Some favourite places - starting in the Ionian sea

We have been to so many beautiful places, but a few have stood out as the most interesting, the most beautiful – or just the most characterful. The Ionian islands – with Corfu the biggest and most well know – are the closest to Italy and have a strong Venetian influence which comes out prominently in the architecture and the food. We loved all the islands we visited and it is hard to choose a best.

Corfu Town

Corfu Town

The very small island of Paxi is perhaps the most beautiful scenically. We anchored in the turquoise bay of Lakkas - at the end of our first day of sailing in perfect weather. I was temporarily fooled into thinking it was always going to be like this!

Anchored in Lakkas

Quaint taverna Paxi

Fisherman on Paxi

Lefkas has the most beautiful beaches and coves. We stumbled on this one when we hired a scooter to explore the island. Forgot to pack cossies as it was spring and still quite cool, but regretted it after we climbed down to the beach. As most of the women were topless, we stripped to our undies and had a glorious swim.

Porto Katsiki beach on Lefkas

We were on Lefkas for about a week and found many beautiful bays. We have decided that we always want to return in spring as the countryside was amazing. Seeing how dry it is now, we can't believe how transformed it becomes with a profusion of wild flowers.

Fisherman rowing out to his boat on Lefkas

We anchored in this bay on Lefkas - went for a walk one evening and saw our dinghy floating out into the sea. Ferry wash had come up and pulled it off the beach. Luckily a fisherman was on hand to help - took Henry out to rescue it

The island of Ithaca we think is the most romantic of all the islands we have visited; partially because it is the legendary home of Odysseus (recent archaeological findings are proving that his palace was indeed on Ithaca), but also because it is breathtakingly beautiful on a small scale with unspoilt villages.

View of Vathi from the mountain peak

Sarah joined us here in the capital Vathi on the bus /  ferry from Athens where we were forced to hole up due to heavy winds. No problem though as the small town has so much character  - and we had time to hire a car and explore inland.

Boat trying to moor and wind blowing it straight for us

It missed us but crashed into boats next to us

Sarah's first day - and she remains unfazed by the drama

Fouled anchors were constantly happening - they were trying to unhook their's from our neighbour and in the process uprooted a whole lot of others. We had to re-anchor 4 times in a 20 knot cross wind. Traumatic

Vathi at sunset - wind still blowing but so beautiful

Taverna in Vathi - Sally and table cloths perfectly matching

We loved these posters outside the Ithaca ministry of culture - successive years festivals

The picturesque small village of Kioni on Ithaca

View of Vathi - the lady walking welcomes us with multiple "Yasas,  yassas, yassas, yassas"

We found one of 4 most well preserved Byzantine churches in the whole of Greece in the old capital in the middle of the island. It was built high in the hills to be safe from pirates! The village is almost deserted now – people left after the 1953 earthquakes and only a few old-timers have returned. One greeted us as we arrived in the tiny square and was delighted to find out we were South Africans – “Eloff st!!” he said proudly. He spent 4 years there along with the café owner, Giourgios, but they both missed Ithaca terribly and came home in the early sixties.

"Eloff st" Max posing for his photo

Giorgious with parrot in his cafe

We had been advised to get the key for the church from Giourgios – when we went in he told us to hurry as there was a celebration inside. We ran in (it started raining and we were dripping wet, dressed in shorts and t-shirts) and burst into the midst of a christening. The very elegant family welcomed us, handed us biscuits, gifts and a badge with the name “Melina” to wear. It was a surreal experience – this most beautiful church with its fading but well preserved, exquisite frescoes, us dripping and grinning and the beautifully dressed family saying how honoured they were that we were from so far away and were celebrating the christening with them! Henry is still wearing his Melina badge.

Melina and mom

The frescoes were remarkably well-preserved considering the earthquakes

Fiscardo on Keffalonia is so stereotypically beautiful that it has been turned into a chi-chi, upmarket destination. Still, we were there in early season and our mooring, on a quay directly opposite the narrow road with buzzing cafes and parading locals was wonderful.

Henry watching the passing Fiscardo parade from the boat

Moored in Fiscardo - we looked front to the sea and back to over a small canal to the cafe's

Fiscardo was full of Roman ruins - mostly not signposted and we just stumbled across them 

It was also here at Fiscardo that Michael Sutton had designed a stunning holiday house for clients who happened to be in residence. Michael arranged for us to visit them - and what a place. The position was incredible, looking out onto a sparkling cove with a cave in one end and the house was breathtaking.   Henry said, a masterful design..... Penny and Costas were proud to show us around and then we drank excellent Greek wine, ate meze and watched the sun set. 

View of Penny and Costa's house from road below

Detail of eaves showing recycled very old roof tiles

View of the cave from the sitting room

From the Ionian we moved on the the Gulf of Corinth, the Aegean sea and the Argo-Saronic Gulf. Clearly there have been more favourite places which we will write about soon.