Tag: Kefalonia

Posted on

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.

Posted on

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.