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Who are we?

This travel blog is created by me, Lars Aldman, a Swedish journalist and traveller, always in the company of my wonderful wife V. who is also a journalist and a fantastic photographer.

I worked for many years for the Swedish National Radio and Television, as a reporter/producer/studio host and a bunch of other roles.but now I’m retired and do whatever I like.

We love to visit foreign countries and cultures and meet people all over the globe. So far we have been to Asia, Africa, South America and the Caribbean and of course Europe. And we’d like to share with You, dear reader, what we have experienced and seen. We hope You want to join us and possibly find ideas for Your own adventures.

PS. To see more of my photos from journeys far and near, head over to aldmangallery.com

To contact us via mail: info@resormedv.se

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Travels with V

Icaria, Greece

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Icaria
– a very different Greek island

We’re not quite sure why we chose Icaria as our holiday destination, but probably because we read about it several years ago when we were collecting odd places in the Greek archipelago. And when we decided to try a different kind of holiday – staying in the same place for a la couple of weeks – the idea of Icaria came up again. And the more we read about it, the more enthusiastic we became.

The name “Icaria” has to do with the Greek legend of Icarus. He who flew too close to the sun and crashed in the sea when his glued-on wings melted . And where he crashed into the sea is now Icaria,according to the local mythology.

A Blue Zone

Most people have probably never heard of Icaria, but it’s famous for being a so called “Blue Zone”, where locals live extremely long lives. But also because the food is particularly delicious and that it’s an “unknown gem” in the Aegean Sea. And that’s exactly what we want to investigate.

For centuries, Icaria has been a remote outpost, forgotten even by the politicians of Athens, and although ferries from Piraeus find their way here, it wasn’t until 1995 that Icaria got an airport. It was placed on the flattest part of the island, a promontory, but it still took tonnes of fill in the sea to make the runway long enough for small propeller planes to land.

But elsewhere there’s nothing flat on Ikaria. An elongated island about 40 km x 9 km with a mountain ridge that with peaks over one thousand meters over sea level span from east to west. So most of the ground leans. Everywhere. All roads bend in endless serpentines. There is no such thing as a straight road.

5 good-to-know-things about Icaria:

Getting there: By air from Athens, or by boat from Piraeus. If you find a cheap flight to Samos You can take a ferry from there.
Stay: A few Air B’n’B:s, most of them in quite remote places. Small hotels are found in the major villages. Karimalis winery (see below!) has Farm Stay.
Best beach: Livadi/Mesachti. Two lovely sand strips next to each other with deck chairs, restaurant/bar and toilet. Simply perfect.
Best food: Karimalis winery in Piyi near Christos. Anna’s fish tavern in Nas. Klimataria in Agios Kirykos. And of course Apostolis in Maganitis.
Don’t miss: Reserve a rent car well in advance, it’s the only way of getting around. Hike on the old “monopatia”-paths. Tour on horseback or by bike. Swim in the warm spring in Therma. Climb Koskinas Castle, if you’ve got strong legs!

To be able to farm the land and stay alive the Icarians had to find a way to fertilize the stony hillsides. The solution was to build terraces, and they have since many hundreds of years built terraces all over the island. Many of them are still in use, especially for growing olive trees and vines.

Icaria has always been a poor island, far away and isolated from the rest of Greece. But not only have the people had the meagre soil against them, but for long periods conquerors and bandits ravaged the island. Persians, Genoese, Ottomans, pirates and privateers have historically plagued Ikara to the point where the inhabitants periodically abandoned their houses and moved up into the mountains. There they lived in caves or ‘hidden houses’, dwellings built under or behind large boulders, so that they would not be visible from the sea. At times they were so successful that the island was considered uninhabited.

The house we rent in Maganitis Is quite spacious and modern, with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a dining room and a kitchen. But we don’t spend much time indoors due to the heat. One really irritating factor though is the abundance of wasps, always attacking us on the porch. They are probably unusually aggressive due to the late summer heat that has made all the flowers wither. But the Icarians have a special wasp detergent – they pour greek coffee powder on a plate and set fire to it. And it actually works!

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Icaria, Greece

Icaria – a very different Greek island

A Blue Zone

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Icaria
– a very different Greek island