Summer Holiday to Kefalonia, Greece

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Tuesday 5th October
We arrived a bit earlier than expected to lovely sunny weather and tried to figure out where the hell we were going. We tried but failed to sneak onto the transfer bus, well, there was no way we were going to part with £40 for a 7km ride into town so we started walking but managed to get a lift straight away by an English woman called Andrea who lives on the island after marrying a local boy. After some directions we found our apartment which was pretty basic but clean, got some food supplies in (geez, things are expensive with the Euro!!) and had a nice cold beer in a local bar whilst figuring out what we were going to do with our week.

Wednesday 6th October
Admin day, the necessary evil of all trips like this. We walked into the local city which happens to be the capital of the island, Argostoli to have a look around and figure our car/bike hire. We found a lovely little taverna overlooking the water and the causeway crossing the lagoon where we had a frappe and Dave decided that he simply had to dive off it so off we went. It was quite a lot of fun watching him dive in and then try to climb back out and we played scatch on the causeway getting in the way of all the dog walkers and people on motorbikes zooming across. We found a little bike shop that would rent us a 200cc trail-bike for a good price and were planning on walking back later on during the evening but mother nature had other plans and it was hooning it down with rain so we stayed local and got a car… Damn expensive now though with the Euro. It was 65euro for 3 days and 1.60euro per litre for fuel and at 1:1 it was an expensive day!

Thursday 7th October
With our fab little Fiat Punto we drove across the island and up into the hills to start our walk to the summit of Mount Enos 1629m. It was a beautiful day with lots of sunshine and great views but clouded over within 5 minutes of getting to the summit, if only we could have dragged our asses out of bed a bit earlier! It got pretty cold up there but we were wrapped up well and even though we could no longer see anything we enjoyed our bottle of red wine and salami sandwiches. When we could see down there were amazing views of the bay, it looked so close and so steep that if you fell you would fall straight into the sea. On the way down we saw some crazy mountain goats hiding in the shadows like something out of Lord of the Rings which kept us amused for some time - small minds eh? Afterwards we drove down towards Sami to soak up the last few rays of sun on a little beach and then went exploring and found the famous AntiSamos beach which was used in the filming of Captain Corelli’s Mandolin. In Sami harbour Dave had another diving session in between the yachts and we came across a lovely guy called Ted who owns a fab green yacht called Senta and is offering people the chance to crew his yacht for 5euro a day while he sails the world. yaay! what an awesome chance - watch this space!!

Friday 8th October
We thought that we would take a different route across the mountains today towards Sami and stopped at a Nunnery where we unfortunately got involved in a tragic accident where a lovely little dog got run over by a pick-up truck. It was really upsetting as no one seemed to care at all about the animal and he was such a loving little thing. The weather was still fairly dodgy so we drove up to the lovely little fishing town on Ag. Efimia and had a beer watching the stunning scenery and hills. We slowly drove back down to AntiSamos beach but it was bloody freezing and windy and we ended up being wrapped up in blankets and every piece of clothing we had with us. Eventually the sun came out enough for us to take a quick dip and the water was still so gorgeous and warm - once you got in of course… Back in Sami we stopped by to see Ted again with a bottle of red that was, typically of us, a bit cheap and nasty and then had a nice little meal of Greek salad and red wine on the waterfront listening to the yachts. bliss.

Saturday 9th October
We were hoping for good weather today so we drove up to Asos which was stunning, by far the most beautiful part of the island. We had a coffee (as it was a bit chilly) looking at the bay which was so small you could only fit about 6 yachts in but so so lovely with turquoise and crystal clear waters. Then we walked up the venetian castle located high up on the peninsula. You could still imagine the soldiers in all their crazy uniforms watching out from the tower. hmmm, gladiator…. Down at the famous Myrtos beach we did some well earned sunbathing in between patches of cloud. The beach is amazing, it looks like sand but is in fact made up of brilliant white pebbles and is so long there was plenty of space for everyone. We swam and chilled and another of those freak waves came and took me out, and not only me but the blanket, towels and all my paperwork! damn, why is it always me?

Sunday 10th October
We woke up to a blazing blue sky and with no car today we trotted down to discover the local beaches, and what a treat as we found an empty sandy beach just round the corner. The waves were quite powerful at times and it meant that we got to surf the lilo onto shore which is hilarious if you have never tried. We had a lot of fun messing about and Dave went for a run up and down the beach while I lazed about.

Monday 11th October
We have transport again today, all be it on 2 wheels this time and in perfect time for a day of rain… what is a bit of rain to welshies though?? We fought through and made our first stop the nunnery so we could check out “Monty” the monastery dog and see if he is recovering from the accident. Luckily, apart from a slight limp he was fine which is a complete miracle considering that a big truck ran right over his rib cage. as we were in the area we walked across to the local winery for a look round and a quick taste of the produce which I hate to say, was not that nice and even a bit acidic. Saving the best till last (or just in case of a rainy day…) we went to see Drogkarati caves which are believed to be far older than the dinosaurs and were quite cool. Apparently some famous singer in the 60’s did a big concert in there, quite an atmosphere. There was still so much that we wanted to do but because of the weather we had to settle for less and headed back to Lassi where we took shelter down at an empty taverna on the beach and played cards watching the water. the rain got worse by the hour and by the time we had finished our evening meal in Argostoli it was fully pelting it down, so heavy we couldn’t walk in it and instead spent a good half hour under a café shelter trying to hail a lift. so glamorous…

Tuesday 12th October
I cant believe that the holiday is over! we got up really slowly today and after doing the necessary admin and giving a very grumpy and argumentative Dave his breakfast we packed up and wandered down the hill to the local beach again. It was pretty chilly but nice enough under the shelter again playing cards and drinking beer like 2 old men. Suddenly the sky brightened up and the sun came out so before we had a chance to change our minds we stripped off and ran into the sea screaming like a pair of teenagers. luckily there was no one around to see! One massive wave took us both right out and I ended up beached like a whale high up the sand with suddenly no sea around me to cover my modesty! I thought it might be best to get out and into some clothes fairly early on and thank goodness I did because no sooner had I sorted myself out a whole load of people came down. phew… As we had no money left we walked to the airport trying to hitch a ride along the way and the guy who picked us up was an old boy who seemed more Italian than Greek and said “ah yes, I know Wales. I had lamb from there once. Belissima. Beautiful, tasty meat. aaaahhhh”
Sweet!

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