Kefalonia Part I: an Island Lost in Thyme

July 2016

We said goodbye to Lefkada by enjoying a pizza at the harbour as we felt like a change from Greek food. We washed it down with not one, but two types of rose as the waiter assured us we would like the sweet kind but we ended up preferring the dry - to find this out we ordered a carafe of each of course!
 Arriving in Kefalonia I was pleasantly surprised - Although easy to get to, it didn't feel touristy at all. We had discovered by this point that our GPS was against us, always leading us on silly routes or simply having meltdowns. Due to this I ended up dubbing our intrepid explorer of a car (it handled itself admirably on every off-road track we took it on) Ulysses, and our obstinate GPS Circe, as she clearly didn't want us getting where we wanted to go! (And certainly not to Ithaca!)

Arriving in the port town of Sami, we had a quick look around and my eye was caught by this lovely old wagon! We then decided to head up into Kefalonia, and return to Sami later as we would need to go back there to catch our next ferry anyway.

I had heard of a winery high up in the mountains of Kefalonia and so of course we decided to check it out, situated in the Omala valley, the drive was worth it just for the views. As we wound our way up the mountains, the view getting ever better, the air became more and more perfumed until I finally realised the purple flowers that dotted the landscape was wild thyme. I had never seen it growing in such quantities, and the smell was spectacular, as was the surrounding architecture of the island.














The Cooperative of Robola Producers of Kefalonia was a lovely winery made up of local growers who had banded together to be able to have the top of the range equipment needed to produce top quality wine and in larger quantities than they otherwise would have been able to. We were given a free tour of the factory, including an explanation on the processes which was really interesting as they had a production line where every machine did something different, rinsing the bottles with water, then sterilising them, then pouring in the wine, corking the bottles, stamping them, adding the plastic around the corks and then the labels - all of this done by machines with the ability to process two thousand bottles an hour!! After this we were given a tasting as well and left with many more bottles to enjoy on our way. 

Our next stop was to Agios Georgios Kastro, a Venetian castle dating back to the 1500s and once the capital of Kefalonia. It's roots were actually far older, as it had begun as a Byzantine castle in the 11th century, however most of what can be seen today was built by the Venetians when they took it over from the Turks with the help of the Spanish and the Kefalonians. 

Apparently once upon a time a road connected this castle to Argostoli (Kefalonia's current capital) which was entirely invisible from the sea so that it couldn't be spotted by passing pirate ships!

There was very little sign posting and almost no-one around, so we wandered in peace. Although the parts we could see have been nicely preserved and cleaned, apparently very little else has been done in the way of archaeological excavation. 

The site was lovely, however there was no shade and temperatures were in the 40s so after a good wander, we decided it was time to rest.

Feeling extremely hot and sweaty from our explorations we descended into the village sitting just below the castle and happily retired to the shade, ordering cold beers and some delicious looking lunch. 

As the island was so large, we decided to cover the northern part on our way back as we had to pass back through Kefalonia from Ithaca. Due to this we spent most of our time exploring the south, and it was here we found two of the most known beaches on the island. The first, named Xi and known for its reddish sand and temperate waters was a terrible let-down as it had become a typical tourist resort, full of loud music and throngs of people. However our attempt the next day was far more successful, as it was much harder to get to.

Petani Beach was just unbelievably beautiful, probably the most stunning beach I've ever been to, and I long to go back one day. Crystal clear water, fine white pebbles, water dropping away steeply from white cliffs into azure water. Snorkeling would have been amazing here, and a little restaurant right by the beach would have been perfect for lunch. It was absolute paradise but alas, we had a ferry to catch and no time for anything but a quick dip. 

Lefkada: Spiders and earthquakes and beers! Oh my!

July 2016

Saying goodbye to Paxos was terribly hard, even though I felt like we had explored it and seen most of what it had to offer. It was so lovely I wanted to linger, but we had all of Greece awaiting us, and only so much time. We set off on a morning ferry headed for Igoumenitsa on the mainland, from there we would head to Lefaka, an island that was an island no longer. A bridge now spanned the gap between mainland and island (unlike the last time my dad had visited) and meant that it was easily accessible without having to pay expensive car ferry costs. Since we were heading down the coast anyway, we thought, why not?

With only a few glitches on the way, including an overly-intelligent car that wouldn't lock causing us to panic and take it to a car dealership - only to be told that actually it just wouldn't lock if you're standing to close with the keys in your hand (obviously! silly us!) and then our lovely GPS severely lacking in intelligence panicking when the bridge was closed and still trying to get us to go across it (never fear, the Greeks had come up with the ingenious plan of placing a ferry across the gap between mainland and island, so one just drove straight through it from one side to the other! 

Lefkada town did not endear itself to us, full of busyness and fancy yachts, it reminded me somewhat of St. Tropez, and as such was far too cool for me. Instead we headed to the beach (no surprises there). 

After a lovely cooling swim, we headed into the mountains to escape the crowds, destination Karia. A little mountain village, it was famous for its rugs and embroidery, supposedly begun in the 19th century by a one-handed woman who devoted her life to needlework after her appendage-losing-accident and taught the village girls as well, until the village became known for their works. My favourite thing about the village was not the rugs however (though one particularly stunning blue one did catch my eye) but the main square in the centre. Shaded by huge old trees and full of tables with a view over the hills, it was peaceful and shaded, and clearly popular with the locals as they congregated to drink and smoke and gossip. We paused for a nice break (and a refreshing beer of course) and soaked up the atmosphere for a while. I could have stayed longer, but the day was getting on and we decided to head off to explore more.

We decided it was high time to go beach searching again, and following Lonely Planet's suggestion, headed for Egremni, which was apparently one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, high praise indeed! Getting there on such tiny winding roads took a long time however, and after our previous beer stop I became in rather desperate need of a toilet. This being Greece, there was no such thing in sight, however it was also rural enough that a stop in the bushes was easily achieved. It was only as I walked back to the car that I noticed the small forested track I had followed was full of webs and giant spiders! Arrrg! I was extremely courageous and nervously approached one to document the full horror of the beasts. Giant I tell you!

Our beach plan was abruptly halted as (although not signposted in any way) the road suddenly stopped, becoming impossible to drive any further. The sight that met our eyes was a dire one, but we decided to try walking and see if we could follow what was left of the road down to the beach. 

It was clear that a terrible earthquake had struck in this region, decimating the road completely and bringing half the cliff down. It was odd to walk down the massive cracks, seeing the once hardy concrete in battered pieces. It felt rather post-apocalyptic as there was no one else about, and the sun was beating down. Unfortunately the road became worse and worse as we descended, and as we realised we didn't have the right shoes nor enough water to continue such a journey, we turned back, the sight of the water sparkling the clearest blue far below tantalising me. I later read that unfortunately most of the beach was also destroyed, covered by the falling hillside, so I don't know what we would have found had we continued. 

We had booked a little place on the island for the night which had excellent reviews and we weren't disappointed. The host was absolutely lovely, even going so far as to book our ferry over the phone in Greek for us to get us to Kefalonia the next day, as Greek ferry websites were utterly useless. For once it was an afternoon ferry, but as this would give us a little time to explore, we had no problems with that. That night we made a simple pasta dish, enjoying cooking for once, and washed it down with a Rosé, my new drink of choice. The view wasn't bad either!

Although I had enjoyed Lefkada (or Lefkos as we confusingly sometimes saw it written) it felt less like an island than the others we had already been to, and whilst an interesting place, it did not take my breath away or capture my heart as Paxos or Corfu had. I was curious to see what I would make of Kefalonia, as it was so large I wondered if it would feel like an island at all. 

Paxos Part II: Man-eating Goats and Fried Cheese

July 2016

The next day we decided to find a beach (our usual quest) and of course took the most impossible road we could find. There was always that moment where I wondered if the car would actually make it around the next bend as we crawled through gravel, too stubborn to turn back. Luckily we were rewarded with one of my favourite beaches from the whole trip. The tiny bay was secluded as it was gorgeous. 

Goats roamed the hillside as a shepherd wandered after them with his staff, below him an equally impossibly stereotypical Greek man worked on his little fishing boat (featured in the photo above) occasionally shouting up to his friend on the hill above (I couldn't help but wonder if they were brothers, living in some rural house on the mountain side). Aside from the bleating of the goats the bay was entirely peaceful, and we had a very relaxing swim (with so many sea urchins you couldn't not step on them, leaving me rather glad for our horrendously dorky aqua shoes).  

On our way back we saw another road which looked suitably adventurous and turned down it. Unfortunately this one dead-ended on cliffs, affording us a spectacular view of pristine beaches across the other side, inaccessible by foot. Imagine the places you would find with a boat! One day I will come back and explore the Greek islands by yacht. I can't imagine a better (or unfortunately more expensive!) way to do it. 

Returning to Loggos for lunch due to how pretty it was, I couldn't help but notice this statue of Aphrodite, perched on a door leading to ruins along the harbour. Apparently once a soap factory made with the residue of local olive presses, it was extremely picturesque. 

 But enough of history, time for beer! Although sadly nothing could beat our much missed Corfu red, we settled for ice-cold Alpha beer instead. Nothing special, but refreshingly cold. 

 I was delighted to see goats wandering freely across the roads, and took some photos before backing away, mindful that goats eat everything!

We took full advantage of our little private bay, going for a number of swims (and of course the all important morning swim to start the day). We hadn't had the chance to return to Gaios, the town where the ferry had deposited us, so we decided it was high time to check it out. The views heading into the town were breathtaking, and the little harbour town was pretty cute too.

Parking was a nightmare due to its popularity, and we often had to park a great distance away and then walk in. However the weather was fantastic, so I couldn't really complain. It was lovely to wander the waterfront and see all the yatchs parked up, their occupants reclining back with wine or wandering into the town for dinner out - no wonder it was so busy!We also had the most amazing meal in the main square which I usually would have worried about tourist traps, but ended up being a fantastic place! We finished it off with a complimentary shot which ended up feeling like a cinnamon bomb had gone off in my mouth, I quite enjoyed it but to someone who doesn't like cinnamon (dad) I imagine it was rather unpleasant.

Where's Wally!?

On our last morning before the ferry departed, we stopped for a quick lunch by the roadside restaurant with fantastic views of the ocean and delicious Saganaki (fried cheese with lemon juice. So. Good.) I know I probably rave about it a lot, but Greek food is ridiculously delicious. 

You may notice my posts on Paxos don't show much site-seeing or history, but that's because Paxos is a place perfect for good food and beautiful beaches. There isn't all that much else to do there, and I for one am certainly not complaining!

Paxos

 Although not actually an island that featured on our original itinerary we had heard so much about Paxos that it seemed a shame not to go. Having the flexibility to do what we wanted was brilliant and we took full advantage of it, setting off on the morning ferry.
 We were worried that it would be overrun by tourists but found ourselves pleasantly surprised. The ferry was full with mostly elderly Greek locals, who I noticed to my delight were often absentmindedly fiddling with strings of wooden beads - something that my dad said was a common sight all over Greece in the 1970s-80s but that I on my own travels had never seen on mainland Greece before. The islands remained more traditional than the mainland I found, for all the tourism that they received, and it was interesting to travel with someone who had seen Greece in a very different time, and to see the changes that time had wrought.

Our arrival in Paxos started with a positive note as I looked over the side of the boat and saw shape which for a moment I thought might be a rather lost diver, but I realised a second later was a pod of dolphins around the boat! With this wonderful start, we docked on the little island and headed north for the town of Loggos. We made a small stop when a middle aged local lady asked us for a lift into town, and then decided it was about time for lunch (although the sea was tantalising).

I gained a small companion throughout lunch who stared at me beseechingly (this would become a theme throughout restaurants in Greece on our trip). He eventually gave up and went to bother other tourists in hopes of better luck.

Even with the distracting kitten, the food was excellent as always (I was especially taken with these eggplant mozzarella rollups)

The town itself was breathtaking, right on the water and with beautifully coloured houses. My only regret was not spending a night here, as I imagine it must have been wonderful once dark fell. 

As Paxos was so small, (in fact the smallest of the Ionian islands) we discovered that finding accomodation was difficult. Having looked at both Booking.com and Airbnb and having no luck on either, we ended up finding a random website and biting the bullet, booking a place for the two nights we were spending on the island, for fear of finding nothing else. Although always a risk, on this occasion it turned out to be the best decision ever, as we soon discovered we were staying in a ridiculously reasonably priced villa which proved to to be stunning. 

Not only was it huge, not only did it have a balcony and turn out to be an entire house, it also had views of the sea, and even better, private access across the road to a tiny cove which was almost always empty for us to enjoy. 

We took full advantage of the balcony and enjoyed eating out there as the sun set (although we did have to share it with many mosquitos unfortunately). Paxos was shaping up to be one of my favourite places yet!