Category Archives: Ikaria

Red Rock

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

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

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!

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

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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Island getaway

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

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