 By Eve Hartridge
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Last year the disastrous Greek economy made consistent headline news, and is still an on-going concern. This month, Traveling Actuary Eve Hartridge reviews the Greek Island of Kefalonia, where the attitude is very much business as usual.
Kefalonia is one of the largest and best known of the Greek Islands. However, I was completely unaware of it’s utter beauty; empty sandy beaches, shallow bays with warm turquoise waters, stunning coast lines, and dramatic mountains. I was also surprised how green in colour the island is, with a large part of Kefalonia now classified as a national park. In my mind’s eye, I could correctly see plenty of olive groves, but not evergreen forests. The best way to explore the Island is by car, but you must hire a boat for at least one day, as some of the beaches can only be accessed this way. The island consists of four peninsulas, however is prone to earthquakes (the last being in the 1970s) and therefore has very few ancient relics or architecture to visit, however some of the natural wonders make up for this especially the native and sadly endangered Loggerhead Turtles.
Kefalonia To Do List
Melissani Cave
The Melissani Cave is actually an underground lake which was formed when the land above collapsed during an earth quake. I have never seen anything like this before in my life, it is an extraordinary natural phenomenon. The water is pure blue, crystal clear and freezing cold with an underground current which flows under Kefalonia. The experience only takes around half an hour where you are taken out into the cave by boat and will be able to take photographs. Make sure you have some change as the men who run the boat trips rely on tips, also take an item of warm clothing, the change in temperature is very noticeable once you reach the underground lake.
Myrtos Beach
Located in the North West of the Island this beach is famous for it’s beautiful shaded blue water from deep navy to bright turquoise and everything in-between. This is caused by the steep shelf about 10 feet from the shore. It looks amazing, but swimmers need to be cautious. The blues of the sea contrast with the white pebbles of the beach and it is simply stunning- no wonder then that Hollywood chose Myrtos beach as a back-drop when filming Captain Cornelli’s Mandolin. Myrtos beach can get extremely hot in the summer months and with the very bright white shoreline high factor sunscreen and flip-flops due to the pebbles are essential.
See the Loggerhead Turtles
These beautiful and huge turtles are sadly endangered and the Island runs a number of conservation programs to encourage the population. Between the months of June to early September the females come ashore to lay their eggs, if you are a patient visitor and an animal lover this is well worth the effort! A great beach to see the turtles is Skala, the local fishermen will also help you spot one as they often follow the boats in with the hope of a free meal.
Mount Alnos
Also known as the black mountain and the third highest in Greece, Mount Alnos is 1632 metres high but surprisingly accessible due to the well worn footpaths used by both tourists and local farmers. The climb will take around three hours and the cooler mountain air can be very welcome in the summer months. 50% of Greek bird species and a number of wild horses seem to favour this mountain top, keen bird watchers may be lucky enough to spot different varieties of falcon or even the rare Griffon Vulture. It is a wonderful spot for nature lovers.
St George’s Castle
Build high on the hillside; this is another great spot to experience a refreshing breeze if visiting Kefalonia in the summer months. The Castle was build by the Venetians and once you enter the cool interior you can’t fail to miss the typically Italian architecture and design. The onsite tea room comes highly recommended; they prepare a variety of simple western favourite’s very well- much as I adore Greek cuisine the delicious prawn sandwich made a welcome change! From the Castle you can also explore the local village, including the monastery and vineyard.
The Towns
Argostoli- the Capital of the Island, great place to shop, eat and explore. A trip to the open air cinema one evening can also be a fun experience.
Fiscardo- A stunning exclusive resort in the north of the Island, once again lots of lovely bars and restaurants on the waterfront and seafood a not unexpected specialty. Apparently Johnny Depp and family favour Fiscardo when visiting the Island.
Where to Stay
How about something completely different for our risk adverse readers? The magazine this month is the green issue and has a focus on environmental issues and the natural world, therefore I shall suggest a very fitting resort, somewhere that I thoroughly recommend and where I stayed myself.
Vassaliki Club is run by husband and wife team Mark and Samantha Taylor and is a naturist resort. The very essence of naturism is to be at one with nature and your surroundings and what better way to do this than on this gorgeous island? An added bonus was that I had considerably less holiday washing and felt safe in that knowledge that for a week at least my carbon footprint was slightly reduced!
There are so many myths that I’m keen to clarify regarding this resort and this experience. The resort was full of couples of all ages and all sizes, I was made to feel very welcome and no-one paid any notice to the fact that clothing was optional, no-one judged me in anyway or made assumptions about my image and what that might have projected. I met a real cross section of people, including a pension’s professional who worked for a client! Sam herself did a stint in the city and has a close friend from university who works as an actuary in Hong Kong! Sometimes it can be such a small world.
The resort is lovely; the pool area is fabulous with hot tub and the bar. The rooms are spacious and comfortable; most have self catering facilities too. Mark is a great cook and prepares meals for guests 6 days out of 7, the team also offer a number of excursions including a traditional geek night at a nearby restaurant and various boat trips and sailing days.
http://www.viglanatura.com/
So, if you want to go green, go nude.
If you want to go Greek, go to Kefalonia. I’m 100% converted.
Footnote- all images courtesy of Vassaliki Naturist Club.
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