difficult time for the young, not well equipped at all for the consequences the past 18 months of fear, restrictions and isolation have caused in them. Whether you're in to Hip Hop or not, it was great to see so many of Ithaki's young with smiles on their faces, feeling connected to eachother and having fun.
With no Panighiri last year or this year, it was nice to hear music echoing around the hills again. There's more music to come, this time from Panaghiotis Margaris playing for the August Full Moon at the Vathy Garden Theatre (High Schoo) on Saturday 21st August. If you pre-book you can get in for 13 euro, if not it will cost you 15 euro. Even starts at 9pm. If you need reminding visit the Ithaki Calendar for all that's happening around the island.
Monday 16th - Yachts and visitors have filled the island and all is going very well. Since the media conversation changed from the fires on the mainland then to climate change, the C word seems to have been relegated to the background, making people feel good about life again, at least for a little while.
Wednesday 18th - Remembering what the seabed was like on Ithaca 20 years ago, with starfish floating up to the shore, sea urchents on every rock, tourism has unfortunately scraped all that sea life from around the island, close to the shores. A precious environment being negatively impacted by yachting in particular. It's a sad state of affairs as yachting brings in a fair amount of revenue to Ithaca and to Greece in general, but maybe we need to look into how this impact can be less negative ie not allowing mooring everywhere and anywhere for instance, policing the distance from beaches. While we make laws for everything else, this is something we, if not neglecting, giving a blind eye to.
