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A Pilgrimage to the Past – Ithaca

Ithaca

We’d pre-booked a hire car on our next island – Ithaca – as public transport was limited, and we collected our car at the ferry port of Pisaetos and we drove for about 30 minutes to Vathy, our home on the island.

Our apartment was possibly the best of our whole trip, spacious, comfortable, and well appointed

and everyday we enjoyed breakfast of Greek yoghurt and fruit outside in our private patio garden.

We used the car to explore (after an initial bit of stress when google maps sent us up a very narrow, steep street to nowhere!)

and our first outing was to Sarakinko beach, which ended up being my favourite on Ithaca (and not because it was an easy 10 minute drive from Vathy with easy parking!)

On our second full day we headed to the north of the island, driving for about an hour to Kioni

It was pretty, but yachty, and, despite finding a nice quite beach, we agreed we made the right decision not to have stayed here

On our return, we stopped for a drink and snack at Frikes – a very pleasant one horse port town that we would return to on our departure from the island

and then headed up to the highest point on the island, and visited the Monestry of Katharon

The views were magnificent

and worth the dangers of the drive, which weren’t just the 180 degree switchbacks, but sharing the road with goats

and Becky forever wanting to stop and get out of the car to get the perfect pic (to be fair, the road itself was wide and well tarmaced, not the worst to drive on.)

Closer to home, we also visited Filiatro beach, another gem

and then it was another early morning departure – a 7am taxi from Vathy to Frikes to catch the ferry back to Kefalonia. As is our style, we left early, which meant we had an hour or so sat on a bench drinking coffee and eating cakes for breakfast, overlooking the calm habour. It was beautiful and peaceful, and a shame to leave the island for Fiskardo on Kefalonia

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A Pilgrimage to the Past – Kefalonia (part 1)

Kefalonia part 1

We arrived from Zante to the southern Kefalonian port of Passada and took a pre-booked taxi to Sami: all part of our re-arranged plans due to the Lefkada Palace not sailing this season. The taxi ride reminded me how mountainous the island is, and how difficult it can be to get around. Any, after a journey of about 50 minutes we arrived at our accommodation for the night. We were at the far north end of Sami bay, probably more in Karavomylos than Sami.

Our room overlooked this wonderfully peaceful beach

and we walked into town – it was further than we thought, and initially we walked on the road, which was brutally hot with the heat radiating up from the tarmac, and not very scenic. We sensibly ignored google maps, headed down to the beach, and continued along the water front – much more pleasant.

although by our return the wind had picked up and the calm sea had become a little choppy

We had a picnic tea on a beach (almost) all to ourselves, and chilled in the evening glow

When we woke in the morning the calm had returned,

had coffee and pastries from a local bakery on our balcony, watching the fledging swallows rest on the wire after their first faltering flights,

before settling on the beach for a few happy, relaxed hours before catching an afternoon ferry to our next island, Ithaca. We did, very sensibly, take a taxi from our room to the port – ten euros well spent!

Our stay had been calming and relaxing, the views stunning, the sea a little cold as it was fed by water from the mountains, but we’d both happily return to the same spot.

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A Pilgrimage to the Past – Zakynthos

Zakynthos

Zakynthos -or Zante – a tale of two halves?

Before we travelled, it was probably already bottom of the pecking order of our favourite islands and our couple of days on the island had to be reduced due to the great “Lekada Palace ferry crisis” – our plans predicated on a ferry that did not get a licence for this summer meant that we only had one full day on the island.

For that day, for old times sake, we took a bus down to Laganas – the islands main resort, and one we had stayed in in 1994. Back then it was becoming “clubby” with bars running late into the night, and proppers trying to entice you in with cheap/free drinks, now that transformation has been complete.

On the main strip there was not a chequered tablecloth to be seen – just a mass of tarmac, concrete and neon signs. The beach itself was a small sandy strip and the sea ever so shallow. Sunbeds dominated the the seafront, I recall enjoying my stay in ’94, but wasn’t wowed by it, now I was glad to have gone back and seen it, but am fairly confident I shan’t be returning. If this was what all of Greece was like, I don’t think I would have fallen in love with the country.

However, I am 57, not 17. If I were the latter I may see the resort in a whole different light.

Zante town itself was pretty enough, and did begin to grow on me.

In the course of our 5 week odyssey, we ate many chicken souvlakis, but possibly none so good as the one on our first evening in Taverna Dimitris.

The town was small, so possibly not enough to keep one’s interest beyond a day or so, but it had a chilled charm

and a nice swimming spot – clear, warm sea, and frequented by the locals, so a good recommendation

We had to leave a day early to catch a ferry from the north of the island to Kefalonia and I’d booked tickets for the evening ferry from Agios Nikolas (the northern one, there are two towns of this name on Zakynthos) as it was the only one available on FerryHopper. But talking to the ticket agent in town, she told us there was a morning ferry as well, and that the bus service from town to Agios Nikolas, to connect with the ferry, had just started running that week. So early in the morning we schlepped (and it was a loooong schlep) from our accommodation, across town and the harbour to the bus stop.

But we discovered that being up and about a 7am had its benefits in the undisturbed beauty of the early morning.

and finally arriving at the bus stop, we dropped our bags and I went in search of a bakery for breakfast, and we shared the best bougatsa of the hoilday.

We caught our bus and, as we journeyed north, we saw different side to Zakynthos, a remote, rugged beauty that may draw me back to explore further in the future.

Arriving at Agios Nikolas I popped to the ticket office – a rusty, beat up old transit van …

to ask if I could use my pre-purchased evening e-ticket on this morning’s sailing and it was agreed that we could.

The ship hooved into view, and we boarded, ready to sail away from Zakynthos

Having had a glimpse of the north of the island, perhaps we will return one day. As an island, it was cheap, the food was good, the south is to be avoided, the town pretty. Still low in my league table of Greek islands, but possibly we’ve not (yet?) seen the best of it.

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A Pilgrimage to the past – day 3

Plans!

Having planned our route and itinerary way back in September and October, it was in May that our plans began to unravel. Our route was based on the availability of ferries from one island to another, and accommodation booked to accommodate the days they sailed. But a part of our planning was scuppered by the Lefkada Palace ferry not being granted a licence to operate, creating our first hurdle, how to get off Zakynthos and over to Ithaca.

Instead of hopping on a ferry in Zante town a=on Saturday morning, sitting on a ferry for a couple of hours and arriving on Ithaca, the only solution I could find was to get an evening ferry from Agios Nikolaos in northern Zante on Friday night, then a taxi across Kefalonia, stay a night in Sami, before catching a 30 minute ferry to Ithaca the next day.

To add to our difficulties, I could find no bus to take from Zante town to the port, so a 60 euro taxi looked liked the only option. But once we’d landed in Zante I made two key discoveries: starting this week, there were two busses a day from Zante town to the port, to coincide with the two, not one, ferries to Kefalonia – there was also a morning sailing from Zante to Kefalonia but Fotolife some reason this does not show on any electronic ticket booking platform.

Anyway, it was up with the sparrows (6am alarm) for a 30 minute schlep – ladden with our heavy packs – across the habour in Zante town (of course, the bus stop was the other end from where we were satying)

But it was beautiful, serene and calm,

before catching the bus to the port. It was only the two of us on the bus, it was air conditioned and we got to see some of north Zakynthos which looked beautiful, and possibly worthy of a return visit in the future

We arrived in the port ten minutes before our ferry, persuaded the crew to let us use our tickets for the night time sailing, and soon we were on our way to Kefalonia

When we first realised our plans needed to change it was a disappointment, but we enjoyed a simple crossing to a new island (for one night only!) and then had a lovely afternoon in Karavomylos on the outskirts of Sami, ending the day with a picnic on the beach outside our apartment.

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A Pilgrimage to the Past – Day 1 and 2

Zakynthos

33 years ago we had our first holiday together, in Corfu, 30 years ago, on 3rd August 1996, we got married, so this year we are on an Ionian Adventure, a pilgrimage to the past, revisiting many of the Ionian holiday spots we visited in the ‘90s, before children came along an clipped our wings.

First stop Zakinthos, where we last visited 32 years ago in 1994, and didn’t we look young then …

Back then, we stayed in Laganas. Yesterday, we landed in Zakinthos (or Zante) and made our way to our accommodation on the edges of Zante town – now with air con, wi-fi and other mod cons that couldn’t even be dreamed of back then. We’d only ever planned a few days in Zante, and that has been cut shorter due to transport woes (the Lefkada Palace ferry, upon which several legs of our journey had been based, has not been granted a licence to operate this summer, so we need to leave the island a day earlier on a different ferry) and so today is our only full day on the island.

We felt we had to go back and see Laganas as it is now – well renown as a party resort for the youth – so we hopped on a bus and 30 minutes later we got off onto a different planet. In ‘94 it was beginning to get a reputation for cheap booze and loud music and as you walked the strip propers would try and entice you into their club, but now the strip was strewn with rubbish, fast food joints and, worryingly, a couple of emergency treatment rooms. Not the natural habit of two fifty-somethings!

Nevertheless, we had a chilled morning in the Greek sun and heat, walking along the beach – a thin strip of sand, with very shallow sea – enjoying breakfast overlooking the sea and later, a delicious fruit salad in a bar/restaurant and chatting with the owner, she opened in 1993 the year before we first came.

Mid afternoon, we caught the bus back to Zante town and had the first swim of the holiday from a spot we’d spied yesterday – very much a locals swimming spot, not a beach, just a ladder into the sea from some rocks alongside the road. The sea was beautifully clear, amazingly warm (perhaps too warm?) and a delight to be in.

In the day and a half we’ve been here, Zante town has grown on me. Not stunningly beautiful, and a little run down in places, but very calm and relaxed, the food has been wonderful, a great place to leave any UK based troubles behind. And in the evening light and refreshing breeze I was more than happy here.

The pics at the top show two very young hap-pea travellers, this is us now, still smiling, still together, and still in love 30 years and more on

And ready for a whole new Greek adventure, with the occasional detour down memory lane along the way.

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La Dolce Vita – day 11

Un altro giorno a Napoli

A chilled final day in Napoli (although we still ended up walking over twenty thousand steps!) began with a metro ride after breakfast from the magnificent Toledo station …

to Mergellina, the seaside suburb of Napoli to its west, on line 6, which is served by the dinkiest underground trains I’ve ever seen – only two carriages long!

As we walked from the station to the sea front we first encountered this colourful graffiti (I must admit, I do like a bit of Italian typography – and that’s a phrase I never imagined myself typing!)

I have since learned that the Vecchi Lions are an “Ultras” group of supporters who follow (of course!) Napoli.

And then we stumbled across a lovely plant shop displaying its wares on the streets – lovely to see my favourites, geraniums and lobelia, in full flower, along with a wall of petunias and other annuals that we won’t be seeing flowering in England for another month or more.

To be fair, the seafront – the beach and the sea – are not the prettiest I’ve ever seen, but it was a pleasant amble, and I did enjoy the Napoli themed beach huts – the football team is the city, and the city is the football team!

We walked back towards the city centre with Vesuvius looking down upon us from a distance. Since landing in Capri a few days ago, it has been a permanent fixture on the skyline wherever we have gone; I don’t think I would ever tire of looking at its magnificence.

And for our “last supper” on this Italian viaggio, it had to be pizza!

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La Dolce Vita – day 10

Ischia

Today we took a 50 minute ferry ride to the island of Ischia.

Napoli looked good, bathed in sunlight as we sailed past.

Ischia itself is a pretty island, positioning itself to be like Capri, but not as expensive. It had a very chilled vibe – an amazing contrast to the hustle, bustle and noise we had left behind in nearby Napoli – and it certainly was more affordable than its more famous, luxurious cousin, but whilst pretty, it didn’t have the same stunning beauty of Capri.

Nevertheless, we had a happy day on the island.

About 3km from the port is a castle on a hill at the end of a causeway, so we ambled our way towards it, stopping to take in the views, do a little window shopping, and drink the inevitable coffees (and, to my delight, I got a high-five from the cafe owner when paying, in recognition of my attempt – which must have been understandable – to talk to him in Italiano)

“Lift kaput” said the lady as we paid our 15 euros (each) to enter the castle, so it was more upward stairs as we climbed to the top to take in the views back over the island.

On leaving the castle, we found a bakery, bought some lunch and found a quiet spot to sit and eat in the sun.

Of course, I couldn’t resist the water and before long I was “enjoying” my first swim of the year, even if the water was molto, molto freddo!

On our return to the mainland, we decided to find the “big” mural of Maradona and the shrine beneath him. It is amazing how one man can be so deified.

However, as someone who still remembers la mano de Dios, I was not worshipping!

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La Dolce Vita – day 9

Napoli

This morning we moved from Sorrento to Napoli, via the circumvesuviana train – think 1980’s London tube rolling stock, a 1 hr 15 minute multi-stop journey to the centre of a Napoli, and a step into a whole new world. Napoli is big, bustling, chaotic and fun. It is the most densely populated city in Europe, it is tourist friendly yet maintains its authenticity. Oh, and it can be breathtakingly beautiful as well as grubby and grimy all at the same time.

Lunch was some street food of Pizza frita (nice) and a “croquette” (very, very nice) and after a drink to wash that down we headed up above the city using the funicular to take us from Piazzetta Montesanto to the Vomero hilltop district, were we took in some stupendous views of the city beneath us and Vesuvius in the distance

before walking our way back down through the Spanish district

After the eye-watering expense of Capri, Naples is much more affordable and we treated ourselves to this delicious punnet of strawberries for 1.50 euros

Images of Maradona abound, he really does have god-like status in this city. Here are some of my favourites

Another figure who appears (almost) as often as Maradona is the masked clown like character Pulcinella, who was created in the 1500’s. Traditionally a servant figure, he is considered the voice of the people and an immortal spirit of Naples. I did like this image of him socking it to Ronald McDonald which, I think, embodies the spirit of the city.

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La Dolce Vita – day 8

Sorrento

Sorrento was not what I thought it would be – I had expected another tourist town, pretty, but a little artificial, with prices to match, but I was pleasantly surprised by Sorrento. It was bigger than I had anticipated and seemed to manage to combine (and absorb) its influx of tourists with locals going about their genuine business, which was not entirely tourist centric.

After a good (and well priced) breakfast of coffee and cakes in a cafe near the train station – populated with locals, always a good sign – we decided to walk down to the Marina Picolo

have an amble around, before taking the elevator back up to the main town. Alas, our plans were scuppered – the elevator was out of action and so were left to once again climb a load of steps and walk uphill, although somehow this did not seem too much of a chore, despite a reasonable ascent. (I suspect every climb will seem small after our mammoth scaling of Ana Capri!)

Back “up top” we wandered the streets, had some lunch and found ourselves back at the sunset spot well before sunset, and just chilled, taking in the view – my eye seems inextricably drawn to Vesuvius whenever it can be seen.

Earlier in the day, Becky had received a recommendation from an Insta friend that we should maybe try the Ristorante ‘o Parrucchiano La Favorita, so we did, and we weren’t disappointed.

Somewhat unassuming from the front, it had the most wonderful lemon grove gardens at the rear. The restaurant itself was pretty, the waiters fun and attentive, and the food good

and after our meal we walked in the fragrant garden, dripping with lemons and planted with colour, best described by Becky as “magical.”

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La Dolce Vita – day seven

Capri, part due.

Up, not quite with the larks, but promptly so that we could make the most of our second, and final, day on Capri. First stop, a baggage drop shop on the harbour front to deposit our two rucksacks (4 euros each for the day) and then straight to the funicular – with no queues – for a short whizz up to Capri.

Capri, as an island, is beautiful, but you pay the price in your pocket. We hunted around in Capri town and eventually found a cafe for breakfast were a coffee was a mere 5 euros!

We then just wandered the narrow streets, marvelling at both the beautiful view but also the super thin electric porter trucks.

We ambled on westwards, out of the town, following a path/road and soaking in scenic view after scenic view, only deciding to sop and retrace our steps when the path took a significant downward turn – after our ascents of yesterday, we had no stomach for any more hill climbs, and if you go down, you must, at some point, come back up.

We found a cafe with palatable prices and a stunning view

Rested and refreshed, we continued back into Capri town, were we stumbled upon the Giardini Augusto

and for 2.50 euros each we were treated to wonderful planting (its early April here, the temperature and flowers make it feel like late May back in the UK)

and some stunning views of the Capri coastline.

On an island where money rules, you think of a price, double it and then double it again, these gardens were an absolute bargain. Not big or expansive, but for a little loose change the views were spectacular – not as good as from the top of the cable car, but in the same league.

We then headed back down to the Marina Grande, sat on the beach and soaked up a mixture of sun and shade (plus the odd paddle) for a couple of hours

before catching the ferry for the 30 minute hop to Sorrento.

I loved Capri – despite the obvious price gouging – it was beautiful and you could step far enough away from the crowds to gain a little serenity too. If you are reading this because you are thinking of going to Capri I would suggest you go, and if you do go, you must, must, must go up the cable car/chair lift at Ana Capri, and I would highly recommend the Giardini Augusto. Other than that, just wander and enjoy.

^^^ Our new “home” in Sorrento for the next two nights.