Travelogue: Quest for Ithaka

Thanks to my good blogger friend Jackie of Visions of Kefalonia who also happens to be an extraordinary guide and a true credit to her profession, during my Kefalonian spell, I was voluntarily sweet-talked into visiting the homeland of the epic hero Odysseus (Ulysses), the neighboring island of Ithaka (Ithaca, Ithaki)...
Though only divided by a channel, at the first glance, not much to catch your eye other than the mysterious green mountain tops that embrace the island as well as many of its long forgotten secrets. I embarked the ferry to Ithaca, hoping to retrace some of Odysseus footsteps with the little help of our wonderful guide.




Little did I know, that after the first few minutes of the bus ride I was about to discover that Ithaka was much more than what it is credited for in the world, the home of Odysseus. To make it short and simple: in my humble opinion, this magnificent island is everything Kefalonia should have been, had it not been scarred by tourism and the ignorance of the local authorities. First of all, it has luckily been spared by many great fires that had raged through its sister island. Probably why the first thing that strikes your eyes is : green, and more green.

Along with Kefalonia, Ithaka has been loved by Lord Byron of 19th century while modern poets like Kavafis and Christianopoulos have gifted Greek literature with great poems symbolizing the island with journeys and passion.

Furthermore, they have strongly conserved the architectural authenticity and unspoiled beauty. The little picturesque ports are dotted with yachts yet even during high season, the island remains as peaceful as back in the times of Ulysses. Having no water sources of its own, you'd consider it to be quite a barren island, but quite the contrary, you can't help but be mesmerized by the vast diversity of flora and so many charming villages harmoniously in bloom. There's no long, sandy beaches stuffed with umbrellas and Mitch Buchanon wannabes, just a great number of tiny, beautiful, intact, sparkling coves adorned with lush greenery. Unfortunately, that's as far as I got out of a one-day bus tour around the island. Fortunately though, it has surpassed all of my expectations. A small island, but a great memory!

The main port on the island of Ithaca is a secret place, invisible from the sea. Experienced mariners know which inlet to take to find its principal anchorage, a large bay with a simple name: Vathy, meaning "deep". It is an island particularly loved by sea captains, many of whom come to retire here. There are said to be 400 of them living on Ithaca today, many spending their days on the harbour front, drinking coffee and telling yarns. (Elizabeth Speller)

the crystal clear waters

A story told by the poet Homer created a mystery
that has taken 3,000 years to solve.

'' I T H A C A ''

As you set out for Ithaka hope your road is a long one,

full of adventure, full of discovery. Laistrygonians, Cyclops,

angry Poseidon-don't be afraid of them: you'll never find

things like that on your way as long as you keep your thoughts

raised high, as long as a rare excitement stirs your spirit and your body...

Keep Ithaka always in your mind.
Arriving there is what you're destined for.
But don't hurry the journey at all.
Better if it lasts for years,
so you're old by the time you reach the island,
wealthy with all you've gained on the way,
not expecting Ithaka to make you rich.
Ithaka gave you the marvelous journey.
Without her you wouldn't have set out.
She has nothing left to give you now.

And if you find her poor, Ithaka won't have fooled you. Wise as you will have become, so full of experience, you'll have understood by then what these Ithakas mean.
(C.P.Cavafy / Kavafis, ''Ithaka'')
(one of the most distinguished Greek poets ever)

Now, the quest for Ithaca, in the eyes of many, has not yet been solved. There's recent rumors that the mythical home of Odysseus actually stands on the very island of Kefalonia, and there's actually a couple of destinations that perfectly fit the descriptions set in Homer's Odyssey. Does it really matter? Politics and tourism alone will always choose just the next best and most convenient truth. And mind you, the Greeks being one of the most welcoming hosts in the world will make up the most amazing stories just to feed it to your desperate wandering souls. But what you see with your bare eyes is a mystery that will hopefully never evaporate. The mystery of nature at its best ...

And to finish my short tour,
what better than Lord Byron's famous quote:'' If I am a poet, the air of Greece has made me one. ''

Kefalonia : Back to the Future

Hi all, back and out of the doldrums. Hopefully you've all been overly productive both in your offline & online gardens. I'm about to recompensate my absenteeism but first I've got to share this effusion of sentiments and pixels from my latest Homeric crusade... (raised eyebrows and grumbling welcome as usual !)




Even though I have only just returned, the sentimental lust is forever blooming. I will let you enjoy some idyllic Mediterranean landscapes and many of the easily missed and often unappreciated plants which have illuminated my wanderings and followed me as I left some more footprints on this marvelous island. 'Cos there truly is more to this delusively barren land than just my 'engaging' balderdash...

Old, charming villages dotted with bougainvilleas, rose laurels and century old olive trees ...



Under the Mediterranean Sun

"The half-forgotten island of Kefalonia rises improvidently and inadvisedly from the Ionian Sea; it is an island so immense in antiquity that the very rocks exhale nostalgia and the red earth lies stupified not only by the sun, but by the impossible weight of memory… The dark green of the pines is unfathomably and retreatingly deep, the ocean viewed from the top of a cliff presents azure and turquoise, emerald, viridian and lapis lazuli. Even the seawater is easier to see through than the air of any other place; a man may float in the water watching the distant sea bed, and clearly see the lugubrious rays accompanied by diminutive flatfish."

From 'Captain Corelli's Mandolin' by Louis de Bernières

Regrettably (or not), no longer forgotten, but remains as overwhelming and intoxicating as ever.
As far as tourism goes, Kefalonians should consider naming Mr De Bernieres their other patron saint. For it was his book ' Captain Corelli's mandolin ' and  then there's the year 2002 with the homonymous film which definitely introduced the magic and beauty of the place to a huge audience and widened the horizons of many more nature lovers and adventurers.

The far north colorful village of Fiskardo - always in bloom

An island 35 kilometres by 45 kilometres...
Insane but ingenious islanders...
Vibrant colours even during the scorching summer days...
Breathtaking and dramatic scenery...
Venetian ruins, Mycenian tombs, Nymph Caves, Odysseus and Lord Byron's footsteps...
Dreamy, turquoise Ionian sea...
Cypress trees, Umbrella (Italian stone) pines, Greek Firs, Robola grapevine, olive groves, Ainos mountain with many more endemic species...

Sea Squill ( Urginea maritima )

Many tragedies have befallen this beautiful island, but the following two were disastrous. One natural and one man-made. First, what happens to the little people when megalomaniacs get busy a.k.a. the Second World War. The island was occupied by Italian troops. When Italy capitulated to the Allies in 1943, the Italians handed the island over to the Germans, who massacred over 5000 Italian troops on the island. Then another tragedy struck Kefalonia in August 1953. A cataclysmic earthquake measuring 7.3 on the Richter scale reduced the island to ruins to the point that virtually every building/house was destroyed. Several hundreds died. Thousands migrated. Many abandoned, dreary old villages remain today as a monument to the 1953 disaster. Mostly for these two reasons, Kefalonia is deprived of the rich architectural legacy that many other tourist destinations display so lavishly. Nevertheless, God has been very generous when it comes to natural beauty and overwhelming landscape.

Spikey Reichardia...

Once more the unsettled giant in the bowels of the earth slammed a mighty fist vertically upwards, so that houses leapt from their foundations and solid stone walls rippled like paper in the wind, and suddenly there was a stillness like that of death . The earthquake changed lives so profoundly that to this day it is still the single greatest topic of conversation. Captain Corelli's Mandolin


Beautiful Mediterranean vistas

Kefalonia definitely being a typical example , with vast areas of forest cloaking the rugged limestone landscape and ten peaks exceeding 5,000 feet. Voted 10th in a World Scenic Beauty League, Kefalonia's coast is dotted with hundreds of secluded white limestone coves, caves and steep cliffs. Against the white glow of the coast, many inland areas of the island are blanketed by green plains, Kefalonian fir, olive groves and vineyards.



Mount Ainos, the island's highest mountain(1,628 m), a giant that suddenly emerges from a thick forest of black Greek fir with uniquely upreaching branches that exist only here - Abies cephalonica..

Kefalonians & other living beings

To spoil the fairytale, through the years of my continuous enchantment with this place, I have also been forced to notice some things that people just turn their heads on. Having in mind that some of the Kefalonians truly belong to a breed of demented people, and that coming from a person who has met and won so many beautiful friendships there. You probably guessed, I'm talking animal cruelty.


I can't seem to turn a blind eye on this and usually come to think of myself and friends as magnets for stray animals. There's good and bad just about in every place around the globe, but through the years I have unwillingly created the image about animal abuse on Kefalonia and mind you, I don't even live there, I have never seen hundreds of cats and dogs that get poisoned at the end of the tourist season each year. What I have seen in periods of about  three weeks was enough for my stomach. Dogs abandoned in the middle of nowhere, chained to a massive piece of rock, with no food or WATER at all, with summer temperatures scorching the place at around or above 40C each day, with no rain for months. And nothing or no one nearby, just a few stranded tourists per week. Dehydrated puppies dying scattered along deserted dirt tracks...My dear friend who lived there for 9 years also rescued her dog, that she had found hanged on a piece of linen cord. I will stop there. The general conclusion is that some of the locals are too stiff and hardheaded to neuter their pets but they openhandedly tag their furry friends as vermin. Thanks to many local friends and tourists who have fallen in love with the place and have chosen it as their future home, many of the doomed ones have been saved through their animal welfare program.

Unfortunately, the island of Kefalonia is not alone in this. Neither is Greece. Neither is Europe.
The things is, though, that some countries governments are just as cruel as the people in question when it comes to anyone outside their (pardon my French) fat-ass circle of trust.
You sometimes can't help but wonder, does God hear the cries of those who do not communicate in human language? !

ALL GREEK ANIMAL WELFARE SOCIETIES ARE UNDER ATTACK

The Greek Government is willing to go to extraordinary lengths to avoid both its responsibilities to the animals of Greece, and the international embarrassment that this causes. The government prefers to increase the suffering of innocent animals by attacking national and international animal welfare societies and innocent Greek and foreign animal lovers in a pathetic attempt to cover itself for its appalling record on the treatment of animals in Greece. (Story of Leo...)

Before I spoil my little travelogue, here's a few more to get that frown of your faces...
and nothing does it better than Greek road signs !

I wonder which tools they're using?...

I will forever remain a captive of this wonderful isle, even with having to learn that no place is perfect, doing something about it is soul-rewarding and heart-mending to some extent, but doesn't change the world. And just when you thought that people have really lost their marbles, there's papas Efsevios, as modest and benign as ever, Kefalonia's true saint and one of a few good souls to frame down in your memories.


Having to share your chicken souvlaki with a massive hornet is not the worst thing you may experience. A mild earthquake every now and then (Kefalonia and the neighbouring islands being one of the most seismically active in Europe). Being dragged out to the open water by strong currents and 2m waves, what a thrill. Being cheated and fooled by your rent-a-car rep and getting a lovely car with flat tyres & necrotic gearbox fits in the image as well . Locking-in your keys in that silly car, in the middle of nowhere, makes your day for sure ! LOL Here's a special thanks to a hilarious Italian dude from Rome who helped us wind down Fiat Punto's rear window from the outside and thus saved the day.

Wilson was there too... ;-)
He had lost Tom Hanks somewhere along the way...

I will get back soon with more photos of the island's lovely flora and a few plant conundrums of my illicitly imported newbies, for my dear gardening friends to help solve.

Greek fir (Abies cephalonica)

Abies cephalonica
(photo property of Morris Arboretum, Pennsylvania)

A native of the higher mountains of Greece. Leaves a lustrous bright green above with silvery effect underneath. It grows best in moist but not water-logged soil. A large tree in time 100 feet tall by 25 feet wide. Cylindrical, green-brown cones 4-6 inches long. The Greek fir is a very rare plant, seen only at a few botanic gardens but worthy of further use

Here's a story of a tree that has a special place in my garden.
If you have read my older posts about reviving my nanna's garden, you might recall me mentioning the dreadful state the place was left in after the construction workers stormed through our estate. I didn't really care about material things that much, but losing an old Lebanese Cedar, over 40 years of age, really did make me lose my marbles. The whole area that it used to grace was left ...looking bare and abandoned. So soon enough we went to the local nursery looking for substitutes, preferably two mature Italian Cypress trees that I have seen on my last visit to the place. But as if it was meant to be, something else caught our eyes as soon as we entered the outdoor area. Among high, mature Cypress trees, all sorts of Spruce and Pine trees, there was this special, strikingly beautiful tree (some 9ft high). I recognized the looks of a beautiful fir tree, but a kind that I have never seen before. So tall and yet so dense and compact, with a beautiful dark green color and so rich in new sprout, a shape that wins over your heart instantly. I leaned down under it's dense shade, to check it's price and ID. Abies cephalonica it said. Isn't that an island in Greece? , I asked my mum (she's a Greek addict who spent a lot of her younger days both working and living in Greece, and thus has patriotic issues when it comes to anything Greek). I looked at my mum, her face was already in a frenzy, she flew over to the sales manager and shot out her usual portion of ecstatic questions. The guy said it's quite rare, not a hybrid, and it's the only original mature specimen they have ever had and as he recalled it was ordered quite some time ago by a certain Arboretum. My mum had already put on her discouraged figure, but the guy then said there's an issue with that tree and said he has to ring his boss up and ask if it is for sale. And what do you know, they've had it for some time and as the Arboretum manager delayed paying for it, and finally gave up on the whole thing, it was now for sale. Wiiiicked!!! We had to order a truck delivery and in a few days SHE arrived, the new queen of our garden. It was this very tree that made us visit the island of Kefalonia in first place, and upon discovering just how enchanting and stunning the island was, it came as a logical conclusion that such tree must hale from such a special place.

on the top of MtAinos, summer 2007

ABIES CEPHALONICA
Mount Ainos on the Greek island of Kefalonia could easily be the oldest nature preserve in Greece. Proudly dominating panoramas from almost any spot of the island, the Black Mountain is so high as to have its own ecosystem, and it can even get some snow. Its main importance is its great variety starting from the areas of coastal up to the alpine terrains at 1628 m (5112 feet).
Much of the park is covered by the endemic Greek / Cephalonian fir (Abies cephalonica), that was heavily destroyed for shipbuilding until the 19th century, and the main objective of the park is to protect this very much unique tree. The fir population is darker than other vegetation and expressively darkens the flanks of MtAinos, which is thus often called the Black mountain.

MtAinos 'black' fir forests

Owing to the isolation of the island, the species has remained pure and has not produced hybrids. It can thrive at heights of 800-1600 metres but can also be found at higher or lower altitudes elsewhere in Greece. It develops in the shadow of another tree where it can remain for a hundred years. When it leaves behind this maternal clump of trees, however, it develops very quickly and can live up to 500 years. On rare occasions it can reach a height of 30m. Peculiar to the Kefalonian Fir Tree are its needles, which are 15-22mm long and arranged in spirals. Hard and pointed, they are flat and a dark green colour on top, while underneath they are shaped like the keel of a boat with two parallel white lines running along the length. The tree blossoms in May and June. Just like other types of fir tree, the male blossoms are separate from the female ones, although they coexist on the same tree. The tree bears fruit when about 20-30 years old, and continues up to a hundred years old, with a full crop every 2-4 years. Its seeds have only a 60-70% chance of germinating. It thrives in rich, deep soil, which is loose and moist. It can also develop in rocky, chalky ground. It can survive droughts and high temperatures as well as cold winds. Greek fir is altogether too rare in cultivation and deserves a heightened status within the conifer market. Based upon the location of existing specimens, it is fully hardy throughout USDA zone 6. While most native stands of Abies cephalonica in the Mediterranean region grow on calcareous soils that are basic, it can be found growing well in the Mid-Atlantic region on acidic soil. (from the ''Vegetation of Ainos mountain'')

In addition to being hardy and adaptable, Greek fir has a number of outstanding ornamental attributes. Greek fir has dark green foliage that may have a slight bluish tint. Its needles are thick and lustrous, with rounded or pointed tips. On the bottom side of the needle the characteristic white bands normally seen on fir needles are present. Needles are directed forward slightly, and are usually radially arranged. On cone-bearing branches almost all needles face upward, which is facilitated by a twisted base on the lower needles. The needles are slightly aromatic, though the fragrance is very subtle. Also, it has drooping branches so snow easily slips off.

the Garden Queen

It is supposed to be quite intolerant of pollution; we've had it for four years now but I guess it has adapted quite well and is growing vigorously and carries her title of the Garden Queen with much grace. A dash of Greece, what is more, of Kefalonia itself (my favorite place in the world) beneath my very window. I hope it will stay that way for a long, long time and some day it might bring a touch of magic natural beauty to our future greenthumbs. What more could one wish for ?