What's New On Ithaca Greece
August 2024
Saturday 10th - Frikes Festival is on tonight, so if you weren't prepared for earlier, you have time to get your dancing shoes and your Sunday best, out of the closet. Below - Looking across Platrithia toward Afales and Lefkada island in the distance.
Sunday 11th - Hot August days.Time to head to the beach!
Last night Frikes held it's annual Summer Festival, lovingly known as the Frikes Panighiri. Lots of people, lots of fun, hard to park (that's always a good sign) and the young generation taking hold of the festival baton to continue the tradition. It's great to see. Click Here for more pics or on photograph below.
Thursday 15th - Last night Anoghi put on its annual festival, the Anoghi Panighiri. Click Here or on photograph below for more. What a fun night. Not as many people as last year so it was alot more comfortabl, letting everyone who wanted to dance, get a chance to.
Saturday 17th - Last night was the last of the big Summer Festivals on Ithaca at Platrithia. I don't know what it is about the lighting there, but it throws some ugly shadows. Bad lighting aside, the Platrithia Panighiri had a massive attendance, brimming over with people from all over the world including the south and north of Ithaca. Click Here or on photo below for more pics (black and white)
Above - Margarita Cafe. A staple in the north of Ithaca Greece.
Below - A fruit and veggie seller from another island—who will remain unnamed, though we all know exactly who he is—brings a valuable service to our villages. But when he started tossing his rubbish out of his car window, it crossed a line that couldn’t be ignored. A few choice words were exchanged, along with a firm reminder: it's better to support those who sell fruit and veg on our own island, rather than a transitory vendor who disrespects the place by littering.
It's astounding that in this day and age, some people still believe the best way to clean their car is by littering the very environment they depend on. Yet, you’d be surprised how many simply don't care. It's not just about cleaning up after yourself; it's about having the basic decency to not trash the island that feeds you.
Below - Talking about respect, this bus driver (most probably from a Kefalonia tour company) had none for the kilometer of cars he had trailing behind him from Vathy all the way to Stavros, at which time, he put on his blinker, usually signaling the cars behind to overtake, but instead veered suddently to the opposite side of the road so his passengers could look down onto Polis Bay, nearly causing a crash. He had so many opportunities to pull to the side so cars could pass, but some people's arrogance just overrides any decency they may possess. At this time of year, with so much more traffic it's a benefit to us all to be a little more considerate.
Tuesday 20th - As we head into the last 10 days of August, hot weather continues, today with quite alot of humitidy. The skies look like there could be some rain held behind them, but we'll see later today if that's the case.
August 2024
High Season on Ithaca Greece
Saturday 10th
It feels a little quiet for August. Sure, there are busy times especially around the yachting community, but feet on the ground, it feels a little less than what we're used to in August. It's still a busy time however, the time of the year many make their entire annual income from.
Sunday 11th - Apparently tourism in Greece is down around 15% from last year. Some days I can see that, other days it feel so busy that there are traffic jams in places where there is usually no traffic.
Thursday 15th - Tonight is the Platrithia Panighiri (Summer Festival) The chairs are out, the stage is set, all it takes now is for you to turn up and dance.
Saturday 17th - To say it's hot is an understatement. It's been scorching for what seems forever. Standing still brings on a sweat.
Although some people are saying their profits are down this year, others say they're booming. There are lots of transient feet on the ground, those from the yachts and bus tours, but when you look at the cafes in the Vathy Square for instance, there is hardly a soul. I think with the popularity of self catering accommodations, many choose to eat in instead of out.Also the restaurants that depended on canopes have lost a fair amount of day time traffic. It's too hot to sit under the midday sun in a heatwave year. Umbrellas just don't provide the coolness that the canopes did.
Tuesday 20th - The mass exodus back to the mainland has the ferries fully booked if you have a car. Last weekend and next weekend will see the island's numbers reduced.
