Kite-surfing
Iliana Lakafosi first came into contact with kite-surfing in 1999 while she was studying in England. «I used to watch people doing kite-surfing on Brighton Beach daily, and at first, I thought they were crazy. They all had a parachute and board and it was a truly exciting spectacle. «Later on, I found myself on the same beach trying to imitate them,» the graphic artist told Kathimerini. She seizes every opportunity to steal time for her favorite sport. Essential equipment for kite-surfing is a kite similar to the kind used in paragliding, a board and a skein of ropes which help the athlete control the kite. «It’s like windsurfing, but the difference is that a kite pulls you up and provides a much greater thrust,» she explained. «You sail over the water at great speed and, at the same time, you can do leaps many meters above the surface of the sea. On good days, when it’s windy, that is, kite-surfing is a truly thrilling experience. It gives you such a lift that everything else seems unreal,» Lakafosi said. Kite-surfing schools and stores that rent out the necessary equipment can be found, among other places, at Loutsa and Schinias in Attica, Halkoutsi on the island of Evia and on the islands of Paros, Naxos and Crete (for more information, visit www.kitesurfing.gr).
