Category Archives: Greece

Red Rock

Posted on 1 May 2019 by lornaofarabia

Long before the Blue Zone, Ikaria was known in Greece as the Red Rock. It doesn’t get its nickname from the geology, but from its left-leaning politics. A power vacuum in Greece after World War II led to the 1946-1949 … Continue reading →

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Karagiozis

Posted on 30 Apr 2019 by lornaofarabia

On the morning we arrived in Agios Kyrikos some colorful posters caught our eye. The text says “Teatro Skion – Sokratis Kotsores; we will eat, we will drink, and fasting we will sleep.” All Greek to me (as they say), … Continue reading →

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Panegyri season

Posted on 29 Apr 2019 by lornaofarabia

When Lent is over, the partying begins. Ikaria is one of the few places in Greece where the ancient panegyri tradition continues. A panegyri is a community festival held in honor of a village church’s patron saint. Villagers and guests … Continue reading →

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Χριστός ανέστη!

Posted on 28 Apr 2019 by lornaofarabia

Our second spring break this year coincided with Egyptian Coptic Easter. That’s the same date as Orthodox Easter, which meant we’d be able to enjoy the Greek Orthodox celebrations on Ikaria. We took an overnight ferry from Piraeus (the port … Continue reading →

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Return to Ikaria

Posted on 26 Apr 2019 by lornaofarabia

When I started to outline some posts about the week we just spent on Ikaria, I was astonished to discover that I have written only once about the island in the eight years I’ve kept this blog. Since moving overseas … Continue reading →

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Volunteer FAQs

Posted on 1 Mar 2016 by lornaofarabia

Some people want to know more about my upcoming trip to Lesvos. Here are a few questions that I am hearing a lot (with answers). How did you find out about this? As I said in my last post, I don’t remember exactly … Continue reading →

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Safe passage

Posted on 29 Feb 2016 by lornaofarabia

Next week is spring break, and this year I will be spending it on the Greek island of Lesvos. I will be there for eight days helping refugees who have just made the six mile water crossing from Turkey to Greece. … Continue reading →

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Island getaway

Posted on 28 Sep 2015 by lornaofarabia

My new school takes time off for both Christian and Muslim holidays, creating plenty of opportunity for short trips.  The Eid celebration in the third week of school was our first 5-day weekend this year. It’s still plenty hot here in Cairo but we … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, Greece, Ikaria, Islands | Tagged , | 2 Comments