Greek Tales Episode 6, Part 1. Ithaca, Greece

Gidaki beach

Travelers Tales:

[Dear fellow travellers,

Brace yourselves because this week we are traveling together to the land of Odysseus. The land for which the Greek poet Constantine Cavafy got inspired and wrote his famous poem “Ithaka” [1].

Odysseus according to the Greek Mythology was the King of Ithaca, a very clever man; a true hero. Odysseus after the fall of Troy and the end of the ten-year Trojan War begins his journey back home. It takes him another ten years to reach Ithaca. His adventures are described in Homers Odyssey.

Ithaca belongs to the Eptanisa complex and is located in the Ionian Sea. It is the second smallest of the seven main Ionian Islands after Paxoi. After the catastrophic earthquake of 1953 which ruined entire towns and villages in Ithaca, hundreds of people migrated leaving the island with around 3000 permanent residents. As a result of this catastrophe the island remained sparsely populated and the houses are not allowed to be build higher than two stories. This way the island keeps until today its natural dense vegetation intact. And it’s truly a magical and unique land and seascape. The views from all over the island are unreal. There are places where the mountains actually look like they are also blue and blend with the sea and the sky to form a unique palette of blue shades. And near the land because of the dense greenery the water becomes turquoise. It is an absolute pandesy (from the Greek word pandesia which means feast, πανδαισία in Greek) of pure colours. A true paradise on earth. A small heaven surrounded by sea instead of sky.

I guess it’s very much obvious that Ithaca became one of this little traveler favourite destinations very likely to visit again!

Ithaca doesn’t have an airport but it has a port – Piso Aetos. So I travelled to Ithaca with plane via Athens and Kefallinia. Kefallinia (Sami) is connected with Ithaca and the distance is very small (about 30 minutes with the ferry). I would recommend to rent a car to go around the island since I believe that it is the best way to visit all the places you would like in your own personal schedule. The islands capital is Vathy and I would recommend that you prefer to stay there since in the evenings it’s much more vivid. Vathy is really impressive since it’s built amphitheatrically around a deep bay with a narrow entrance. As you approach from the route from Piso Aetos it appears out of the dense forests blended in the sea resulting in a very picturesque view. Vathy is considered a traditional preservable settlement.

From Vathy you may travel with a boat (around 30 minutes) to Gidaki beach. There are everyday routes going back and forth and you can ask at the harbour for more information. Gidaki is an organized beach so you can spend some time there and enjoy the Ionian blue sea. Other organized beaches you may go to are Sarakiniko and Filiatro, Agios Ioannis (near Lefki) and Polis (near Stavros). It’s also worth to visit the northest part of the island Kioni and Frikes (on the way you will find small bays you can stop and swim).

One of the best places on the island is at the narrow point at the beginning of Niritos mountain where the north and the south part are connected and you can enjoy the Ionian Sea from both sides of the island. I loved watching the sun go down from this spot. I also loved that there is a historic restaurant named “Το Χάνι”. You will not regret visiting since the view is spectacular; the food is fresh, traditional and well-cooked and the prices very logic.

I would also recommend the fish taverns “Mpatis” and “Poseidon” and if you prefer meat the tavern “Zois” at Vathy. Also I loved visiting "Odysseus" traditional coffee shop at Vathy square to have my daily coffee and breakfast.

Finally if you enjoy a little bit of adventure or if you are a nature lover or a mythology lover you should definitely take one of the hiking routes with a local guide. This is a great opportunity to wonder through nature and explore the rare vegetation and animal life or even walk the islands more mythical paths [2].

MK]

[1] http://www.cavafy.com/poems/content.asp?id=74

[2] If you are interested in more information find it on social media as "explore ithaca" (fb, IG, youtube, twitter)