On Wednesday I went for another walk with Alekos Kastrissios, this time around Paleopoli and Kokkinochorafa. Although we had to find shelter from some very heavy rain, we saw some stunning sights. Alekos is unbeatable: seemingly totally overgrown paths can’t stop him and steep cliffs are peanuts. It’s incredible what[…]
Last Wednesday, in preparation for the new hiking season, I walked together with Alekos Kastrissios through and around Diakofti, Kythira’s port village. Alekos, born and raised in Kastrisianika, is now retired and lives in Diakofti. He walks a lot and he likes to share his love for the island and[…]
We are back again from Istanbul. The city is really beautiful. What culture! what vivacity! what nice people! Unfortunately, our dance group visit was shorter than planned. Due to a nation wide strike in Greece, we and most other groups arrived one day later. Therefore, the festival organisers had to[…]
Apart from walking on Kythira, we are dancing a lot as well. For the past few years I have been going to the Agia Pelagia Dance Group. Twice a week, we have rehearsals where we learn traditional dances from all over Greece. We perform quite regularly at (village) festivals and,[…]
For some years Pyrgos House has been cooperating with Kythera Hiking, the team that is dedicated to opening and to signposting old walking paths on Kythira and Anti-Kythira. So far, 8 diverse routes have been signposted. Next year, the ancient path between Agia Pelagia and Diakofti will be cleared. I[…]
In April and in October we organize a unique and all-inclusive 11 day group walking holiday on Kythira. You will stay in the comfortable hotel Filoxenia Apartments, in Agia Pelagia. The walks are varied, sometimes strenuous, but always impressive. The group is small (maximum 10 participants) and Frank is an[…]
Or might the title ‘The whole of Kythira on television’ be better? Anyway, I am sure that, this afternoon, all Kythirians, even those who live outside the island (for example, in Australia), were glued to their television or computer. In ‘Epistrofi sto chorio’ (Return to the village), Alpha TV showed[…]
Also this October, I am enjoying the walks which I lead nearly every day. The island is quiet, the heather is flourishing, the sky is crystal clear most of the time, the day temperature is ideal and the walkers are very enthusiastic. The previous weeks’ participants came from Israel, North-America,[…]
This week, a South Korean film crew (Mountain TV) is making a documentary on Kythira about walking paths and sustainable tourism in the Balkan Region and in Greece. They started their discovery trip in Kosovo and arrived on Kythira last Monday. The subject is the function and benefit of the[…]
This year marks the 150th anniversary of the union of the 7 Ionian Islands – the Eptanissa, to which Kythira belongs – with Greece. On May 21st 1864, the British, having ruled the Eptanissa from 1809, ‘donated’ the islands to the new Greek king George I. In order to add[…]