Stella's cypriot restaurant in Balos

I have been to Balos bay and the long beach in the south of Samos with the tremendous view to Mount Kerkis many many times.
Always another reason to come to Balos is to visit one of the nice taverns, e.g. Akrogiali, Esperos and Stella there!

The tavern "Stella" I visited this May and June several times! This special place that offers cypriot food too! It is run by the family Antoniou. The photo below shows Stella and her husband Nikos.


If you come down the road to Balos, you need to turn to the right at the sea front. Signs will guide you on your way.


Stella's place is not located on the road along the beach front like all the other taverns, but a little bit behind, it takes a short walk on a footpath to get to the "secret place", the house in a garden with old olive trees.


The son, Kyriakos, who takes care of the business, besides greek is fluently speaking english and german. Lots of good tasting things from organic farming and from the big ofen in the garden are on the menu! "Lecker, lecker", as we germans say!

Connecting Ikaria to Samos via flights

The company "sky express" from Crete offers a fast connection for travellers wishing to hop from Samos to Ikaria or vice versa. The flight will take only 15 minutes, this service is offered e.g. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 12:30 from Samos (high season 2011). Airplanes are 19-30 seat British Aerospace Jetstreams.

Beautiful Spring on Samos!

Samos in May, what a joy! Everywhere it's green and beautiful! The grasses are high and still green. Flowers are blooming in many colours, like here on the castle hill in Pythagorion.


A combination of several videoclips - mainly with focus on red Poppys - that I took in (early) May 2011 on the east aegean island of Samos in Greece.
Music performed by musicians from Samos: Jiannis Loulourgas (bouzouki, vocals) and Kostas Mitsos (guitar) from the village of Pythagorion.



Want to be there, between olive trees in a meadow covered with Poppys? Try this one here:



Flowers blooming in many colours close to the Logothétis castle in Pythagorion:



Blue sky, white clouds, yellow flowering broom (Sparta), everywhere beautiful green landscape .... , middle of May 2011. This year, vegetation was almost three weeks behind "normal schedule" due to cool weather in April and first half of May.



Red poppies on the side of the road leading to the monastery Timiou Stavrou, May 2011.



Landscape below Vourliotes on the north coast, end of May 2011.



When the broom (Sparta) starts to bloom, the landscape turns yellow on Samos:

Samos Young Artists Festival

The Samos Young Artists Festival 2011 will take place in the Ancient Theatre of Pythagorion from August 9th to August 14th.
The concerts will start daily at 8 pm. Tickets are available at the box office for 5 Euros (1000 seats available).

As stated furthermore on the website of the festival:

It offers highly gifted young musicians an opportunity to perform. The annual festival week takes place on the Greek island of Samos as part of the Ireon Music Festival in August.
The picturesque Greek island of Samos, with its beauty, its geographic location between Orient and Occident and its changeful history, creates the perfect backdrop for the Samos Young Artists Festival.

It is the intention of the Festival's initiators to bring young artists and an interested concert audience to the island, and for this special place to become the focal point of interest each year.

The musicians, who are chosen in cooperation with various notable international institutions and festivals, demonstrate their talent in the ancient theater of the picturesque port city Pythagorion. For five nights they play a distinguished chamber music program, which they choose themselves.

The festival was founded on the private initiative of a German-Greek family in 2010. The concerts are financed exclusively through private contributions and are actively supported by local organizations and institutions, especially by the cultural association and the mayor of Pythagorion.

Rain storm hitting Kokkari

On May 27th, 2011, I happened to be in the area of Kokkari on the north coast of Samos island, and spent some time in Cavos Café-Bar, enjoying Uli's german cake with coffee, when a rain storm came to the harbour in late afternoon.
The most dramatic scenes I couldn't take, because first I had to rescue my equipment from the incredible masses of water pouring down.

Evening atmosphere over Pagondas

Evening atmosphere over the village of Pagondas in the south of Samos.
June 2011 .

A short visit to the Potami valley

Hot Greece and bare aegean islands without any trees?
Well, not on Samos island!

You want to find out yourself?
There a quite few places on the island where a brook is running under shady trees.
For example: pay a visit to the incredibly green, shady and cool Potami valley with the Potami brook and several cascades/small waterfalls, not far away from the city of Karlóvasi on the north coast of the island.

Walking on the footpath along the brook gives you almost the feeling like you're walking in some type of dschungle!
Whenever I go there, I am always fascinated by the brook running between these strangely formed trees.