My origins are half Greek and half Cypriot so it was clear that part of the summer would have to be spent saving the Euro - well at least injecting some Euros into the Greek Economy. Our choice was sailing in the Ionian sea.
For those of my readers who may not be so familiar with the Greek world the Ionian sea is the sea between Greece and Italy. It is graced by some of Greece's most beautiful and historical islands like Corfu and Ithaca.
Ithaca was the name of the island home of Odysseus in the epic Ancient Greek poem the Odyssey by Homer. The islands were settled by Greeks at an early date, possibly as early as 1200 BC, and certainly by the 9th century BC.They then went through a number of different rulers but finally became part of the Greek mainland. The Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip was born a Greek prince on the island of Corfu and Captain Corellis Mandolin took place on the island of Keffalonia.
So it was with great excitement that we set off from Athens to go to Lefkada to find our boat and our skipper. The rendez vous was in the Marina of the port of Lefkada and it is there that we were excited to see that our sailing boat was called IONIO - a boat of the sea we were to sail in. Our skipper Yiannis was waiting for us and after a night in the Marina we set off early the next day.
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How exactly are greek cyproits different from mainland greeks. Furthermore, is the tension between turks and greeks still on or it has abated?
ReplyDelete-ashu
Dear Ashu,
ReplyDeleteWe are Greek in origin but Cyprus has been independent since 1960 and never joined Greece. However if you think about Corfu and Crete and Rhodes, the Greeks on these islands have a slightly distinct way of talking, their own dialect so to speak and of course, their own corner of history. When I go to Athens I am asked where I am from as my Greek is a little different from mainland Greece. But to a large extent we share the same language, history, culture, food and traditions. I am a real Greek Cypriot as my mother was from the mainland and my father from Cyprus. The Island has been divided since 1974 after the Turkish invasion. Sadly it is still divided but there is no tension as such , and now borders have opened enabling both communities to travel to and from the two areas. However a political solution has not yet been found even after some 35 years. The island is beautiful and well worth visiting. Thanks for your comment Ashu and do let me know if you have any more questions. regards Marina
Thank you so much madame. It really helped me understand the current political context. As you probably would know, India and greece have a very very old connection. Megasthenes has chronicled it and there were greek ambassadors in India during Asoka's reign(300BC). Infact much of modern pakistan was at one point ruled by greek generals. India also has its share of greek architecture, not to mention the various similarities between Greek and Hindu mythology.
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heliodorus_pillar
Also if you have some time, do check out the Kalash tribe( of greek origin) currently facing extinction/conversion pressure under Islamic Pakistan.
just one more question, the turkish community which inhabits the island, do they have similar roots/culture? like hindus and muslims in India? Or they are totally different people with different loyalties and alleginces.
-ashu
Very similar roots and culture Ashu. Remember that we went through Ottoman rule and then British Rule before gaining independence.We are a very similar people and share a lot of traditions and even the language is a blend of all our past. I even recognize some Hindi words as having a similar root as the Greek / Turkish and Arabic word.
ReplyDeleteI am always looking for connections between the Greek and the Indian civilizations- whether historical or contemporary. Look at Sanchi- full of Greek representations, Alexander the Great of course in Taxila and the community you talked about having Greek roots as well.
I can definitely say that the communities share a lot - nearly everything but language and religion. All the best Ashu,Good to exchange views and thanks for the links. Marina