about Karpathos

BEACHES

This country, this island, a thousand secret spots and millions of stars in the sky.
In the evenings, when moonlight starts to flow coat the beaches and to enlighten the aegean sea, when the starry sky draws the curtain and falling stars rain down on Greece, then the rest of the world should envy us, the scenario, if they only knew.

When all our senses are united with the classical meaning of live, warm sand is flowing over our bare hands ... everybody who has been here before will known it by heart, ... the feeling,the smell of thyme, basil, terragon and pine this country is perfumed with.

He hears and senses the wind blowing, stirring the dust brought from the continent out of the tiniest corners of his soul.. He sees Karpathos. The even lowlands of Afiartis, enclosed by mountains that plunge down to the coastlines. Only here the Titanes were able to try out their big fights.

UNIQUE TAVERNAS

In the mornings it is hard for Tharnassis to greet someone, the drinking bout of the evening before with his filos and the tourists who became locals still bothers him.He is looking after his home-made destillery where the raki, he is so keen on is alwayscooking. His missis shoos him around the house to get tomatoes, peppers, fresh herbs from the nearby garden for the guest´s breakfast. He is too busy waking up to resist her.

Then, once again they are all gathered around the big table under the olivetree. Tharnassis just wants a cup of coffee, everybody else is happy about the new dayand the organically grown food on the table.

Tharnassis does not care about wholefood, he would also spray should be more Evros for it. Around noon, the big farewell. This evening it will be quiet here on his farm upon the Lastos plain, but tomorrow there will be another party. He will serve Kaziki, goatling, that´s what he is famous for.

DEDICATION TO THE ORDINARY LOCATIONS

Up in Menetez they also live their life as if there were no tourists. Today the whole island has a central administration, in former times every small village had its own mayor, its own council of elders. Decisions were rare as the gentlemen always dozed off before the poll.
________________________
IN FORMER TIMES
EVERY VILLAGE
HAD IT´S OWN MAYOR
________________________

Neither were there elections as after four years others had to take over because the formerly elected were fed up with their job.
The EU changed all that or destoyed it, there are as always two sides of the story. Streets were paved, leading to nowhere, traffic signs were installed that noone knows but the tourists. But they were installed in the great wide open, where according to the islanders they bother everybody the least.

EXCURSION TO ETERNITY

Barely recognizable from the shore is the mountain village of Olympos. As if time passed by and had forgotten to touch its´s habitants. Here, nestling between two round ridges of the steep Karpathian hills rests the last matriarchy of the Occident.
________________________
THE LAST
MATRIARCHY
OF THE OCCIDENT
________________________

Its women still send their man to the sea, watch over their houses, bring up the kids and farm in the ancient gardens around the village. Proudly wearing the traditional costumes as they have done for centuries.