Ithaka and Kefalonia Islands
Panorama pulled into the small port of Vathi on the island of Ithaka. Ithaka was the home of Odysseus and the island that he returned to after his odyssey. The village was small but it is the main port for this charming island. The rain squalls from the afternoon before had passed and left us with calm waters and a clear sky. It was a great way to start the day.
After breakfast we ventured off of the ship to explore the island for the morning. Our first stop was a local monastery and Greek Orthodox Church perched high on the northeastern side of the island. This afforded us a fine look down on Vathi Bay and the port where we had started. After this we visited the small village of Stavros and had some time to wander the streets and explore on our own. During our drive back, the road took us down the western side of the island and gave us a great view of island of Kefalonia just opposite of Ithaka. The roads at this end of the island are only one lane, therefore they are only one way, which means you drive on the eastern side of the island to go north and then must circle to the western side to return back south. The villages and roads were built long before any modern vehicles were developed so we must work around what width is available rather than the other way around.
Some guests returned directly to the ship while others chose to wander through Vathi and a few went out for lunch at a local taverna. Once everyone was aboard we departed for the island of Kefalonia. The cruising time that we had while en route was lovely. There were great views of the mainland, Ithaka and eventually Kefalonia. The wind was fresh but not too strong so the sailboats were out in force. We arrived at the small village of Fiskardo late in the afternoon and dropped our anchor near the entrance to the harbor. The stern ladder was dropped; ring buoys deployed and we were in the water in no time. The temperature and color of the Ionian Sea could not have been more ideal.
A bit later on our National Geographic expert, Grace Fielder called us into the Lounge for a presentation on maps of the area, and we ended the day with a festive “Greek Party” that, of course, featured grilled octopus and chilled ouzo. This was followed by a fine “Greek buffet.” It was a great end to a fine day. After dinner we departed Greek waters to explore Albania on our way north on the Albanian coast.
