IKARIA & SAMOS
Contrastingly different islands but equally beautiful!
Ikaria is a real treasure of the Aegean and is very much loved by its inhabitants. This island provided us with tranquillity, untouched nature, clear air, healthy food, good wine and an example of how to lead a simple but yet happy and fulfilling life. In ancient times it was known as the ‘healing island’ and recently was named the 5th Blue Zone in the world, an honour bestowed for healthy lifestyles and its peoples’ longevity. We discovered the beauty and moods of the rugged-wild pine forests, megalith rocks, amazing crystal clear sea and the resilient, humorous, independent people and their appreciation of the safe ‘paradise’ in which they live.
Our visit to Samos, a short sail away by boat away, gave us an insight into its history, legend and beauty. It is the island of the father of mathematics, Pythagoras, the astronomer Aristarchus and the philosopher Epicurus. It is the home of goddess Hera and the land that hosted Herodotus and Aesop. It has long been a crossroads between Europe and Asia. In the sixth century BC, under its ruler Polycrates, whose ambitions and his campaigns of conquest in Asia Minor helped transform its capital Pythagoreion into one of the Aegean’s powerful city states.
