Author: Sharon

Thirty minutes away from Fiskardo on the northwest coast of Kefalonia is the small village of Assos. It is known for its colorful houses, beaches, and a Venetian fortress that overlooks the city. From above the city we can see the town below.

A couple of restaurants are open but it’s still early season and things are quiet here. We grabbed a gyro at a stand called “The Cheeky Monkey”, checked out the bakery and the local real estate before we made our way back to Fiskardo.

Back in Fiskardo, we followed a hiking trail to the ruins of an early Byzantine Basilica;

From there we followed a narrow thistle-lined path toward the sea;

which led us to a well-preserved Venetian Lighthouse.

This is the time of year when goat herders move the herd to its spring location. The men guiding these guys had a tough time keep in the herd “in line”.

We are relaxed, happy and eating very well. The island of Kefalonia is beautiful!

Poros is a small town and we were surprised by how much we enjoyed our three night stay there, but it was time to move on. Wednesday morning we packed up and drove through the countryside and over the mountains on our way to Fiskardo. The views of the sea, the mountains and the spiky cypress trees were stunning- all things we wouldn’t be able to experience without Larry’s fearless driving skills.

The drive to Fiskardo was about one hour and twenty minutes…nothing is very far away on this small island. We arrived at our apartment around 2:00 and we were met by Mary, who showed us the ins and outs of the apartment.

It’s amazing how small spaces are transformed into very nice apartments. This one isn’t perhaps as cozy as the apartment in Poros and but it’s very nice and not expensive, mainly because it’s off-season. Many shops and restaurants are closed in town, though shop owners are at work refreshing paint to begin opening for the season which typically begins after Easter.  Some describe Fiskardo as “posh”; a place where movie stars and people with yachts hang out. The town is small and compact, and there there are many hiking trails nearby but we’re not sure why it’s more special compared to other small towns on the island with lovely harbors.

Last night we drove to the next small village for dinner because so many restaurants are closed in town now. We have three more nights here and will use Fiskardo as a base to explore the northern part of the island.

As we tend to do, we’ve reworked our itinerary and made changes so that we can spend more time on the island of Kefalonia – it’s a beautiful island!

 

Poros is a small town on the southeast side of Kefalonia. It’s really beautiful here and we’ve had very nice weather…warm in the day with mild sea breezes in the evening. We are staying at Blue Sky Apartments right across from the sea and ferry port. Several times a day the large ferry (yellow and blue ship below) goes from here to Kyllini on the mainland.

The area around Poros is distinguished by thick green Mediterranean vegetation, deep canyons, white pebble beaches and natural springs.

One local business, Remetzo, took advantage of the setting and created a coffee shop in a cave.

And the view of the rocky sea is from the cafe is spectacular.

Yesterday we had another travel kerfuffle…on the way back from the nearby town Skala, we had a flat tire – on a narrow road too far from town to walk for assistance.

The jack was oddly designed and difficult to position. A local man and his wife stopped to help but he gave it his best effort but had no luck and left. To our great fortune, a man and woman from the U.K. on a hike with their two small children walked by, and the husband was a mechanical whiz. It took him just a few minutes to position the jack, remove the tire, replace it with the spare and we were all on our merry way! We were so grateful! The tire has been repaired by a local gas station and the cost was only 5 Euro! We were very lucky. People here have been consistently kind and helpful.

Today we followed a rocky path to a UNESCO site, the Waterfalls of Gradou.

The vegetation along the way was pretty and varied.

It’s about 1.4 kilometers to hike and the path is rocky and steep but worth the effort. When we arrived, there were a few people there swimming in the deep pools of water at the base of the falls.

We’re having a relaxed stay here and the people are so kind. A little known fact about Larry is that he loves kumquats. As just one example of Greek hospitality, we woke up this morning and found a bowl of kumquats on our window sill.  The Mom of our host left these!

 

Today we drove from Argostoli to the town of Poros. The terrain between the two towns is rocky and the roads curvy. Nikos, the host of our apartment in Poros, took pity on us and kindly invited us to attend his extended family’s Easter feast. This was fortunate for us, because nothing much was open in tiny Poros on the holiday.

We  followed Nikos in our car up the windy country road to the home of his uncle and aunt for Easter dinner. We were warmly welcomed by his family and friends and we enjoyed a delicious meal with many Greek dishes.  The centerpiece of the meal was a whole lamb roasted on a spit. The family home is on a hillside above the town of Poros and the view is spectacular.

We arrived in time for the carving of the Easter lamb and the link to the video below shows the number of helpers the process require.

Carving the Easter lamb

 Twenty-one people including the matriarch of the family, Nikos mom; aunts, uncles, cousins and family friends gathered around the table with the blue sky and sea as a backdrop.  The discussion was lively and the Greek music in the background made for a unique experience.

Post-lunch we went for a walk and then settled into our home for the next three nights. One advantage to being here off-season as the price is low for our top-floor apartment with a view of the sea. The apartment is cozy and located in the center of town.

Nikos loves to garden growing roses, lilies and citrus. There is an abundant supply of lemons, kumquats and oranges.

The small apartment complex is spotlessly clean with many nice features.

So we’ve had a very fun and interesting day. We’re grateful to this Greek family or welcoming us so warmly.

Easter is the most important holiday of the year in Greece. Friday evening we watched a dirge-like procession as church leaders and parishioners carried epitaphs (tapestry with images of the death of Christ) around the city. There was a marching band;

and three flowered floats with epitaphs.

At the end of the procession Friday night, crowds gathered in the main square for a religious service.

Saturday at noon, a crowd gathered to watch the Pottery Breaking Ceremony. Painted and decorated clay jugs (“Botides”), filled with water, are thrown from balconies and smashed on the streets below, with visitors and residents gathering to watch. The smashing symbolizes Christ’s resurrection from the dead (or maybe it’s just a fun pagan ritual).

After all of the pots are broken, people collect shards as souvenirs for good luck.

We think that it’s a miracle that someone below wasn’t injured by a falling pot or a sliver of broken pottery.

For lunch we ate creatively-made fish sandwiches from a colorful take-out shop around the corner from our apartment.

The rental car company delivered our car to the hotel Saturday afternoon and we parked it in one of the free parking lots in town.

At midnight, there were fireworks and church bells but after a busy day, we were fast asleep.💤

Today it’s Easter Sunday and we are moving to our next stop about 50 minutes away in Poros.

Nikos, the host at our next apartment in Poros has invited us to Easter dinner with his family. They will be roasting a lamb and we’ll bring wine for the table. We’re looking forward to a real Easter meal! Wishing you a Happy Easter Day!

 

One of the main tourist attractions in Argostoli are loggerhead turtles that appear near the shoreline when the fishing boats arrive between 9 and 10 each morning. So far, we haven’t been fortunate enough to see them but we’ll keep trying! Instead, we were treated to visions of bright spring flowers.

On an early Friday morning, the streets are quiet, but because it’s an Easter Friday holiday, the streets and coffee shops will quickly fill with visitors.

Shop windows display Greek-design fashions, gold jewelry, beach wear, children’s shoes, and more. This is the largest city on the island with a population of around 24,000 people.

Small ferry ships leave hourly for the nearby town of Lixouri. It’s faster to go there by ferry than by car.

Tonight is the Good Friday procession which begins at 9:00 p.m. and will follow a designated route around the city with the Argostoli Municipal Philharmonic Band marching along. More activities are planned for tomorrow and we’ll be there!

Sending our best wishes!

 

We arrived at the airport in Argostoli on the island of Kefalonia a day later than expected but all is well. A taxi driver, Stavros, delivered us to our apartment and we were greeted by our host, George, the owner of the coffee shop downstairs.

Our apartment is cozy and well-located in the center of Argostoli. We have a nice kitchen, washing machine, and a large balcony. We are stocked with coffee, honey, yogurt, and a bottle of local white wine.

We are still learning our way around town but there are several small grocery stores, many coffee shops, three or four bakeries and plenty of restaurants. The busy season will start soon, but for now, the town is rather sleepy. The weather is pleasant with a high today of 72 degrees.

Some restaurants are closed for the Easter holiday weekend but we found Melograno on the main square. We liked their version of a Greek salad with delicious cherry tomatoes, cucumber chunks, large capers, crispy rusks (croutons)  and creamy dollops of feta cheese.

We are looking forward to participating in some of the traditional Easter celebrations and in learning more about the island of Kefalonia.

Our flight from Atlanta to Athens was a smooth one arriving with plenty of time to make our connecting flight to Kefalonia. We boarded our flight and waited…finally the pilot said that due to high winds, it wasn’t safe to fly…we would wait awhile for better conditions before taking off. After 45 minutes, our flight was canceled and we were bussed back to the gate for further instructions.

That’s when chaos ensued…people were understandably upset. One lady left her backpack on the plane, another demanded that the staff speak in English. In spite of the confusion, Aegean Airlines staff members were organized and excellent. They walked our plane-full-of-passengers through the airport to pick up our luggage, led us to a bus that took us to a lovely hotel (Davani  Caravel) in  Athens. We had a nice buffet dinner, breakfast in the hotel, and back on the bus to return to the airport the next day. The cost…all covered by the airline. A very nice outcome to what could have been a complicated situation.

Our flight has been rescheduled for today and we should be able to depart soon.

Just one reason we love visiting Greece is the food – salads and seafood served in tavernas by the sea.  But also, as a travel destination, it has so many treasures, and every time we visit, we find new and interesting places to explore. For this trip, we’re going to the Ionian Islands. The most famous island in this group is Corfu, but because of the logistics of getting there, we will skip it to focus on the island of Kefalonia.

Continue reading “The Glory That Was Greece – Again”