Six Days in Kefalonia

Thursday June 21 – Kefalonia Day 1 - Getting Acquainted
There is something pleasurable about waking up, opening your eyes, seeing the azure blue sky, staggering out of bed, putting a bathing suit on, and rolling into the swimming pool. The beginning of a relaxed day. After breakfast….or brunch….we walked the 2 k down the switchback lane to the Koroni Beach. The ocean was safe, warm, and inviting. 

It’s been a long time since I lay on the beach; I think it was last in 2013 at River No. 2 in Sierra Leone. The men left ahead of us, and then Fiona and I made our way slowly up the steep hill back to the house.

We relaxed in the afternoon, went in for a swim, took a shower, and readied ourselves to head out for dinner…..about a third of the way back down the steep hill. The location of the restaurant, "Sesto Koronia Hill Bar," was stunning, nestled into the side of the hill overlooking the ocean. And, the food was as all food in Greece has been, terrific!!!  Greece is truly a romantic and beautiful place!

Friday June 22 – Kefalonia Day 2 – Living in Greece

Today was shopping day in Argostoli! We had a lovely drive along the side of the mountains with steep plunges to the azure ocean on one side and ascents up to mountain sides to the sky on the other. The views just can’t get any better. Argostoli is the main town on Kefalonia, and we had a walk around, through the pedestrian streets and the markets, through the main square which is huge, and past all the cafes with their awnings and coffee tables set out waiting for the onslaught of guests later in the day. We stopped for coffee and managed to consume the best chocolate pie ever!!!  We watched the fishers selling their fish and saw the turtles in the water just waiting for the throwaways!! We went to Lidl’s, the German owned supermarket chain, and then on to another supermarket, the butcher’s, and the patisserie! It was siesta time when we returned. Dusty is cooking, I am doing my blog, and I am not sure where Fiona and Ray are.

Kefalonia offers the best living! Beautiful ocean, stunning views over the sea and the mountains, attractive architecture, fun windy roads, friendly people, great climate!  I love it all!! I know that Fiona and Dusty do too! The Island, one of the largest in the Ionian Sea, manages to maintain a “laid-back” atmosphere even although the “season” is starting to hot up. We have already met one English couple, friends of Dusty and Fiona, who have moved here permanently!

Dusty cooked up a smashing dinner, and we settled in for the evening under the dark sky sparkling with stars and planets and watched over by the International Space Station…according to Sky View!!

Saturday June 23 – Kefalonia Day 3 – At the Beach

Saturday is beach day and we were off to the beach at Lassi, a mid sized sandy beach with a nicely protected bay, and safe swimming with just enough wave to be fun! No jelly fish, no rip tides, and no sharks! The beach was serviced by a restaurant which offered up beach chairs and umbrellas for rent, and free washrooms, and change-rooms. Dusty also pointed out a new addition - a mobile burger stand….or maybe a coffee wagon…not open yet, but waiting for the season to begin in July. He had been told that the stand paid 50,000 EUR/annum for the concession to the local government. It will have to sell an awful lot of something to recoup that amount in 2 months!!

Fiona introduced me to the “mud face mask”. There were some grey rocks that she gingerly navigated to over a pebble beach towards; she broke off two handfuls of the rock, and cautiously walked back to the ocean’s edge. She handed one of the handfuls to me and took the other and dipped it in the sea and then smeared the mud all over her body. I copied her. We stood and chatted and played in the rocks, and then washed the mud off in a rock pool. Our skin felt soft and beautiful!! The minerals from the mud took the years away. This started a trend. As we walked back to join the guys, a young woman came up to us and asked us where to get the mud!! We told her!! Her partner rolled his eyes!!!

We swam, walked, and lay on the beach for about two hours and headed back home for some lunch.

Later in the afternoon, after a shower and freshening up, we set off for the village of Skala. By this time it was around 6:00 p.m. and the restaurants and bars were beginning to liven up. The guys went off to “Loco Bar” to watch the England vs South Africa rugby game on the big screen TV. Fiona and I browsed the shops in town, and ended up at a bar on the water front! The beach in Skala was long and sandy, but a coarse sand, so not nearly as nice as the morning’s beach for lying on.

When the game was over the guys joined us, and we headed off to the “Elios Restaurant” not too far from the house for a delicious dinner including Greek salad, roasted aubergines, onion rings, tzatziki, and pork souvlaki.

Then home to bed.

Sunday June 24 – Kefalonia Day 4 – Day of Rest

Sunday is a day of rest here on the Island of Kefalonia, and so it was for us! That is, as if we haven’t been “resting” already! Two definitions: my mind has been resting: open, receptive, absorbing the beauty of the ocean, the beach, the little villages, the stunning scenery, and most importantly, the company of our friends. The number of parallels in our lives are very interesting. I went to West Africa when I was 4 i.e. 1952; Fiona went to West Africa when she was 1, i.e. 1954; we were both there at a very similar time….and there are many other similarities we have come across too!

And, today we rested our bodies: we lounged in the morning, then Fiona, Ray and I drove along the rocky, narrow, windy road lined with flowering bushes such as bougainvillea and morning glory, through colourful little Greek villages to Katerios. We saw a sign for Panem Tours and thought we might do an Island Tour; sadly, they are only available on Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. No go!! We dodged in and out of the little shops as we strolled down to the beach front; stopped in a café for a coffee; and made our way slowly back to the car and back to the house. This area seemed to be a holiday village for the British, and others, and so the pace was a little more “touristy” than what we have seen so far.

I had time to work on my blog, Dusty made another scrumptious dinner, and then it was once again time to sleep.

Monday June 25 – Kefalonia Day 5 – Walk About

The skies were threatening rain when we woke, but soon the sun peeped through and dark clouds made room for white whispy clouds. I jumped in for a swim. Through the water I heard thunder in the distance, but ignored it. I finished my swim, had a refreshing shower, and ate breakfast.

Ray and I went on an investigative walk around the area Dusty and Fiona live in. The paths are very rocky, quite steep, sheathed in colourful flowers; luxury villas dot the sides of the cliffs; we came across a little family church with a few graves dating from 1978 but the headstones showed the people were born in the 1880s. Half way up the rocky mountain, we came upon a sign that read: “LOOTERS AND TRESPASSERS – BEWARE OF FLYING OBJECTS.” We looked all around us; there was no-one, and nothing. Just stony mountains!! Curious!!!

The fun began in the evening. The dark clouds rolled down the mountain tops, the horizon over the ocean moved in, thunder booms filled the air, and streaks of light shot across the sky. We were headed to the St. George castle, at the top of the mountain, for dinner! It started raining just as we got out of the car to head into the Il Borgo Restaurant. Needless to say, we didn’t see much of the stunning view; the storm made up for it!

The food was delicious, a mixture of Greek food and Greek style English food. By the time we finished, the rain had stopped, the stars tried to peep out, and we had a brilliant view over Argostoli below.

The life style in Greece appears to be as follows: up early (for working people); siesta time 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.; lunch around 3 p.m.; dinner around 10 or 11 p.m.; late to bed – even the kids. So by the time we get dinner over these nights (we usually eat 8:30 to 9:30) it is bed time. Night, night!!

Tuesday June 26 – Kefalonia Day 6

It was a wild night; we pulled up the bedclothes and went back to sleep…or tried to!! And the day continued to be so: winds howling their vengeance rattled the vegetation and slammed into the windows of the villa; streaks of white light bolted across the sky; rain sounding like small stones hitting the rocks pounded through the atmosphere into the house and garden. We thought it was all over, then another round. During a lull we sneaked out to Katerios to buy a few items. Huge ponds of water scattered across the narrow dirt roads like lilies in a pond. By the evening, it had settled down.

Dusty cooked our last meal in Kefalonia, and we spent our last evening ruminating over good times, and looking forward to the next time we are together.