Friday Photos: Ikarian Landscape

Is this the way Greek legends and myths are created? On seeing the stark, forbidding landscape on the southern windswept side of the Aegean island of Ikaria, my nephew, by way of explanation told me that local lore had it that when God finished creating the world he dumped all the left over stones and boulders on Ikaria. Walking over and around some of the thousands of massive boulders that dot the landscape here, I can well believe that story.

It takes a hardy people to create a life out of this landscape

Moon rocks have got nothing on this rock strewn landscape

How many years did it take to create this monster?

Many boulders are larger than the average American SUV―and God knows they can be massive! The largest of these monsters dominate the landscape like nothing else on the island, and one can only guess at the eons it must have required for the combined effects of wind and rain, and heat and cold to wear down and smooth the surface of the largest boulders.

Putting them in perspective

Boulders bigger than your average SUV

 One of the strangest rock formations is that seen in the image immediately below. The locals have dubbed this the 'cannon', due to its obvious similarity in outline to military weapons of this type. My comment on seeing this was, No wonder the Turks have not invaded Ikaria, if they can see this with binoculars from Turkey, they will think it is a massive cannon of the type used during the Second World War, and stay well away! 

The 'cannon'

I'm sure I will return to this theme of the Ikarian landscape in future posts as I wander further afield across the island.