Fri 26 Sep 2025
The ride to Sami was only 30 kms, and Sami is not a big place, so I easily found the one and only campsite. The main reason I was here, on Kefalonia, was to take the ferry to Ithaca, supposedly the home of Odysseus whose trials, I had been contemplating as I faced my own travelling challenges. So the next step, before dinner, was to establish the timetable for tomorrow.
Sat 27 Sep 2025 – The Home of Odysseus
Historically, and by wide modern consensus, the island that currently bears the name Ithaca is considered to have been the home of Odysseus, even though there are no archaeological findings, convincing or otherwise, to corroborate this.
In the Odyssey, Odysseus himself describes his homeland thus:
Looking at the geography of the area have led some to challenge the orthodox view and claim the Kefalonia is a much better candidate; it lies further west than Ithaca, has a higher mountain and, according to the photo below, is much more visible from a distance. A related theory suggests that the western peninsula of Kefalonia used to be an island, and was re-united following some seismic activity; no evidence supports this either.
Like many things in life, it depends on your point of view. Katakolo lies to the south-east of the islands in question; my photo, taken on leaving Kefalonia, heading slightly east of north, shown Ithaca’s mountains to be more visible, though Mt Ainos looms in the background.
Whatever the case, I went to Ithaca and visited the School of Homer, and the juxtaposed Palace of Odysseus.
The school was obviously a site that had been occupied in antiquity, but apart from some very large blocks and some holes in the ground, to which wayward students might have been sent, there was not a lot remaining.
The palace was even less convincing. There were the same large blocks, but the remaining building was, even to my non-expert eyes of much later provenance that the late Bronze Age. I had no inner feeling that this was the spiritual home I had been seeking (not that I really had been, mind).
The views on the island were spectacular; I visited an old monastery, had a swim on a secluded beach; had coffee in the capital, Vathy; and took the ferry back to Kefalonia.
On the way I received a national alert, informing me of bad weather and strong winds forecast for tomorrow. This was followed by the discovery that ferries on the route I had planned to take tomorrow had subsequently been cancelled. I was therefore to spend another day on Kefalonia.
Sun 28 Sep 2025
I had explored another route to escape the Kefalonia, that would have involved a longer ride on the other side. The lady in the ticket office, however could not confirm that the ferry would actually sail, if the weather was bad. She advised that I phone at 0630 to check and that I would have no trouble getting a place.
I awoke at 0630 to the sound of rain hammering on my tent. There was no way I was going to pack up and leave, even if the ferry was running, in pouring rain, so I rolled over and went back to sleep.
At a slightly more civilised 0800, the rain had stopped, so I roused myself and went to town for breakfast. Shortly after I returned the rain started again; and it rained solidly for the next 4 hours. By this time I had established myself in the covered kitchen area, and I say watching the level of water on the road rise about 5 cm; yes 5cm! All the while being slightly concerned about how my tent would cope with this deluge.
Around 1500 the rain stopped, with only a few short light showers to follow. I checked the tent and it had done amazingly well. The main damage had been done because he ground had softened allowing the tent pegs to come out somewhat. The rain had also splashed mud on the walls, but otherwise everything inside was fine and dry.
I dined in the kitchen and braced myself for the trip north tomorrow to get a ferry.
Mon 29 Sep 2025
It rained again during the night, but by morning the sky had cleared. Needless to say it took some time for my stuff to dry out, but, with only a short distance to go, this didn’t stress me much.
The ride to Fiskardo was on more neat mountain roads. On the way I passed by a little cafe called Rosie’s, so I just had to stop for a break. (I have a friend called Rosie, and we have shared many a cup of coffee.) The ferry ride was “rolling”, illustrating why it would be cancelled if the winds got up a bit.
In Vasiliki, I easily found the campsite, its last day before closing for the winter, had a chat with my neighbour from Slovenia, found some dinner and went to bed.
Tue 30 Sep 2025
Again, with no time pressure – Igoumenitsa, the port of departure was only 200 kms away and the ferry left at 2115 – I had a leisurely morning. I felt a bit out of sorts, so it took a while to start enjoying myself again.
Before leaving, after discovering my phone camera hadn’t appreciated being sat on a day or two earlier, I took my last photo of Greece.
Even with taking the scenic route along the coast, and it was scenic, I arrived at the port with several hours to spare. I sat in a café, had a beer, had dinner and boarded the boat.
That was Greece!
Belfast-2-Belfast-By-Bike 