Well, our kefalonia trip is now completed - and in the same month no less! I would like to claim responsibility for these updates, but I'd be lying. Hayley has worked really hard to write up this trip, so I think we'd better have another holiday to recover.
I'm off to San Francisco next week for a week long conference, so who knows, I may even post an update or the occasional photo.
Posted by Nick
We didn't really do anything today that really needs an entry except that the airport was so entertaining. We rose early, were picked up at the apartments and taken to Fiscardo by mini-bus before boarding a coach bound for the airport. One of our fellow travellers waited until the last minute to jump off and post postcards and we consequently all had to wait for him. We wound back down the coastal road, this time knowing where we were going. The sea was just as blue as always and it was extremely tempting to not get on the plane. Actually, the airport reinforced that view. They have extremely odd system. They x-ray your baggage before you check in and they only have one machine. So everybody, two plane loads in our case, has to queue. It really was a fine example of British queuing. The queue wends round and round and out of the building, possibly even down the street, but I wasn't interested enough to find out. They x-ray your bag and make you take any glass out (fortunately we had been warned about this and had our wine as carry-on) and then they have three check-in counters. You check in and they give you a hand written boarding card. I have no idea how they track who is sitting where across the three counters. Then you go through immigration, where once again they struggle with our non-EU passports, to the boarding gate where there are way more people than seats. Finally they let you board the plane but it is miles out on the tarmac and it is raining so you get soaked through. All-in-all it was rather a hectic end to the trip. It won't put us off though I suspect we both fancy another trip to a Greek island..........
Posted by Hayley
Our last full day in Kefalonia. We decided to spend it relaxing. We opted for an extremely leisurely start to the day. Not really doing much apart from sleeping, lounging, reading and playing games. After lunch we went down to Foki Bay for a swim and more relaxing. We, of course, went for a snorkel around the edges of the bay. We had asked on Wednesday about the "cave" at the bay and learned that it was in fact a mine and not terribly safe so that had put off any ideas we had about having a look inside. Instead we just meandered around, looking at the fish and other sea life. I tired more quickly than Nick but was happy swimming back to shore alone. Perhaps I should have been more concerned about him! By the time I got back to shore all I could see of him was the tiny bright orange tip of his snorkel. He ventured further than we had been before and met some bigger fish. He told me he was surrounded by fish and it was more by good luck than good management that he wasn't bumping into them. Once he started to head back in I settled down with my book under the Olive trees. When Nick got back to dry land he had a bask in the sun. We both wondered how easy it would be to pack the beach into our suitcase so that we would have instant peace when we needed it.
We went back to the apartment and had a glass of wine on the terrace, followed by an afternoon nap. We had to have a early-ish dinner because the car hire finished at 9pm so we had to ensure it was back at the apartments by then. We had driven past a restaurant in Matsukata a few times during the week and decided to try there for dinner. We both had whole charcoal grilled Black Snapper. Nick's was bigger than mine I think! It was absolutely delicious. I know I'm going to miss the charcoally taste. We were then presented with icecream and melon for dessert. It was all lovely.
Unfortunately it was time to go. We headed back to the apartment, dropped the car off for the last time and packed our bags. We both felt relaxed and both wished we had booked the fortnight!
Posted by Hayley
We had a more leisurely start to the day than yesterday with no boat waiting to whisk us away. Instead we decided to head back around the coast to Assos. We had glimpsed Assos from the road on the two previous occasions we had driven the coastal road and we wanted a closer look. It is only around 20 minutes drive from Matsukata, so not too arduous a drive. The approach to the town is however, down a very steep, narrow road. The mountain goats that populate the area are definitely better suited for traversing it than our little hire car. We got there in the end though.
Assos was largely destroyed in the 1953 earthquake but was rebuilt, with the help of the City of Paris, in traditional style and a touch of French flair. The most dominant feature of the landscape is a tall hill that overlooks the village. On the top is an enormous Venetian kastro or fort. It was begun in 1593 and protected the Venetian fleet and the island from attack by the Ottomans and pirates. More recently it was used as a prison until 1953 and prison labour was used to tend the grape vines that were grown on the surrounding hills. The terraces are still there but the grapes have long gone. it is simply too hot for anyone to voluntarily tend the plants.
The village is very beautiful. The houses are either in traditional white and blue or the mediterranean terracotta colours. It has a series of little squares and a walkway along the harbour which is festooned in brightly coloured flowers. There are plenty of waterfront restaurants and cafes, where you can sit and look at the vista. We just walked and looked up at the hill and down at the water. It was very restful and we enjoyed our visit.
After lunch we decided we would try and locate a different local beach from our usual haunt, Foki Bay. We had seen a sign the night before for a beach and so followed the road. It quickly became apparent that we would have to walk through the bush to locate it. Nick scouted ahead and decided it was a mission for another day. It was too hot to walk any distance and the goats didn't seem that friendly either, though at least we could hear them coming as their bells rang with every step they took.
We continued around the road until we found a sign for Emblissi beach. We suspected it might be busy as there is a huge hotel and apartment complex just above the beach. It wasn't too bad but there were a few more people there than would have been ideal. We went for a wander around the coastal path but decided the beach really was the best bet. So we plunged in. It was so nice. I think we were both feeling a little over heated and the cool water was just what we needed. After my swim I headed back to the beach and read under a tree while I waited for Nick to finish.
We had every intention of going out for dinner but when dinner time came we were both so tired we just couldn't face it. So in the end we opted for ham, cheese and salad and an early night.
Posted by Hayley
Today was the day of our Marine Adventure Cruise. We had to be down at Fiskardo before nine o'clock to board the boat. The boat is called Agia Kyriake (Saint Sunday) and is a wooden former cargo boat that has been converted for its current use. On the cruise we were accompanied by a marine biologist who has a particular interest in octopus. The plan was to have a number of stops during the day with different environments for snorkelling with a break for lunch in the middle. We had three childen on our trip. One of whom, a little boy, was extremely excited about all the sea life and had a stream of endless questions for everyone.
We started off by heading towards Ithaca, Kefalonia's neighbouring island. Ithaca is much smaller than Kefalonia, at around 96 square kilometres. It has a permanent population of around 5,000 people. Some people believe that it is the home of the hero Odysseus in Homer's the Odyssey. He describes his home as:
I dwell in shining Ithaca. There is a mountain there,
high Neriton, covered in forests. Many islands
lie around it, very close to each other,
Doulichion, Same, and wooded Zacynthos--
but low-lying Ithaca is farthest out to sea,
towards the sunset, and the others are apart, towards the dawn and sun.
It is rough, but it raises good men.
However, it has been argued that this description is more representative of one of the other islands in the Ionian group, particularly Kefalonia or Lefkas. Either way it is rather a lovely little island with densely cypress forested hills and lots of little bays. It took us about three quarters of an hour to cross the channel and arrive at our first stop.
We started with a small bay that had a gentle slope off into the ocean as well as some rocky outcrops. This meant that the beginners could take it easy while the more adventurous amongst us could go a bit further and look at the marine life around the edges of the bay. We stayed to listen to the lesson as I wanted to check I was doing all the right things. Turns out Nick is an excellent snorkelling teacher! Once we had established we did indeed know what we were doing we headed further out and once again got to see lots of shoals of fish. Armed with some knowledge gained from a brief talk on board we were able to identify sea bream (saddle-backed) and wrasse. As these are extremely common we would have been struggling to not see them! We saw others that we couldn't identify. It was fantastic to be swimming with so many fish.
I headed back before Nick and so missed out on all the excitement of seeing an octopus evicted from its home so we could have a lesson. We learned that octopus have only one piece of bone in their body, around their eyes, and that this means they can squeeze in and out of tiny gaps. Hiding is therefore thier main form of defense. However, they do build themselves a protective home out of rocks and often all that can be seen is their eyes. They eat crabs, crayfish, and mollusks which they catch from either their rocky homes or after camouflaging themselves by changing colour to match the background. They seize their prey with their eight powerful and flexible arms. The arms have two rows of suckers that help grip any particularly slippery prey. The octopus then stuns its victim with a secretion of nerve poison. To catch lobsters and other dangerous prey, the octopus squirts ink into the water to form a screen. Hiding behind the dark cloud, it creeps up on its victim and grabs it from behind.
Octopus also have a particularly pleasant method of reproducing, involving the males specially adapted arm, the females head and rather alot of spermatophores and eggs (up to 200,000). The male dies shortly after mating, while the female continues on fertilises her own eggs, having stored the male sperm, and looks after the eggs until they hatch. She doesn't leave the eggs during the period between laying and hatching and consequently starves to death soon after her babies are born. This means that all up most octopus live only a few years.
Octopus are very intelligent and have highly developed nervous systems. they learn fast and can problem solve. Apparently they have about the intelligence of a cat but much more flexible limbs! And just in case you were wondering their bodies feel quite soft and silky and the suckers, well the suckers certainly have a good grip!
We had about an hour here before setting off into the channel to a little island that sits between Ithaca and Kefalonia. This island is known as Douhalion, although some people believe it is the Homeric island of Asteris. It is home to a large colony of gulls who sometimes, especially in nesting season, make access to the island difficult. We had no such trouble. We anchored off shore and those who wanted to were free to dive off and have a snorkel. This time I stayed on board but Nick dived in and came back with stories of fish and huge, brightly coloured starfish. The island also has a small chapel. This apparently replaced a larger church which was destroyed during the 1953 earthquake. Stories suggest that the church was originally built by a captain who was caught in a bad storm in which some of his crew were killed. He prayed for a miracle and with the next wave he found the boat high and dry on the island. He built the church as thanks and remembrance for the Saint to whom he had prayed, Saint Nicholas. Services are still held in the chapel each December 6th. This was just another reminder of the enduring importance of the Greek Orthodox Church in daily life. The islands are covered with small shrines, there are many, many churches and Saints festivals dominate the calendar.
We set off again. This time heading for a bay to lunch in. We pulled in and we passengers all headed for shore while lunch was assembled. Well that was the plan anyway. The minute the food appeared so did about a million wasps. It was really quite incredible. Having taken my own lunch I ate it on the shore with a piece of ham surrendered to them and Nick standing guard and waving a flip flop over any additional maurauders. In the end they decided to pull anchor and head around the coast a bit in the hope that the boats movement would disturb some of the wasps. This worked to a degree and we could at least see lunch rather than just clouds of wasps. Lunch looked delicious ham, feta, homemade salads and bread with wine. Everybody had worked up a hearty appetite and made short work of it.
At our previous stop there had at least been time for Jamie, the marine biologist, and the kids to collect a few samples to give us a talk on. With lunch packed up we started the boat again to remove the remaining wasps and then anchored. We learnt about sea urchins (they have five teeth), starfish (they walk with feet) and sea slugs (they squirt water when threatened and there is a certain type of fish that like to use them as a sleeping bag and nibble on their reproductive parts). Following my experience in Japan earlier this year I was able to reassure everyone that sea slug is NOT delicious. We also learnt not to go near fire worms. they are a beautiful fiery red but shoot out poisonous white bristles which are not fatal but are pretty painful. One ended up in our deck tank and got thrown back over board pretty quickly!
Having let lunch digest a bit we headed for the final stop of the day. This was in a cove just around the corner from Fiscardo but it held a secret, a sunken fishing boat. It was scuttled when a storm threatened a few years ago and now is an excellent site for snorkelling as the boat is just below the water but the visibility isn't great so you kind of stumble over it like some kind of hidden pirate treasure. It was great fun. We had to dive off the back of the boat to get to it and I thought I was very adventurous by not even pausing before I jumped. The boat was fascinating as it is rotting away but you can still see the engine block, the mast and the ribs of it. I circumnavigated it a couple of times from close to the surface but Nick is much better at diving down so he had a much closer look. By the time we got back to the boat I was pleased it was the last stop of the day as my legs were feeling the exercise.
We finished back in Fiscardo where we began. It had been a superb day. We had seen lots of fish and other marine life and learnt a lot too. On our way back to the car we called in to the bakery and Nick chose a Strawberry Chocolate Sponge to have as his birthday cake.
When we got back to the apartment Nick opened his cards and presents. He did pretty well, considering we had to carry them to Greece! We then had a well deserved rest. We went to Antipata Erissou, a nearby village, for dinner. Nick had Pizza and I had whole charcoal grilled Sea Bream. I could definitely get used to eating like this! We rounded out the night by watching Back to the Future, one of Nick's birthday gifts. I think he had rather a good birthday this year.
Posted by Hayley
We decided to have a much quieter day today. So had a very slow and relaxing start to the day. Eating breakfast on the terrace, doing puzzles and reading. We didn't really get going until after lunch. Having found some good spots the night before on our walk we went down to Foki Bay and carted our gear around until we found a likely spot for snorkelling. This meant we were further out in the bay and saved us some swimming to get close to the rocks to spot feeding fish.
We both went in with our snorkelling gear and again saw masses of different fish. I flagged before Nick and he continued snorkelling after I headed back to the rocks and my book. While he was out snorkelling he encountered a man octopus hunting. Nick saw him catch one and the ensuing rush of ink. We presume he was going to eat it for dinner but I we didn't like to ask! Later Nick joined me on the rocks for some relaxation.
We went back down into Fiskardo for dinner to Tassia. The restaurant is owned by Tassia Dendrinou, who apparently does a weekly TV cooking show in Athens. We had an absolutely delicious meal. Nick began with bread with tapinade and a feta and sundried tomato spread. We followed this with a seafood platter for two, which included a whole sea bass, squid, octopus and two prawns, all cooked over the charcoal grill with olive oil, lemon juice and oregano. This was served with boiled pumpkin and french fries. We did really well and ate everything except about a quarter of the squid. The octopus was particularly yummy with crunchy tentacles and a soft body. Everything picked up the charcoally taste and we felt like we should emulate a cat that has just had a great meal and sit and clean our whiskers and ears for an hour. Instead Nick rounded off the meal with a slice of Baclavas. He hasn't stopped talking about it so I'm guessing it must have been good.
Before we headed back to the apartment we had a wander around Fiskardo to try and work off some of dinner's calories. I'm not sure we were entirely successful but we did end the day feel very relaxed!
Posted by Hayley
Today we decided to do a circumnavigation of at least the northern part of the island. We got up early to beat the heat and to make sure we didn't arrive at our destinations just in time for afternoon closing. We started by driving down the coastal road that we had travelled on Saturday. This passes through a number of small villages on the way. All of which seem to have a taverna and mini mart!
We took a photo-taking stop at the viewpoint overlooking Myrtos Beach. This is the most famous beach on the island. It is a shingle and small pebble beach, though it looks like glorious white sand from up high and is set against huge limestone cliffs. The water is a fantastic range of colours from deep blue through to a very green turquoise. It really is rather spectacular. It also, on occasions, has a very dangerous under current that pulls swimmers out to sea very quickly. This makes it one of only a couple of unsafe beaches on the island.
We continued down the coast to Argostoli, the capital of the island. It serves as a port for many of the large cruise ships that visit the area. It was one area very badly hit by the 1953 earthquake and it has been completely re-built since that time. There were a number of reasons we decided to visit, we wanted to walk across the Drapano Bridge, we wanted to visit the pedestrianised shopping area and we had heard that loggerhead turtles frequently feed in the bay.
Getting into the centre and finding a park did prove to be a little challenging. There is a distinct lack of road markings and people often double park on what are essentially one lane streets! However, it did give us a chance to look at the fruit and vegetable market that Argostoli is famous for. I have never seen such large watermelons, each one was about the size of a small dining table. There are also a number of butchers and fishmongers along this stretch so it was interesting to peer at their wares.
Having eventually found a park we walked back towards Drapano Bridge. This is a stone-built causeway that crosses Koutavos Lagoon. It creates a lovely sheltered bay on the inland side. The British built the causeway in 1810 and there is an obelisk in the centre, on a separate platform, it has an inscription to the 'glories of the British Empire'. The bridge was open until traffic until last year but has now been pedestrianised due to safety concerns. Nick and I both agreed that we wouldn't have been to keen to go over there in any kind of car, even a little light Fiat Panda!
We had heard that turtles liked to graze on the mussels that grow on the bridge's piles and headed there in the hope of catching a glimpse on one. Unfortunately, it was a very windy day and the water was very rough and there were no turtles to be seen. We did see men out fishing though and they seemed to be having some success. We dutifully walked from one side to the other and back again but felt a little wind blown by the time we were back on the Argostoli side of the bridge.
We then set off to locate the pedestrianised shopping street. By wandering a couple of streets back we stumbled over it. It begins with Platia Vallianou, the central square and continues on into Lithostroto. It is lined with cafes and shops. The shops are an odd mix of kitch touristy, (postcards, knick-knacks and sunwear) high-end touristy (beautiful glasswear and jewellery) and useful (linen shops, pharmacies and banks). I guess it is representative of the various roles the town serves. Nick managed to grab a bite to eat from one of the cafes and I bought band-aids but we weren't tempted by any other purchases.
We headed back to the car and climbed in but we spotted a group of women peering down into the water and looking rather excited. So I dashed out of the car to see what they were looking at. Sure enough it was a loggerhead turtle who was cruising around the back of a fishing boat. Apparently the fishermen feed them scraps. It was beautiful. It was coming up for air and then diving down again before resurfacing further along the pier. Loggerhead turtles are an endangered species, they are highly migratory and their carapace is home to more encrusting organisms such as barnacles than any other marine turtle species. They nest on other parts of Kefalonia but frequent Argostoli solely for the delicacies they find in the waters there. Apparently, on average the loggerhead's carapace is 92 cm long and weighs around 115 kg. This one was probably was about . We were extremely close to it but it didn't seem bothered by our presence and went on about its day as if unwatched.
The turtle sighting having made the whole trip to Argostoli worthwhile we set off again. We decided to head back up the opposite coast calling first at Valsamata. Home to both a Monastery and vineyard. Guess which one we were going to visit! The Cephalonian Robola Producers Cooperative makes a number of wines. The most famous of which is the Robola. On the island there are about 300 hectares of Robola grapes. These are grown in the limestone soils at high altitude (between 250 and 800 meters). The wine itself is a mix of three grape varieties, Robola, white Muscat and Mavrodaphne, sometimes Tsaoussi, Kozaniti and Perachoritiko grapes are also included. The winery seems to have benefitted from EU money and many of its varieties are available in British wine stores. We indulged in the free tasting before buying a bottle of the San Gerismo Robola, a couple of bottles of the table wine we had been drinking at the apartment and a bottle of dessert wine.
We continued on our way, this time on more mountainous and forested roads. Having meandered through a number of small villages, the next "major" town we came to was Sami. Sami is another port town. It has the distinction of being where much of Captain Corelli's Mandolin was filmed. Apparently the existing town was boarded over and a pre-1953 replica of the town built over the front. This was all torn down following filming. There is also a camp ground here but we couldn't imagine camping in the heat it would be like trying to sleep in a greenhouse. We also got a little lost here as I swear we drove in and drove out on the same road but somehow we got turned around and were actually heading in the opposite direction. Fortunately for us it was the direction in which we wanted to be going, but still we have no idea how it happened. I decided it must be a magic road, that or the map was wrong!
Sami marked our return to a coastal road and we followed this until we Agia Evfimia. This is a large yachting harbour and was by far the most polished of the places we visited. It felt very commercial and touristy. Apparently a lot of the super yachts call here when they are cruising the Mediterranean. It is very pretty with traditional terracotta coloured buildings and a lovely looking beach. There were a number of coach parties visiting while we were there. They clearly don't venture much further north as we didn't see any others the entire holiday.
The road from here climbs steeply and goes through the villages of Komitata, Karya and Vary. Komitata being at the peak of the hill overlooking Agia Evfimia. The views from there were fantastic. The town backed by sparkling blue seas and sky. We had to pull over for some photos. From here our route seemed to divert from that indicated on the map and we experienced some of the islands unsurfaced road. Fortunately this was only a quick detour and we were soon back on one of the main routes, although quite a lot further up the island than I had planned! This meant we were soon in Manganos, our nearest village, and then back at the apartments. We felt like we had seen quite a lot of the island while still avoiding the big tourist resorts.
We spent the remainder of the afternoon relaxing, napping, reading and enjoying our veranda. Nick popped into Fiskardo to get supplies for dinner and we had home-made nibbles. The previous day we had seen people walking around a path above Foki Bay and we were keen to have a look at it and see where it went so we decided to head for a post dinner walk. It turned out the path went all the way around the bay and we walked for about 20 minutes and found a number of promising swimming spots. To round the day out we watched a movie on the laptop and headed for bed.
Posted by Hayley
The tour organisers have a welcome session at Fiskardo at 9.45 am on Sunday morning so we started our day at that. This furnished us with a map of the island and an idea of where all the major sites are. It also allowed me to learn that England had lost the football. This didn't come as a major surprise but still it was a little disappointing. We also booked for a day cruise (including lunch) that bills itself as a Marine Adventure. We picked up some more fruit, chatted with the local cats and then headed back to the apartment for some more heavy duty relaxing. I know we have all heard about Greek cats but it really is quite amazing how many of them there are. Some of them are a bit mangy looking but by and large they look reasonably nourished and they seem pretty good natured and it is picturesque to see them sitting around in the Greek village setting. It is also kitten season and we have seen a number of rather adorable kittens of various sizes who seem just like kittens everywhere. They run around madly playing and then conk out for a nap. Speaking of village settings, there are the most amazing coloured flowers and plants here. Pink and purple flowered plants seem to do particularly well and there is one vine (that looks suspiciously like a bouganvilla) that flowers profusely in lots of places all over the island. Its tumbling flowers decorate many of the gardens we drive past. It is so bright it almost doesn't look real.
We enjoyed another lunch sitting on our terrace. Following dinner last night when we discovered a slight wasp problem we had erected a hanging wasp trap. This seemed to work remarkably efficiently and had its first half dozen victims trapped before we sat down to eat.
After lunch we headed back down to Foki Bay and both tried a little snorkelling. It took me a little while and a few mouth and facefuls of salt water but I got the hang of it. We swam out quite a way to investigate the crevices around the side of the bay. It is quite amazing the extra power a pair of flippers gives you! We saw an amazing variety of sea life. There were a number of beautifully coloured fish. My favourite was a silver one who had a big black spot on its tail and a stripe on its head. There were also blue, green and tiger stripped fish. All in all it was a little like swimming in an aquarium. I'm hoping to look some of the fish up when we get home so I have a better idea of what I saw.
We rested under the olive trees before returning to the apartment for a siesta. We wouldn't be making an effort to properly culturally acclimatise if we didn't at least try these out! Nick rounded out the afternoon with a dip in the apartment complex's pool while I sat on a sun lounger reading.
We decided to try one of the tavernas in Fiskardo for dinner and this was a delicious success. Fortunately for me there is a lot of grilled seafood cooked with olive oil and lemon on the menu. Nick had a divine potato salad for starters. It was a really nice creamy potato with a slightly spicy olive oil and lemon dressing. He also ate our complimentary bread and taramasalata. For main course Nick had calamari and I had grilled swordfish. For dessert Nick had a crepe with black cherry and cream cheese. He seemed rather delighted with that particular choice. The bill came with a complimentary liqueur. We sat under an umbrella looking out at the harbour and the bay and watching fish and crabs swim in the water. We really couldn't have asked for more.
Posted by Hayley
Our day started very early. We had a 6.00 am flight out of Gatwick bound for Kefalonia. This meant a 4.00 am check-in, an early morning taxi at 3.00 am and therefore a 2.30 am alarm call. We toyed with not sleeping at all but decided on balance any sleep is good sleep! It is, however, always a little worrying to be at an airport before any of the shops are open. I had heard horror stories about chartered airlines so am pleased to report that the flight was uneventful. I slept most of the way. This was aided by the empty seat in our three person aisle. Nick ate two "cooked" breakfasts. The only downside to the flight was a distinct lack of water. We were offered champagne cocktails and tea or coffee but no water.
We stepped off the plane into very warm, very humid conditions. We could feel the moisture in the air between our fingers. The "modern" airport is quaint. You walk from the plane to the terminal via either an escalator or ramp and then you queue outside to go through customs. Most people (those with EU passports) simply have to wave their passports at the immigration officer but of course New Zealand passports are a little more complicated than that. The computer looked a little like it was out of the ark and it took a long time to get the details entered but it was worth it as we now have another stamp in our passports. Non-EU passports do have some benefits!!
Kefalonia is an island in the Ionian Island chain off from mainland Greece. It is the largest and highest of the Ionian Islands. Its highest point is Mount Enos which is 1,627 meters tall, taller than Mount Snowdon but smaller than Mount Taranaki. It has a population of around 42,000 but this swells in the summer with tourists from mainland Greece, Europe and Britain. The island was devastated by a large earthquake in 1953 so has been largely rebuilt since that time. All the new building has been done in concrete to be "earthquake-proof" but you can still see the ghostly remains of stone houses in many parts of the island where settlements once stood.
Our holiday was booked as a package deal and the package included transfers to our accommodation. The first thing we got when we got on the coach was a complimentary bottle of water! They obviously knew we would be desperate for it after the flight. We are staying in the far north of the island, in a village called Matsukata, near a town called Fiskardo. Mind you my definition of town has had to be broadened somewhat to include it. The airport is in the south west. The coach trip takes around an hour twenty. The views are spectacular looking out in many places across the coast and beaches of the island. The roads are very windy and on the inland sections reminded me of the more treacherous bits of New Zealand's desert road. Neither Nick nor I fancied driving a coach on them especially as in places the roads are rather less than two coach widths wide. We are not sure what happens if two coachs meet each other going opposite directions.
The last 5 minutes to our apartment was done in a minibus as the road that lead from the nearest town to the apartment complex really wouldn't accommodate a coach. We are staying at the Alexanna Apartments in the Kalliope apartment. Each of the apartments is named after one of the nine muses. Kalliope means the fair voiced and she is the chief muse and the muse of epic poetry. She is one of the three muses famed for poetic creativity and is often depicted holding a writing tablet or gold framed book. She was also known for her peacemaking and calming influence and with her talent for music she was often called in to mediate disputes or bring cheer to the Gods.
The apartment is very sweet, quite basic but it has everything you could need for a week just relaxing. We have a gorgeous terrace that looks out over the surrounding forested hills, the bay below and the neighbouring island of Ithaca. Also, and most importantly in the heat, it has air conditioning. No phone, TV or internet so we really can pretend the real world doesn't exist.
We also had a rental car included in the price of our package. Nick thinks my father would thoroughly approve as it is a FIAT Panda. I was just impressed because it is red and some of the other rental cars are hideous colours, avocado green, a peachy colour or just boring white. Given that our nearest beach is around a ten minute drive away (according to the brochure) and having now experienced the heat we were pleased to see it! Helpfully, it too has air conditioning.
We unpacked, had some lunch, a rest and read the welcome book. Nick was able to scramble lunch from the welcome hamper and I, of course had brought some food. We then decided to head into Fiskardo to see the local sights. Fortunately it wasn't terribly hard to find, you just follow the one road in the opposite direction to the way we had come in. Fiskardo is gorgeous. It survived the 1953 earthquake relatively unscathed so has seen less modern re-building than much of the rest of the island. It looks just like you think a Greek fishing port should. The only thing interfering with this are the profusion of chartered yachts that are tied up! Fiskardo takes its name from Robert Guiscard, a Norman soldier who died there in 1085 but it is thought that it is the site of the ancient port of Panormos.
The port is lined with Tavernas that serve a variety of Greek dishes as well as copious seafood dishes and in one case Filet Mignon! There are also three minimarts, a bank, a post office, an ice cream parlour and jewellery, clothes and craft shops. On this trip we had a browse in the shops before heading to one of the minimarts to buy fresh fruit (apricots, plums, bananas and nectarines), tomatoes, parma ham and feta. We also bought a citronella candle to try and ward off the mosquitos that had been described in some detail in the supplied reading materials.
We dropped these off and then headed back towards the beach. Our nearest bay is called Foki Beach, literally translated this means Seal Bay. It is a little pebble cove that is fringed by olive trees. It has lots of nooks and crannies along its edges that provide food for lots of different kinds of fish. We both hopped in for a splash around to cool down. The water is unbelievably clear as well as being a beautiful blue/green colour when viewed from above. In fact, the whole thing looks like a tourism brochure! Nick decided after a while that he would have a go snorkelling. He stayed relatively close into shore but still managed to see quite a number of fish. It was such a refreshing way to end our afternoon.
Back at the apartment we unwound with a book and a glass of wine (Yes, even I was brave and had a small glass. I'm pleased to report no ill effects.). The welcome pack had included a bottle of a local vintage and it was surprisingly good. We had a cold dinner made up from the ingredients we had purchased earlier and then fell in to bed before ten to make up for our very early start.
Posted by Hayley
may
february
january
2005
november
october
september
august
july
june
may
april
march
february
january
2004
december
november
october
september
august
july
june
may
april
march
february
january
2003
december
november
october
september
august
july
june
may
april
march
february
january
2002
december