Karpathos - Greek island in Aegean sea - where the tradition is still alive

It is one of Dodecanese group of islands. The islands of Crete and Rhodes, its neighbors,  are perhaps more famous (especially for tourists and archaeologists), but Karpathos' name was mentioned already in Homer's Iliad and the island has great history since the Peloponneesian War (431 BC) when Karpathians fought with Sparta. Later the island was part of Roman Empire, Byzantine Empire, under Venetians and Ottoman Turks. Karpathos formally became part of Greece in 1948.

The capital city of the island is Pigadia (the official name is Karpathos City) which is the centre of tourist life in Karpathos. There are less than 7000 inhabitants but during the summer time the population can increase to around 20000.

After the II. World War many Karpathians left the island and went to the United States. Nowadays many of them have returned and invested their money in tourism. The modern way of living is spreading among the island. Only in the northern part of the island, especially in the mountains, residents try to preserve the tradition.

Tourist arrive on Karpathos by airplane (international airport near Pigadia) from Athens, Rhodes, Crete or (especially during the high season - from April through October) directly from many European countries (charter flights). The island is well connected also by ferries from Greek mainland (mainly from Pireus) or from the islands in the neighborhood (Crete, Rhodes). There are two ports in Karpathos, in Pigadia and in Diafani (important for Olympos village).

According to mythology the first settlers were the Titans, but archaeological finds proved that the island was inhabited during the Neolithic times. Later the Minoans and their culture had a great influence on people who lived there. This island is well-known for many customs which have their roots in Ancient times. 

Very popular is traditional Karpathian festivity ("kathisto glenti"), where men sit around a table with the music players of the traditional instruments (like "lyra", "laouto", "tsambouna" and the "violi"). They drink wine, compose and sing songs. 

Another important custom is Karpathian wedding. It used to last for eight days in the past, but nowadays it lasts from two to three days and include all the preparations, house decoration, the engagement, wedding ceremony and also previously mentioned "kathisto glenti".

The most important festival on Karpathos is Panagias festival (Assumption of Mary) on 15th August.

When talking about tradition I must mention Olympos village. It is built according to the traditional style and people living there are trying to keep the traditions alive.

Traditional architecture, decoration of houses interiors, wind mills, open air furnace, beautiful old church at the top of Olympos, fantastic view, delicious restaurants, small shops with traditional sweet "loukoumades", Mediterranean herbs and much, much more - these are only few reasons for visiting Olympos. 

I already mentioned the Meltemi wind on the west side of the Karpathos - beaches there are sandy and can be reached by boat only in low wind conditions. South western coast is ideal for windsurfing. Very popular beach is Finiki.

East coast has smaller, gravelly beaches without wind. Here are many known beaches, like Apella, Kato Latos, Achata and Amopi 

The northern part of the island are mostly accessible by the sea. Forokli and Diafani are well known beaches.

Fine white sand can be found on beaches on the southern coast. Popular beaches are Diakoftis, Damatria, Agriopotamus.

On Karpathos the climate is a bit dryer than on the neighbor islands. On July or August a strong wind, called Meltemi, blows from the north down through the high mountains. Especially west cost is exposed to this wind,  and there are good conditions for windsurfing. But, don't worry - if you prefer location without wind, there are beaches on the eastern part of the island...

The vegetation is also typical Mediterranean - cypress, evergreen shrubs and bushes, olive trees, macchie, wild herbs (sage or Salvia, oregano) and many more. With their diversity and hard growing conditions they definitely deserve to be presented on this page. See these beauty below...

We all love to bring back home some souvenirs which remind us later on places we loved during our stay on holidays. There are many different small shops on Karpathos - some of them are kitschy with no soul, but some are really a kind of artistic shops with genuine atmosphere. 

	Nice shops with souvenirs, ceramics, Karpathos honey, spices, Mediterranean herbs, olive oil,...

Greek cuisine is well known with its diversity, use of olive oil, fresh vegetables, fruits and different Mediterranean herbs. There are many other web sites and books describing healthy Greek food so I will not write about the Greek cuisine. I can only say that the food is delicious - I am fond of sea food (calamari, shrimps, fish) and was enjoying the stay on Karpathos also by eating Greek yogurt with honey and another known pastry - Loukoumades with honey (see picture below). 

Well, if you like Mediterranean food, you can see my recipes for Adriatic shrimps with tomato sauce, or Goat ribs with Mediterranean herbs and sweet vegetables.

I hope that I managed to give you some basic information about Karpathos in this article and that you feel the Greek atmosphere in it. I really enjoy my holidays in Greece - the sun, the sea, delicious food and wine, the scenery, some history and kind people. What can we expect more from our holidays?