The Magic of Samothraki

Here is the other half of Samothraki, the not submerged one:) I really hope a managed to capture at least a bit of the island's... aura. If you visit it someday maybe you'll let me know. Till then, Enjoy!

One of the things that is usually left out about Samothraki is that here they've found the statue of Nike. No, no, not the American sportswear company statue, the original Nike, the goddess of Victory.

The original is now a center piece at the Louvre Museum in Paris while in Samothraki you can only see a replica and the chamber in which the statue was found.

Original( Louvre Museum)    Replica(Sanctuary of the Old Gods)

Underwater Samothraki

Samothraki is the first island I have ever went to so it holds a special place in my heart. I like its secular trees, the '60-'70's perfume of time with flower power accents, the untainted nature, the ancient historical roots that seem to transcend time itself and last but not least the people.

Last week I visited the island again and I'm still under its spell.I guess it shows:)

For the first time I managed to take some underwater movies and pictures. I hope you enjoy!

Earth Festival - Vlasti

Vlasti is a little village near Kozani, in the western part of Macedonia, that no one would have heard about unless the people there really wanted to put their village on the map.

Until the 80's, the place has been deserted, as many other Greek villages in which the young generations left in search of work and the hope of a better life.

http://www.oikotopia.gr/

Some of those young people decided to come back and revive the village by transforming it into a touristic place but something was missing.

They needed to find a way to make their small village more attractive then the others. So, they managed to bring there The Earth Festival (Γιορτες της Γης), an annual event where people all over the world meet in a very flower power atmosphere to enjoy good music, good food and last but not least good times. 

Unfortunately this year I didn't manage to be there from the beginning but I got there just in time to get a refreshing doze of energy and good mood. 

From South American rhythms to African drums and back to Greek traditional music, those forests have head them all. The camping site covers a whole side of a mountain and people come there for the event, the atmosphere but also for the environment. 

It was nice to see whole families with kids being there and enjoying themselves, people dancing barefoot in the dirt, wearing colorful clothing and  speaking all languages of the Εarth. For some reason I felt like I belonged there.

The festival  takes place in the second weekend of July so if you think of going, keep it in mind.