Today, we got to explore the remote island of Ithaka, which is famous for being mentioned in the Odyssey, the epic poem by Homer. The island is located in the Ionian Sea off the northeast coast of Kefalonia. There are no airports on the island, so it’s not a large tourist area.
We took a 40-minute drive along winding roads filled with hairpin turns to a viewpoint near the former Panagia Kathariotissa Monastery, which is now a church. Afterwards, we drove to the small village of Stavros, the main village on the north part of the island. There was a bronze bust of Ulysses and a small reproduction of Odysseus’ palace. The main square was filled with cute coffee shops and a Byzantine church with a blue interior with crystal chandeliers. We sampled a local cheese dessert at the Margarita Café. We then boarded the buses to drive to the port city of Vathy, where we had an hour to shop and wander the streets of the cute village.
Sea Cloud’s pool opened, and we were able to take a relaxing dip in the water before lunch. After lunch, we set sail for Albania and said goodbye to our Greek Guides, Effie and Laura. During the afternoon, our historian, Robyn, gave a talk about the history and culture of Albania followed by teatime. Before dinner, our expedition leader, Paula, gave a talk about the history of Sea Cloud, and we got to look in all the cabins during the open house!
