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Maxie Goes to GreeceOr, How an Itinerant Ex-Philosopher and Writer-Wannabe Tooled Around the Aegean and What He Saw There.Photo Gallery
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Kea is thick with churches, shrines, votaries, and other religion-related whatnot. For the first few days, in fact, we were under the distinct impression that there was one church for every family on the island, and were wondering where all the priests were that kept them all in service. There's a small white washed chapel of some kind sitting on every hilltop, and every switchback on the roads has some kind of small shrine in it, containing an icon, a candle, flowers, and some pamphlets.
It was only later that we were told that there were only three churches on the island (two are pictured above), and that all the others were actually votary shrines, small chapels dedicated to one saint and which were used only on that saint's feast day. Most of them (like the one below) are built and donated by a rich family or group of families. During the summers, sometimes, families will trek from one chapel to another (a different one each day) for services, and then a picnic and playtime for the kids.
The shrines by the road are sometimes put up on the site of accidents. (One accident occured forty years ago, and the ravine was so steep the car was never recovered; you can still see it, if you are of a mind.) In the southwest US, this is sometimes done. But more often it's a kind of roadsign, showing the head of a path or road that will take you to one of these votary chapels. It isn't just piety that leads them to put out these markers, though. The geography is so mad that without them you wouldn't have a clue as to how to reach many of them.
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There are several large villages on Kea. We stayed in the port village on the north east shore, but the main village (called the "Hora") is built on a tall hill overlooking the northern cliffs. Old defensive device, we were told. You put the main city on the highest point not just to thwart attackers, but for an unobstructed view so you could see them sailing up. That's the Hora of Kea pictured above. People who get vertigo real bad are advised not to visit.
Another street shot. There are quite a few cars on the island, but mostly people get around on mopeds. When every street looks like this, you can understand why.
Another view of the port village, an open park-like area in the midst of some houses. This is about the only flat place on the entire island. |
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