Kea Island - Cyclades, Greece
Kea is the best known and the most accessible isles in the group of the Cyclades, as it is the closest to Athens of all the Cyclades. It is also known as Gia, Tzia or Keos. It is about 60 km south-east from Athens, the trip from Lavrio by ferry takes around 1 hour. The new international airport of Spata is a 15-minute drive from Lavrion. The climate is dry, the terrain is not plane – there are lots of hills and elevations. The capital of the island (and administrative centre) is Ioulis. This settlement has been built on high altitude, because of security reasons in the past – as a means for protection against pirates. The other important villages are Kea, Korrisia (the famous port), and one fishing village called fishing village. In recent past the village has been gradually depopulated. But since a few years the Athenians rediscovered the potential of the place for weekend recreation and yachting trips.
The territory of the island is 128 square km, it’s 19 km long and 9 km wide.
Kea has a few schools, a few lyceums, a gymnasia, churches, banks, a post office and squares (plateies).
Kea is famous for being the birthplace of Simonides of Ceos, an ancient Greek lyric poet. From archeological point of view, the island is interesting as being the site of the Bronze Age settlement Ayia Irini, which reached its flowering in the Late Minoan Era (1600-1400 BC).
The municipality includes the island of Makronisos to the northwest as well as a couple of ferry and shipping lines.
Kea has a few schools, a few lyceums, a gymnasia, churches, banks, a post office and squares (plateies).
The island of Kea is known for a lot of things and can offer more than just the next holiday destination. Besides the famous antique car rally held in the first weekend in June, there is a lot going on at Kea. It has extraordinary beaches and better developed system of walking paths and trails than any Greek island. Kea is wonderful for hiking during any seasons; it has various routes that take you to a variety of landscapes. The numerous restaurants with a view of the sea create an exceptional romantic atmosphere. There is an out-door movie, where films change every two days.
For people who seek luxury and who go to hotels with room service, pools and the “all inclusive” services, Kea can offer decent places. However, the people who are of the “explorers” type can find more at Kea. The island has preserved its untamed-ness to a great extent. The atmosphere of the whole place is simple and authentic. The terraced fields look just as they probably looked at the time of Aristotle and Plato.
You can enjoy the remarkable 130 churches in Kea – they are of all different shapes and sizes. Probably the most interesting are the completely white church on a rock, just by the sea and the three cathedrals. If you are interested in history, you can also visit the shrines and several Byzantine monasteries.
The benefactor saint of Kea is St. Agios Haralambos who reportedly saved the island from a plague epidemics in 1823. His name-day is celebrated on the 10th of February. The celebration includes a colourful and lively Carnival, or apokreas, “the period before lent”. During those festivities that lead up to the big celebration of Easter, the people from entire island go to the “chora” (Ioulis).
There is a custom, that when someone dies in Kea, the family organizes Dinner of the Dead, called “makaria”, where people actually celebrate what the dead was as a person and the which is less a grieving than a celebration of the person passing on to the next phase of the cycle of life and death. There are numerous other festivals and religious celebrations.
The best description of Kea is “the island closest to Athens that feels like it is the furthest.”
Geographic Coordinates of the island: 37°40'0”N, 26°19'0”E
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