Day 1: Cephalonia
We arrived at Kefalonia (Cephalonia) airport in glorious weather. 36 degrees and sunshine welcomed us to the ‘international’ terminal that has as much character as a cold war nuclear bunker. No customs, no officials – well none that were interested. The baggage collection was swift, not that you have many passengers on an A320.
The swiftness of our arrival was balanced by a gruelling 1hr wait for the car hire even though we had pre-booked. The southern European efficiency witnessed throughout our journey certainly continues here in Greece. Nothing apparently happens without a long conversation, seemingly irrelevant to the job at hand, before some more conversation then maybe, just maybe, some actual work – no wonder that they are in such economic trouble. I’m sure it is different in northern Europe.
We shoe-horned our luggage into the much smaller ‘Seat Leon’ which is a relative sports car in comparison to the Citroën C4 Picasso. Suddenly we are missing our 7 seater & ditzy.
Our drive from the airport through the regional capital and on to Sami took us past some amazing gum tree groupings. As in Corsica, there is an abundance of this true-blue hearty plant here. Again, they seem to thrive in this climate and make the ‘down-under’ traveler feel very at home.
The road to Sami takes you though the heart of the island. Mountains here are tall and arid. The speed limit goes no higher than 70km/hr making the drive leisurely on the wide’ish roads. The roads scarcely have any traffic on them. The passing towns are some the smallest we have seen, almost not large enough to even be titled a town. It is very dry and very quiet.
Upon the decent to Sami the landscape changes and becomes greener. The port, the third largest on the island is still small in comparison to, well, anything. Restaurants ring the port ensuring the prime positions for weary travelers by land and sea.
There are abandoned and unfinished homes everywhere, a sure sign of the economic woes of Greece. Sale signs are around but not as frequent as I imagined.
What is lovely here is the way they close the roads around the ports. From 7pm almost every port closes its seaside road allowing the restaurants, patrons and children safe passage without fear of mechanical menaces. I wonder if southern Sydney could benefit from such initiatives.
Our seaside hotel provided stunning views across to my ancestral island of Ithaki where my parents and brother were holidaying and where we would visit in a couple of days. We certainly were starting to really relax now, not much to do other than sit by the pool and have some drinks. Dinner in the port enabled a true ‘taverna’ experience. Food is much cheaper here than in other parts we have visited and by accident we certainly over-ordered.
Day 2: Cephalonia
Today was an exploration day. Both Claudine and I had our top objectives and fortunately they were all located in close proximity, not too hard when you can drive from one end of the island to the other in about 2 hours. First was a visit to the most Northern point and the port of Fiskardo. Having all the charm and charisma of a tuxedoed playboy, Fiskardo is alluring and visited by all sailors in the area. Natural beauty is the primary export here. The water in the bay is crystal clear and can be seen to a depth of 15 meters. Boats line up and jostle for the prime locations around this safe harbour. A few items purchased including our lunch and we were off to Myrtos beach.
Myrtos beach is often rated in the top 10 beaches in the world in addition to being voted the best beach on Greece. All passing tourists capture its beauty, firstly from on high from the surrounding cliffs towering around the beach and its zig-zag access road. Parking becomes difficult the closer to midday with the prime beach side parks at a premium. The beach is made from granite and marble pebbles. The milky blue water is a result of the marble grinding away, still perfectly transparent to the swimmer, but offering a striking view from high.
A cave on the southern end draws in the crowds to experience this cooling grotto and it’s opening to the sea. I could not pass up the opportunity of walking in one end, and swimming out the other.
Our last destination was the Melissani cave, positioned around the corner from our accommodation. Also referred to as the ‘cave of nymphs’ due to an archeological excavation revealing some dedications to the underground aquifer. The cooling water was a nice respite from the heat.
‘Tour guides’ in perfectly blue boats take visitors through the cave on a 15min round trip. We had hoped that we could be lucky enough for a swim in the 15-degree brackish water and we were lucky enough. Patrons are quickly assessed of their stamina and ability to withstand the freezing water before being permitted to take the plunge. The only way in and out of the water is via the boats, which have no ladder – certainly not an experience for the feeble, young, or inexperienced. I was lucky enough to be given the nod and can tick off an experience from my list, a swim in the Melissani lake.
Tomorrow we depart to Ithaki and join the rest of the Tucker clan, very excited!!!