A boat stops at Magganitis on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 8:10am in order to take people to Agios Kirykos, the capitol city of Ikaria. In reality, whether it stops or not depends on the condition of the sea on that day. And there is no guarantee that it will come back to Magganitis later that afternoon.
After we are told that the boat would indeed not be returning to Magganitis later in the afternoon, and seeing how rough the sea is, I decide I do not want to be seasick/stranded in Agios Kirykos/pay for an expensive cab ride home. We walk back to Magganitis along the coastline.
After the Nationalist and Communist clashes during the Greek Civil War in the late 1940s, the Greek government exiled about 13,000 communists to Ikaria. Thus Ikaria acquired the title “Red Rock.” A number of locals still have left-leaning and communist tendancies.
This church, completed in 2003, is called “Agios Paraskevis,” or Saint Paraskevi – patron saint for health of the eyes.
Longevity is a badge of honor for Ikarians. Almost daily, an Ikarian will excitedly point out to us who is in their 90s, often in front of the 90-year-old people themselves, who smile as everyone exclaims how they don’t look over 70. People’s ages are announced publicly and proudly here.
This is a gesture of typical Greek hospitality. The meal includes stuffed zucchini, tomatoes, eggplants and peppers, feta, olives, greens with lemon juice, and bread. A large portion of it is olive oil. Athina continues giving me food, insisting that I am too skinny and must eat more.
