Trying to Leave a Small Town

Waiting for Boat
Waiting for the boat to Agios Kirykos.

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.

Port Geology
Sculpted rocks line the port.
Boat
The boat arrives from Karkinagri, a town to the west of Magganitis. There is no road from Magganitis to Karkinagri. One must drive around the island the other direction in order to reach it.

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.

Hannah on the shore
Standing east of Magganitis port.
Prickly plant
Various plants with spikes and thorns grow everywhere on the island.

Prickly plant

Prickly plant

Prickly plant

Prickly plant

Graveyard
We find this graveyard near the sea.
Hammer and sickle
A hammer and sickle etched into concrete on the side of the road.

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.

Olive and host tree
An olive tree has found a new home inside another tree.
Saint Paraskevis
In addition to the main churches in each village, the landscape is dotted with many other smaller churches.

This church, completed in 2003, is called “Agios Paraskevis,” or Saint Paraskevi – patron saint for health of the eyes.

Road home
When the clouds clear, the top of the ridge is visible behind Magganitis.
Andreas house
Almost home! This is the property down the hill from our room. It is owned by a retired ship captain named Andreas.
91 Year Old
This 91-year-old man is still out picking olives. His wife is 93.

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.

Lunch
Lambros and Athina invite us to lunch.

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.

Lambros and Athina
Athina and Lambros.

Patio Boat

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