The Island of Ithaca - Part 2
I said I would try and unfold the events of Odysseus in this short blog.
Odysseus was believed to be King of Ithaca, and was husband of the beautiful Penelope and Father to their son Telemachus, they lived on Ithaca as a happy family for many years, until events took a turn for the worse for him. Some of you will be familiar with Helen of Troy, and following her kidnap, Menelaus asked for his help for her safe return, an event which led to the outbreak of the Trojan War. Odyseuss was loathed to help out at first and faked lunacy to avoid being caught up in the battle, a prophet had foretold that if he joined in the fight, he would have a delayed return back to his throne.
Odyseuss hooked an Ox and a Donkey up to a plough and started sowing his fields with salt in effect to prove his madness. However, Palamedes, brother of Menelaus managed to disprove his illness by one day putting Telemachus, son of Odyseuss in the path of the plough, thinking that his madness would kill the child - however, Odyseuss veered the plough out of the way of his infant son and his little secret was uncovered that he was indeed fit and well.
Odyseuss was seen as a hero of the Trojan War and was best famed for his plan of the 'Trojan Horse' which allowed their soldiers to enter Troy under the cover of darkness and eventually win the war. However, after the battle had ended and he tried to return back home to Ithaca, the journey eventually took him over 10 years, and almost saw his wife marry another. I would recommend looking more into this fascinating story, as I have really only given you the bare bones here.
After satisfying ourselves that we had discovered Stavros, we carried on the road that leads around the island towards the fishing village of Frikes. We had been told of the village of Exoghi which is high above the village of Stavros. If you look up on the left on the road out of Stavros, you can see the church set into the hill.
We took a steep and windy fork in the road on the left hand side and began our ascent up to this tiny village. Although Ithaka was caught up in the devastating earthquake of '53, it was not as badly damaged as Kefalonia, so it looks more traditional and has older buildings that its big sister, Kefalonia. This village was quaint to say the least with beautiful views of some of the other Ionian islands, of which there are 7 in total. Ithaca is only around 45 square miles to give you some perspective and has around only 3000 inhabitants. The numbers on the island are on the decline due to transportation links and lack of tourism to the island.
The day we visited, there was a sailing competition taking place and so our view over the Ionian Sea and its neighbouring islands from Exoghi was scattered with tiny white boat sails which made it look even more perfect.
We spent around 45 minutes here exploring the village, and then left for Frikes, as we wanted to have lunch in Kioni. On the way to Frikes however, we were pulled into another cutsie village with beautiful architecture, but we decided to come back the next day to investigate. It took around 15 minutes to get to Frikes from here, and we pulled up in a space over the far side of the village next to the little fishing harbour.
Frikes has a beautiful setting. Its a small village feel here with a handful of shops and restaurants overlooking its small harbour. You can while away the day here with a Frappe or whatever your tipple is just looking out to sea and watching the colorful crafts bobbing around on the sea, coming and going around their daily routine. We chose to back track and walk back out of the village for around 200m where we saw a path that lead up to an old ruined windmill. The path soon fades away and you are left with a moss and rock underfoot to take you up to the mill. The vista is worth the precarious climb, just wear sensible shoes!
We got back into the car and carried on our scenic journey out of Frikes. The coastal road continues and on the left you have a view of three windmills perched on the cliff top, so have your camera handy.
There are 3 real jewels in Ithaka's crown, although all of its treasures shine brightly, these 3 are my favorite ones. The first is the village of Kioni. I would recommend parking in the big car park on the left as you approach the village, as the roads into Kioni are narrow and parking is difficult.
Its only a short walk after you have parked your car, and you can admire the wonderful architecture and buildings as you stroll into the centre. Although the second busiest location on the island, it has an atmosphere of coolness and this is where the rich and famous hang out in their yachts. I love this place, not for its famous clients, but just the sheer unspoilt beauty of the place really. It is like you have stepped back in time to a land that time forgot. Its relaxed, and beautiful, with a sprinkling of shops, bars, tavernas and houses, its a place that I will come back to time and time again and never get bored here. We stopped for lunch and had an ouzo meze, which involved small traditional greek dishes, washed down with ouzo and ice - and some lemonade to dilute it! The village has lots of hidden secrets and I will tell you some more about these in my next post.
Odysseus was believed to be King of Ithaca, and was husband of the beautiful Penelope and Father to their son Telemachus, they lived on Ithaca as a happy family for many years, until events took a turn for the worse for him. Some of you will be familiar with Helen of Troy, and following her kidnap, Menelaus asked for his help for her safe return, an event which led to the outbreak of the Trojan War. Odyseuss was loathed to help out at first and faked lunacy to avoid being caught up in the battle, a prophet had foretold that if he joined in the fight, he would have a delayed return back to his throne.
Odyseuss hooked an Ox and a Donkey up to a plough and started sowing his fields with salt in effect to prove his madness. However, Palamedes, brother of Menelaus managed to disprove his illness by one day putting Telemachus, son of Odyseuss in the path of the plough, thinking that his madness would kill the child - however, Odyseuss veered the plough out of the way of his infant son and his little secret was uncovered that he was indeed fit and well.
Odyseuss was seen as a hero of the Trojan War and was best famed for his plan of the 'Trojan Horse' which allowed their soldiers to enter Troy under the cover of darkness and eventually win the war. However, after the battle had ended and he tried to return back home to Ithaca, the journey eventually took him over 10 years, and almost saw his wife marry another. I would recommend looking more into this fascinating story, as I have really only given you the bare bones here.
After satisfying ourselves that we had discovered Stavros, we carried on the road that leads around the island towards the fishing village of Frikes. We had been told of the village of Exoghi which is high above the village of Stavros. If you look up on the left on the road out of Stavros, you can see the church set into the hill.
We took a steep and windy fork in the road on the left hand side and began our ascent up to this tiny village. Although Ithaka was caught up in the devastating earthquake of '53, it was not as badly damaged as Kefalonia, so it looks more traditional and has older buildings that its big sister, Kefalonia. This village was quaint to say the least with beautiful views of some of the other Ionian islands, of which there are 7 in total. Ithaca is only around 45 square miles to give you some perspective and has around only 3000 inhabitants. The numbers on the island are on the decline due to transportation links and lack of tourism to the island.
The day we visited, there was a sailing competition taking place and so our view over the Ionian Sea and its neighbouring islands from Exoghi was scattered with tiny white boat sails which made it look even more perfect.
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| A Few Favorite Pictures from Exoghi |
We spent around 45 minutes here exploring the village, and then left for Frikes, as we wanted to have lunch in Kioni. On the way to Frikes however, we were pulled into another cutsie village with beautiful architecture, but we decided to come back the next day to investigate. It took around 15 minutes to get to Frikes from here, and we pulled up in a space over the far side of the village next to the little fishing harbour.
Frikes has a beautiful setting. Its a small village feel here with a handful of shops and restaurants overlooking its small harbour. You can while away the day here with a Frappe or whatever your tipple is just looking out to sea and watching the colorful crafts bobbing around on the sea, coming and going around their daily routine. We chose to back track and walk back out of the village for around 200m where we saw a path that lead up to an old ruined windmill. The path soon fades away and you are left with a moss and rock underfoot to take you up to the mill. The vista is worth the precarious climb, just wear sensible shoes!
 |
| Some views of Frikes - The Toilet is Not in The Typical Style of the Island! |
We got back into the car and carried on our scenic journey out of Frikes. The coastal road continues and on the left you have a view of three windmills perched on the cliff top, so have your camera handy.
There are 3 real jewels in Ithaka's crown, although all of its treasures shine brightly, these 3 are my favorite ones. The first is the village of Kioni. I would recommend parking in the big car park on the left as you approach the village, as the roads into Kioni are narrow and parking is difficult.
Its only a short walk after you have parked your car, and you can admire the wonderful architecture and buildings as you stroll into the centre. Although the second busiest location on the island, it has an atmosphere of coolness and this is where the rich and famous hang out in their yachts. I love this place, not for its famous clients, but just the sheer unspoilt beauty of the place really. It is like you have stepped back in time to a land that time forgot. Its relaxed, and beautiful, with a sprinkling of shops, bars, tavernas and houses, its a place that I will come back to time and time again and never get bored here. We stopped for lunch and had an ouzo meze, which involved small traditional greek dishes, washed down with ouzo and ice - and some lemonade to dilute it! The village has lots of hidden secrets and I will tell you some more about these in my next post.
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