Kea: Korissia(Livadia) and Vourkari

Greek Islands: Korissia, Kea The port of Korissia, also known as Livadia is the first place you will see when you arrive on the island since this is where the ferry docks. It has a long sandy beach, a supermarket, several restaurants, cafes, bars and a hotel or two. Above the port on the hill of Agia Triada are the ruins of the ancient acropolis and what is believed to be an archaic temple dedicated to Apollo. The statue known as the Kouros of Kea in the National Museum in Athens was found here. Livadia was pretty much deserted during the centuries of Ottoman rule but in 1922 it was repopulated by refugees from Asia Minor. For ferry watchers it is a good place to be because three ferries from Lavrion sail back and forth continuously all day and into the night and a couple times a week the Panagia Tinos from Syros makes an appearance here. You can catch the bus to Ioulis from here and there are taxis that will take you anywhere when they are not taking somebody else. You can also rent motorbikes.

Greek Islands: Korissia, Kea It is hard not to notice the enormous smokestack and the ruins of the Enamel and Metallurgy factory that sits in the valley of Livadi. The factory which was owned by Ioannis Gleoudis had 900 employees who produced enamel products, canteens, helmets and other equipment during the pre-war period. Because of this factory and the coal supply center for steamships at Agios Nikolaos, the people of Kea were able to survive during the years when many other islands were destitute. There is something about having a big old deserted factory on a small greek island that makes you realize that these places did not spring up out of the sea as tourist destinations. Islands like Kea existed before tourism and they will probablky exist after tourism too. For me, seeing the remains of an old factory is as interesting as the ruins of an ancient temple and in most cases leaves less to the imagination.

Greek Islands: Korissia, Kea The main beach in Livadia is a long sandy stretch that lies at the end of the valley. There are a couple restaurants and cafes and there are two hotels, one apartment style overlooking the beach from the town caled the Karthea and the other a long motel looking establishment on the far end of the beach called Y Tzia Mas. There is also the new Hotel Porto Kea which is as close to a luxury resort as you will find on the island. There are also several hotels and rooms to rent in the valley if you want to be close to the port and the beach. The best choice is the Red Tractor Farms Guest House which is part of an eco-tourism enterprise run by Marcie and Kostis Marulis, two pioneers on the island. The only time you will have a problem getting a room is in August and maybe during holiday weekends. The Red Tractor Farm itself is one of the most interesting and beautiful spots in Korissia with several acres of olive trees, orchards, and grape vines, a rural paradise within the town limits. Completely eco-friendly it is the perfect marriage of tradition and environmental responsibility and could serve as an example as what the future of tourism in Greece should look like, symbolized by the giant stone egg that greets guests on their arrival.

As ports go Livadia is not too bad for swimming since the bay is so big and the rough seas of the Cava d Oro flush it out from time to time. At the far end is a small chuch dedicated to Saint George and just beyond that is the Villa Maroulis. The valley of Livadia was populated by refugees from Asia Minor who came to Kea after the exchange of populations which was initiated with the policy of ethnic cleansing by Attaturk.


Greek Islands: Galiaskari beach, kea If you follow the coast around you come to a nice little beach called Gialiaskari that sits in a cove shaded by eucalyptus trees. It is pretty active in the summer but the water is blue, clean and beautiful There is a little cafe that has great salads, pizzas and pastas and coffees, beer, wine and mixed drinks and this is where many of the young people hang out. This is also where Andrea and Amarandi like to go as do most of the people from Ioulis, but you can also swim off the rocks between here and Korissia if you don't feel like using a bathing suit. The bus passes by here several times a day and so you can easily stay in the town of Ioulis and come down for a swim. If you are the hiking sort, there is an incredible walk on the old stone roads that bring you to the main road a mile or so from Livadia, passing through farms and springs along the way and providing some great opportunities for photgraphs. When you reach the bottom all sweaty and tired you have the refreshing sea and a nice cold beer or water.

Greek islands, Vourkari, Kea Further along around another bend or two is the yacht harbor of Voukari which has several seafood restaurants and is where all the people who are sailing the Cyclades come.The bay of Voukari looks almost like a lake and is the most sheltered spot in the large harbor which is why it is popular with the yachters who know they will get a good night's rest, even when the waves are like mountains outside the harbor. The boats dock up, parallel-parking style right on the street and the waitors, when they are not too busy, run out to help by catching the lines and shouting directions and encouragement to the sailors. When the boats are secured the captain, crew and passengers cross the street for an ice-cold beer, a couple ouzos and mezedes or a seafood dinner. Most of the restaurants serve lobster too. The seafood is generally pretty fresh. My favorite place is Thalia's which serves mezedes from Asia Minor where her family comes from. Vourkari would seem to be the perfect place except for a small dilemna. It smelled awful in the summer because of a serious waste-treatment problem that the restaurants or the local government could not seem to figure out how to deal with.  But with a new progressive mayor the island is starting to deal with some of the problems which afflict many islands in Greece, beginning with the sewage problem in Vourkari putting in a whole new system in the summer of 2005. The difference is amazing.

 There are several galleries that have exhibits by famous artists both living and dead. Boyrkariani was established by Nikos Dalaretos, and set an example with the quality of the exhibitions and the fame of the artists who exhibited there. Last summer the gallery featured an exhibition by Lisa Sotilis and another by Giorgio de Chirico. The gallery has now moved upstairs off the street into the old house that used to be the Dalaretos family house and has become ART S.A. run by the charming Sotiria Antonopoulou. Inside the gallery is a small bookstore where you can buy prints, books and postcards of the works of other artists including the island's most famous artist: Aleko Fasianos. This is a place that should not be missed and may be worth going out of your way to get to if you have a sailboat or yacht at your disposal and a true love of painting and sculpture. For more information on exhibitions at ART A.A. Gallery you can contact Sotiria at info@art-sa.gr
Tel: 0288-21458. Fax: 22880-21337

This summer see their exhibition of dragons by some of Greece's best knon artists from July 12th until the end of the month.

Vourkari is also the nightlife and party area of the island and I know because I had to fight with my daughter who wanted to go down there every night of the summer. There are several cafe-bars and music clubs including Thalia's Cafe, which is not to be confused with the mezedopoulion-restaurant of the same name which I mentioned above. Thalia, who takes great pride in her cooking, was always complaining about all the people who came to her restaurant and just wanted coffee. Finally she decided it must be some kind of omen and she opened her cafe-bar and put her son Giorgos in charge of it. Its one of many musical hangouts and in the summer they are all packed with boaters and Athenians and you will feel like you are in Mykonos. They stay open all night, or at least I assume they do because my daughter did not get home until morning. (This is normal in Greece). If you are looking for a quiet romantic evening away from the summer crowds try upstairs at Vinylio Wine Bar run by international chef Nicholas with a large list of wines and daily dinner specials. Below in the original Vinylio Cafe-bar DJs play music late into the night in what is considered by the hip Athenian youth to be one of the best bars in the Cyclades.

The best time to be in Vourkari is Sunday afternoon as the Athenian weekend boats are leaving and the sailing charters are arriving. This is where you will often find me, at Thalia's, eating pastramatopita and grilled sardines, drinking an ouzo and watching the new sailors attempting to parallel park for the first time. It is an entertaining way to spend the afternoon and evening too and I often run into someone I know from somewhere else. For more information on sailboat charters see www.greecetravel.com/sailing

Greek islands, Vourkari, Kea Across the bay is Agia Irini, where the ruins of a temple to Dionysious, the fortified walls, tower and gate of the Bronze Age settlement that once stood here. There are also ruins from the Hellenistic period as well as the Minoan and Mycenean periods including the impressive Mansion of the Master. There is a fence around it so unless you are an archaeologist you can't get in but you can still get a good view by walking around. There is the remains of an old steel-hulled ship in the small bay next to the site. Further along the Kokka peninsula are the ruins of the Michalinos Coal Company which used to supply steamships and the area known as Katsonis Crossing where Captain Lambros Katsonis dragged his ship across the isthmus and escaped the Turkish fleet who thought they had him trapped. At the very end is the Lighthouse of Agios Nikolaos which sits on the location of an ancient temple to Posideon, the stones of which can still be seen. On the nearby peninsula of Kefela close to Agia Irini, are the ruins of a very large temple from the 6th Century BC and the remains of some Neolithic tombs.

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