Cephalonia (Part I)

Firstly, I must apologise for my recent absence. The past month has been one huge blur of airports, motorways and trains. However I am finally back in one place for more than 5 seconds so, without further ado, let me walk you through my September adventures.

Being an English and Classics student, you would expect me to live and breathe Greece. I should have a detailed knowledge of every historical village, authentic Greek restaurant and unknown little cove. Shamefully, until a few weeks ago I had only been to Greece twice, once on a school trip and once when I was about 5 months old. However, this year my parents decided to steal my brother and I away from work and friends and spend a week together on the beautiful Greek island of Cephalonia.
      

The island is situated in the Ionian sea, just across the water from Ithaca, famed kingdom of Homer's Odysseus. There are thousands of debates about whether or not Odysseus and his men inhabited these isles, but when driving along the winding mountainside road you can certainly understand how these myths came to be. The coast is nothing short of stunning. Streams of sunlight beam down through wisps of cloud and reflect off the azure sea like something from a painting. It's easy to see why the ancient Greeks thought Zeus and the Olympian gods called this sky home.

We arrived at our villa, just outside of the buzzing port town of Fiskardo, and were met with the view of all views over the gulf. Tall cyprus trees sprawl over the hills leading down to many little coves with plush yachts swinging lazily about their anchors in the clear waters. Ithaca sits proudly in the distance and the only noises to be heard are the trees rustling and the pool water lapping across its infinity edge. The rain and stress of England could not seem further away.

Fiskardo is a lovely little town. I would highly recommend it for families; its cobbled squares, sleepy markets and traditional Greek restaurants give it that picturesque Mediterranean feel, whilst the bars provide a buzz which is perfect for teenagers and adults alike. Boats of all shapes and sizes cluster along the dock which leads straight onto the main strip, restaurant tables rubbing shoulders with ropes and sails. Having spent most of my teen summer holidays sailing around the Med, I adored this intimacy between land and sea.

There is an abundance of restaurants in Fiskardo to choose from, each with their own style and quirks. As you stroll down the strip, you pass sweet gingham tablecloths, lanterns hanging from ropes, winding flowers and wicker sofas. It all gives the town an eclectic and unique feel, far from the commercial and manufactured vibe of some of the bigger resort towns.

Be sure to try out some of these restaurants. Greek food is seriously delicious and I'm pretty sure I ate my weight in tzatsiki over the course of the week. Most of the restaurants specialise in traditional Greek food so I would recommend ordering a selection of starters to share before your main to make the most of all those yummy flavours. The fried aubergines at Roula's Grill House are simply dreamy, drizzled liberally with olive oil and balsamic glaze, while the fried cheese (that's right) at Vasso's was artery-blockingly good (holiday calories don't count, you know?). Even better, all the restaurants we visited gave us complimentary puddings featuring hard-to-resist treats such as panna cotta, walnut cake and pineapple flan.

 

Food isn't the only thing worth hopping on the plane for. As much as I adore melting into a sun lounger with a good book and copious amounts of olives, I couldn't ignore the itch that only cultural family activities could scratch. With this becoming overwhelming, we all piled into the car and headed over to the Mellisani underground lake, formed 20,000 to 16,000 years ago. The roof of this cavern collapsed 5000 years ago, and thank Zeus it did! The sun beams through the gap, illuminating the crystal clear water beneath to create a beautiful glowing blue. Tour guides (who remain jolly despite the semi-funny jokes they've clearly been repeating all summer) take you through the cave in little row boats, allowing you to see the glowing water and streaming sunlight from all angles. As well as the aesthetic beauty, the place is very historically interesting. The lake is named after the nymph thought to have inhabited it in mythical times. While the nymph part is (probably) false, explorers found evidence of ancient life in the cave, with wall paintings and even a miniature statue of the god Pan discovered in the second cavern. This second cavern also features huge stalactites which are 10,000 years old, only growing 1 cm every 100 years! Considering their size, that's pretty impressive.

After our caving expedition we decided it was too hot to sit in the car for the 45 minutes back to the villa. Fortunately, only a 15 minute drive from the cave is Myrtos beach. We'd heard a lot about the view of this beach, but didn't expect it to be quite so idyllic. A strip of bright white sand tucks into the nook of the cove and in front of it, stretching far out into the ocean, is a colour wheel of blue. White foam blends into azure which blends into turquoise which blends into sky blue which blends into deep navy. I took about a million snaps of this but none of them seemed to capture the magnificence of the sight. Here's a pretty impressive one nonetheless:

According to the guide books, however, this is where the beauty stops. They all seem to be fairly dismissive of the beach itself, claiming that what looks like sand is actually stone and that it is too crowded. We felt that we simply had to take a dip in sea this blue so descended the winding road regardless. Arriving at the bottom, I felt the guide books had been a little unfair. The beach is in fact mostly sandy, with only a few stony strips. The sun beds make it look a little more commercial than the other comparatively minuscule and picturesque beaches on the island, but it is by no means overcrowded or unpleasant, and burying your feet in the hot sand makes a nice change from hobbling over giant rocks.

The guide books also recommend visiting in the morning as the sea becomes 'dangerously rough' in the afternoon. Do I smell a challenge? As weathered sailors (kind of..), my brother and I dismissively waved away this warning and, donning our snorkelling masks, headed out to battle. Taking our positions in the treacherous wave breaking territory, we braced ourselves for the watery onslaught. This may not be everyone's idea of fun, but the irrepressible child in me simply couldn't resist. Yes, the waves are pretty strong, throwing you around with little grace or elegance, but the pain is overridden by the hilarity of seeing your 22 year old brother face deep in the sea bed. Before being swept off your feet and plunged into it yourself, that is.

If you possess a little more maturity then all you have to do is time it right, dive through a big wave and you'll find yourself in the much more peaceful water beyond. Even close up the sea is swimming pool blue, although this is because of the soluble chalk which makes up much of the coast, therefore it is not clear. However this makes little difference when you are floating on your back, being gently rocked by the undulating swells and feeling the heat of the Greek sun on your eyelids.

Anyone fancy an autumn mini break?

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