Agios Kirikos in Ikaria - the older part of town

We stayed at the Hotel Filliopi in Saint Kirikos. We had a spacious apartment which suited our needs. We will not be staying there again though. There was no second key to our room available, which was very inconvenient for us. Ken wakes up at 5 and after breakfast he goes for a long walk and usually comes back at 8 when I am in the process of waking up. He was not able to do this without a second key as it would have meant either locking me in the room or leaving the door unlocked. Neither option was satisfactory.

The mountain that towers over the town was always shrouded in cloud. This mountain is apparently the reason why the town gets so hot when there's no wind: it's barren, unlike most of Ikaria, and as the sun heats it, the heat gets reflected back into the town. 

A short walk from our hotel led to the St Kirikos Cathedral.

We walked up the steps that led up to the church

A praying mantis on the steps

The church was unfortunately closed

so we walked around it

and entered the narrow lanes of the upper part of town.

Good views of the bay from here

the narrow lanes are pedestrianised

lots of steps leading up or down

very few people around in the mid-day sun

more steps

a mural on the wall of one of the houses - pity about the graffiti

most of Ikaria is built on hills or mountainsides so there are steps everywhere - part of the reason why people are so fit and healthy here

Another mural, partly obscured by the shutters

We eventually worked our way down and reached one of the tavernas we favoured, I Klimataria, The Vine, which is quite close to the waterfront.

Agios Kirikos in Ikaria - the waterfront

Agios Kirikos is the capital of Ikaria and one of its main ports. The town is wrapped around the bay/port where most of the social life occurs. There is also an older, residential part which will be the subject of another post.

Just across is a small island whose hills turn a rose colour as the sun sets.

Up on a hill is the cathedral of Saint Kirikos, which dominates the landscape.





The harbour

and a series of small bays make up the waterfront

hills all around,

Lots of small boats in the smaller bays.

Above the main harbour on a hill, we came across this sculpture. We were not able to find out who the sculptor is but my guess is that it's Nikos Icaris, as the style is very similar to the Mermaid sculpture which you will see further down this post. It depicts, we think, God above, holding Christ (we could see the stigmata on his hands) who in turn is trying to lift humankind up towards Heaven. It's a wonderful sculpture.

The main square runs parallel to the sea

and this is where most of the restaurants and cafeterias are located. It was packed at night, with loads of children running around, having lots of fun and screaming in the process.

All along the sea front are the almyres, trees that only grow by the sea, as they need the sea salt in order to thrive

On a quay, across from the cafeteria in the image above, is this sculpture, Mermaid, by Nikos Ikaris.

Away from the main square, there is a series of houses all along the sea front. Traditional houses with old iron-wrought gates, like this one.

Looking through the gate

No sandy beaches here, but rocks and pebbles instead

Rumination by Nikos Ikaris, stands here

We walked along here

it was late afternoon and it was deserted but we have been told that lots of people swim here during the day.

A quiet section of the town

The houses are traditional

and most are well maintained.

Back in the main part of town, in the shopping area

we came across this shop

that sells local products

nuts and dried fruits,

oils and vinegars,

homemade pasta and local honey

hand made cosmetics,

spices

and herbal teas and herbs.

There were cats everywhere - all very thin, we thought

Steps everywhere

leading up to the older part of town.