Ithaca Greece - Winter 2005 - 2006. Greek Island Holidays in the Ionian. Ithaca Ithaki, the home of Ulysses and Homer
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Winter on Ithaca 2005 - 2006
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Page 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
...November
 
 
Sat 12 Nov - Driving around the island of Ithaca on a clear and sunny day melts the problems of the 'every day' into the asphalt. Of course, life isn't perfect anywhere, but for half an hour, you can pretend it is. Below - a Lefki local walks the road to Stavros to do some shopping.
 
   
   
   
.
Above - Winter on Ithaca requires another kind of logging on. Piling up the firewood for the cold months is essential. Sunny weather dries up the wood and puts the crackle into the log when the fires are lit. Below Left - A sport that hasn't quite caught on in the rest of the world,..yet is Garden Canoeing. A favourite winter past-time for a north Ithacan local.
_____________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Mon 14 Nov - An unexpected rainy day on Ithaki. Summer holidayers are now just a distant echo, and what reminders there are of them, look out of place in November.
 
Winter on Ithaca
Many around the island have their first batch of olive oil back from the presses. The word is that it's very good, so there are alot of happy people dunking their bread this month.
Maki Andrianatos, who played at Rementzo in Frikes last Friday, also enjoyed a successful night. There was dancing and sing alongs, even Meropi from Symposium restaurant across the way, took off her apron to join in on a couple of tunes.
Tue 15 Nov - In the north island, if you're looking for something to do on a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday night, your best bet to find civilization, is Stavros. As is usual, winter leaves Frikes and Kioni a little empty in the people department, especially early in the week. Once the mini markets turn off their lights, there is no one left in Frikes, and only Spavento Bar and Oasis Restaurant (and that, not for much longer) in Kioni. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. The northern villages have a certain charm
 
 
 
Above and Left - See what a little rain does for Ithaki. Everything is greening up nicely after a few days of rain.
_________________________________________________________________
at this time of year, which makes for a different Greek Island experience. It inspires contemplation, introspection and retrospection. A good time to write that book you have insdie you. It's also a great time to really get to know the locals. At this time of year you get 100% of their attention.
Below - Judi from Perahori joins Dimitris Danis for a lazy Monday morning coffee.
Wed 16 Nov - Yesterday we caught up with Dimitris Danis, producer, director, entrepreneur and waiter at Chez Manu Asian Restaurant in Vathy, to see what upcoming entertainment he has planned for Ithaki. No, it's not the Wizard of Oz, this is just his own personal entertainment on a wintery night infront of the tv. Mr. Danis has a few things up his sleeve for the coming season, but for now, they are all in his head, and we will just have to wait and see what surprise he has in store for the island.
 
It was a rainy start to yesterday. Rain fell all night and into the early hours of the morning, then stopped, for us all to enjoy a quite pleasant weather day, with some sunny breaks thrown in. The storms predicted, either didn't eventuate, or just passed us by. No one on Ithaki minded. Tuesday morning in Vathy was buzzing with Cafe activity. Everyone getting out and about to enjoy the few good weather days left before Winter sets in and keeps most of us indoors.
 
Below - After a few days of rain, the puddles will take more than a morning to dry up, once they've settled in the cracks of the pavements.
   
Above - Riggos, the Platrithia Mayor, takes his fish on the road, heading to Vathy to sell his mornings' catch off the back of his Ute.
Below - The skies begin to clear over Vathy, and the colour of the Ionian radiates again in the village Square.
 
Above - The Aetos road works have been successful in diverting the water from the mountain. The road just needs a surface so the rain doesn't puddle in the potholes.
 
   
 
Above and Left - Around midday, a strange light enveloped the middle island, hiding the horizon behind a November mist. Looking down onto the village of Aghios Ioannis, the sea beamed up a blinding white haze. It felt very Biblical. While I took this photo, a young guy passing on his motorbike, stopped and said "Yia sou" (hello) and asked me if I had a light. As I lit his cigarette, we casually stood in the middle of this winding road, high up on Ithaca, with no fear of a speeding car passing by, Kephalonia shimmering across the water, and only the sound of a distant bell, hung around the neck of a mountain goat, ringing in the scrub. For the winter, Ithaca is returned back to the locals, and when life isn't hard, it's very, very eeeeeeeasy.
In the late afternoon, Ithaca bedded down for a storm that had the rain pouring down and the thunder cracking open the black skies.
Page 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________