After Sivota we sailed to the island of Ithaca, the home of
Homer’s hero Odysseus. It is a small
island in the Ionian between Cephalonia and the mainland and quite delightful. The island is home to only 3,000 residents
and its main town is Vathi, a place to which I took an immediate liking. The large sheltered bay is surrounded by
pretty pastel coloured houses climbing up the olive clad slopes. The harbourside is lined with tavernas, cafes,
artwork and parks where families gather; the adults chatting with each other, a
Freddo in hand, and the children playing on their bikes.
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| Vathi |
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| Little chapel at the entrance to Vathi Bay |
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| Clock and bell towers in Vathi |
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| Sculpture of Odyessus |
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| close-up of Odysessus sculpture |
We spent our first night on board as there was a bit of wind
but then the next day moved onto the town quay.
This was a bit of a luxury for us to just step off the boat onto the town pavements as we tend
to anchor out and come ashore by dinghy.
We hired a car to tour the island. We circled around the northern half of this
hourglass shaped island. We stopped by
the harbours of Kioni and Frikes, checking them out as potential stops with Songster. Up the mountain behind Frikes is the most
delightful hill village of Exogi (Εξογή). Perched above the village is a small
monastery with the stunning views. We
spent about an hour there just enjoying the scenery.
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| Village of Frikes |
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| Hillside church yard |
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| Wild flowers and stunning views |
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| The village of Exogi |
After four days in Ithaca it was time to move on to meet up
with friends in the north of Cephalonia but we plan to return later in the
season to explore more of this beautiful island.
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| Vathi bay in the distance |
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