After landing in the port town of Sami, we checked into the little hotel we had prebooked. We only had one night there and then we would be taking the fast ferry to Patras on the mainland.The owner of the hotel was a lovely friendly lady who happily printed our ferry tickets for us, which saved us a lot of trouble.
As we had only an afternoon to explore the northern side of Kefalonia, we headed directly for the town of Assos, which we had seen on our travels in Kefalonia before, but not had the time to stop.
Assos was a lovely little sea-front town that spread across the narrow isthmus of the jutting peninsula. Driving down the steep cliffs to get to the town which lay just at the waters edge gave us beautiful views. Although it was a tiny town, it had apparently once been the capital of Kefalonia, due to the large Venetian fortress up on the cliffs above. The impressive structure was built in the sixteenth century to protect the townsfolk from marauding pirates and invading Turks (these seem to be a common theme in Greek history). One of the largest castles in all of Greece, it could once hold all of the townsfolk, boasting two hundred houses and sixty-five public buildings, though most have now fallen into ruin and and been reclaimed by nature. We soon discovered a wide and beautiful causeway which wound all the way up the cliffs to the castle itself, allowing for lovely views on the beautifully shaded walk. Unfortunately when we reached about half-way, we realised not only was the shade ending and we had no water, but we were running out of time.
The view of a little bay and the village itself from our promenade was enough to convince us it was time for a refreshing dip in the clear sea. I noticed on the beach a german couple who had been on our ferry on our way to Ithaca a few days before, small world! Considering they were speaking German and we had never talked, I simply noted them with amusement and moved onto more important things, like swimming.
As we were short on time, we headed off to the fishing village of Fiskardo, which Lonely Planet had raved about in such glowing terms that I felt we really couldn't miss it. Fiskardo proved to be one of my favourite towns in all of Greece, and I cannot say how glad I am that we visited (if only we had more time and could have returned!) We parked a little back from the town as parking was, as usual, limited and atrocious.
We wandered down to the sea-front, to follow the coastline into the village itself. Our first view of Fiskardo was of strikingly gorgeous waters and brightly painted Venetian houses.
To our right were these incredible waters, and then I turned my head to the left and just along the seaside path were roman tombs! It was like a match made in heaven. Water and bones, what more could one want!
Leaving the tombs behind, we headed into the village itself. A lady on the path had a little stall and was making anklets as I watched, her fingers deft and fast. As I had been looking for one all over since my last one from Capri a few years before had finally fallen totally to pieces, I decided this was a good chance! I hadn't wanted one of the mass produced ones touted at the other shops I had seen, but knowing it would be handmade seemed good enough for me. She didn't have the exact colour and beading I wanted, so she offered for me to return after dinner and she would make the two I would like. My own unique anklets made for me! I happily accepted (though I later ripped the bells off them after driving Yannick and Necia just slightly mad).
The village itself was gorgeous, with tonnes of cheery restaurants bustling with people (although not over-crowded) and full of yachts anchored for the night. We passed many beautiful old houses (in dire need of restoration) on our way. Just look at that Juliet balcony!
Very hot, we headed for a drink at an Italian restaurant called 'Cafe Tselenti' just in from the port, and tucked away in a shaded square. It was much too early for dinner still, but we were craving an ice cold drink, and it looked nice and cool. After sitting ourselves down we realised it was actually one of the places recommended in Lonely Planet, and we would soon find out it was with good reason. The waiter was extremely friendly and seemed to speak every language under the sun, happily slipping into French as soon as dad opened his mouth. We ordered beers and relaxed in the shade, embracing the atmosphere of the bustling village. I even had a cat companion asleep next to me! What more could one ask for.
A few beers later, we decided the place was so lovely and we were so comfortable we might as well get dinner there. We hadn't had a different cuisine in a long time, and it looked like a lovely and refreshing change. The restaurant had been owned by the Tselenti family since 1893 without changing hands, so we knew we should be in for some pretty fine cuisine (and we weren't wrong). Our first tip-off that this would be a good night was when the table next to us ordered some kind of starter of meatballs in tomato sauce. The smell coming off the plate was so indescribably delicious that we both looked at each other and said, "we are getting that".
Smelling that tomato sauce and watching them eat it was almost torture! So for the first time ever, I ordered something simply based off what someone else had ordered - I can't actually describe how phenomenal the smell was. Everything about the dish was just as perfect as it had smelled, down to the delicately flavoured rice - something I wouldn't even be very interested in eating usually.
Everything on the menu sounded delicious, so much so that we decided to simply get two mains and halve them between us so we were able to try two! After much indecision we ordered pork with gooseberry sauce and a deconstructed gyros with beautiful chicken and chips dipped in a delicious sauce. Every single element was fantastic (as was the accompanying rose).
It wasn't the food that made the evening for me however, nor the gorgeous town itself or the lit up square, it was the ambience. The music that the restaurant played all night, was simply fantastic. The owner had an entire wall of CDs inside the restaurant and was clearly playing DJ for the night. Beautiful classical music floated outside (where we were sitting) and every so often we could see him standing over his wall of CDs, choosing the next one.
I think what really made it for me however, was when I went to the bathroom and noticed on the wall a very old portrait of man - who looked very similar to the owner! It was so clear that they were related, and I wondered if he was the original ancestor who set up the restaurant.
We would have stayed far longer if we could but we had an hour drive back to Sami, and then our 8am ferry in the morning, so we knew it was time to leave. Fiskardo and cafe Tselenti have a special place in my heart, so much so that it's almost one of those places I don't want to go back to, because - as Aslan would say - things never happen the same way twice.
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