In search of Sea Turtles - Lefkada and Kefalonia / Part 1

In search of Sea Turtles – Lefkada and Kefalonia / Part 1

by MintStories Friday, September 28, 2018

This post is also available in: Bulgarian

It’s been nearly ten days since our adventure in some of the most beautiful Ionian Islands, but that inner happiness, the big smile on my face without reason and the pleasure of something good that has happened – they still don’t leave me. I love Greece and with every new trip there I find more and more what a beautiful turquoise wealth we have so close and accessible to us. My love for this country was born in my school years, when I became acquainted in detail with the ancient Greek culture and mythology at high school. All summer I read interesting books for the next school year such as “Iliad” and “Odyssey”, poems of Ovid, I arranged a list of my favorite female deities like Athens was leading, followed by Demeter and Hestia, even my email and my nickname in Skype was Calypso. The Ancient Greek language was a sweet extra which brought me a lot of sleepless nights but still the Culture classes were really interesting.

This trip with Kalo was very much influenced by the stories of one of our neighbors and a Greek family friend – Timoleon, who has had a house in Kefalonia for many, many years. Kalo was on the island with his family as a little boy, but he barely remembered something except that he had seen a large water turtle. So without much thinking, we went on a journey to Kefalonia in search of sea turtles (I’m kidding, of course, but at least I was hoping to see one).

The story is very long, the emotions, the stories in pictures and video too, I decided to split the post in several parts (probably at least 4) so I will not completely confuse you where it all is. I’m going to start with my pictures from my phone (they’re not underestimated, because I’ve been shooting all the time with the new Samsung Galaxy Note9, there’s no need for unnecessary detailed and functional explanations, you’ll find out just how well your camera does, even Kalo likes to shoot with it).

I share only a small fraction of everything we have experienced. Expect the sequel very soon…

1. I started with a long breakfasts on the balcony of the Allure Boutique Hotel (nice hotel, convenient location, young and smiling staff, one of the few more modern and private parking spaces I found at Booking), the song of parrots on the opposite window, how I read Kalo an article about the Bat Bomb Story (yes, sometimes I re-read the old magazines of Inglobo magazine and I always find something interesting that I had missed before) and just the day that was entirely ours, with no schedule or plan.

2. The days in Lefkada were so fast and lazy that it was irritating at times, the water is just as crystal clear as it seems, only the stones at the Porto Katsiki beach were annoying and torturing more but who haven’t got those special shoes will mumble. We thought to hire a small boat for two and to see the island from another corner, but we left it to Kefalonia, at least that was the recommendation of the kind lady at the hotel reception.

3. The FLY ME bar in Lefkada goes with a bonus – the most unique sunset and view, really nice Freddo Cappuccino and oh my Got what pancakes with Oreo and chocolate they make… Forget the diets when you’re on a holiday! Really! Besides, you can fly from FLY ME with paraglider, the bar is located in the high part of the island and fly away from there, I was seriously inclined to try the paraglider fly but it required prior reservation and we had to go to Kefalonia on the other day. I promised to try it next time.

4. So, after 4 days, we went by a ferry to Kefalonia (you must buy or reserve tickets in advance, because there are only 2 a day and the free spots end in minutes), but before that we spent our last day on Lefkada in Nidri, such a fabulous beautiful place, until we caught up to the fact that we didn’t find it earlier, you can rent a boat for a whole day for about 70 Euros, enjoy the sunshine on the beach or see the Dimosari waterfall nearby, we were walking around and enjoying the view from a very pleasant coffee beachfront location.

5. Kefalonia is so different from Lefkada, as if the time was running in a different way, I imagined it as wild as it is, with lonely goats on every stone that without being disturbed graze all day, bearing the gentle spirit of Italy (especially in mountain villages) and with many deserted beaches that are only reached by water. So the best thing you can do when you’re here is to rent a boat, but not just from where Google and the brochures in the town advise you, try and from Zola – the place where fishermen leave early in the morning. For our friend Greek Blue Lagoon is his paradise on Earth, which made him to buy a house exactly here and come back again and again. We spent 8 hours walking around the turquoise waters and lonely beaches and for a moment I didn’t get tired. Our fuel boat comes out for $90 for the whole day, it’s definitely worth it, there’s a place for 5 people, we stock up with fresh fruit from the island, olives, lots of water, cool gin and timelessness… The journey continues!

6. I will stop by two of my favorite villages in Kefalonia – Fiskardo and Assos, they have brought me back to Italy and Portofino, but I will admit that I even liked them a little more. With no crowds of tourists, so colorful and sunny, with cuddly cats and fishermen who give them fish once in a while, turquoise waters around them and carefree sailing boats, nothing that reminds you of the end of summer.