The Power of Ithaki

Unauthorized copying or use of any of the photographs is Prohibited © 2012 stavros "delas" dellaportas

location: ithaki
time: past
suggested song: ΠΑΜΕ ΜΙΑ ΒΟΛΤΑ ΣΤΟ ΦΕΓΓΑΡΙ - Βασιλης Λεκκας

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The Power of Ithaki

    I loved Ithaki before I even knew where it was, before I even stepped on its lush green lands. Growing up in NY my father never stopped thinking and loving Ithaki. He constantly reminisced, and still does, about the island he left behind. He would tell my sisters and I stories about his school days about the mischief he would get in with his classmates. He would tell us about the cleanest bluest waters he swam in every chance he got. He would tell us how the island was home to one of the greatest kings in all of history. He just made it sound like it was paradise. I tried to picture the island but nothing compared to how it truly was.

In 1990, I was 5years old. I remember we were all sitting around the kitchen table when my parents informed us that we would be going to Ithaki in the summer. Right after they told us, I rushed and started to pack. I was yearning to see Ithaki.
The journey to Ithaki was a long one but I knew where I was going and I was filled with excitement and anticipation. The ferry ride was magical, the windy breeze, the blue crisp ocean, seeing the dolphins swim aside the ferry, as if they were welcoming us all to Ithaki. As we made our way into the harbor this smell of faskomilo completely mesmerized me. That smell of sweet earth was embedded in me at that moment. That summer was the best summer of my life. I did not want to go I wanted to stay forever and ever and live the life my father had growing up. I clung to my grandmother and cried and cried. It would be five years later that I came back and the love for Ithaki kept building.

 I was given more freedom and explored Ithaki with my sisters and cousins, it was amazing. Alas we had to visit the motherland and go to Chios. After, we left for a short trip to Chios, Ithaki wept. It was August and there were downpours. I wept too as I saw its beautiful shores disappear in the distance.
After 10 years, an Odyssey, we came back. The beauty of Ithaki did not change. I loved Ithaki even more. I only had three more years until I finished my studies. I had made the decision to leave NY and move to Ithaki once I was done. I wanted so much to wake up every morning and breathe in the faskomilo, to see the lush green mountains, to see the clean crisp blue sea, to swim in the waters every chance I got.

Ithaki has a power over all those who hear about its beauty and about its history. Ithaki is like a magnet it draws you to it always. Once you visit it, its power over you grows stronger, the bond is there. You never forget about Ithaki, Ithaki is always on your mind. Ithaki will always be on my mind and in my heart.      

Unauthorized copying or use of any of the photographs is Prohibited © 2012 stavros "delas" dellaportas