Aubrey
Welsh

The island of Ithaca in the Ionian Sea has so many wonderful charms including a dearth of tourists, winding roads that give such wonderful sea views and the fact the people are welcoming and hospitable. I am so very blessed to have had two consecutive years of bliss on this small island. Efharisto!  

The tiny village of Frikes on Ithaca is a favourite spot for an evening dinner and a stroll. There are also a number of shops and outlets where one can buy the usual souvenirs and trinkets. For us, it was Dodoni's - a famous ice-cream venue. Absolutely delicious. The only challenge is parking but the council is adding new spaces.

In 1953, the islands of Kefalonia and Ithaca were struck by an earthquake measuring 6.8 and killing almost 800 people. After the quake, authorities built temporary shelters - like the one above - for each household and only a few remain today. This one on Elvina and Johnny's Stavros, Ithaca home.

So here are my five travel mates at Mavronas Beach on Ithaca. 'Mavronas' in Greek means 'black mountain' - but we couldn't see it anywhere! But the beach and the swim were lovely - just watch out for black urchins hidden in the rocks. 

I am not a sailor but Ithaca abounds with myriad bays in which boats and yachts of all shapes and sizes find solace and shelter. I suspect this vessel is locally owned and possibly be used for day trips - maybe even for a spot of fishing or something.  

Right adjacent to Mavronas Beach, is this beautiful chapel which I believe is dedicated to the sea and fishermen. Sadly, the building was all locked up so I couldn't confirm or negate my theory. However, the buildings and grounds were beautifully maintained.  

One of the great traditions we have set up is to have a special evening meal at Myrtia - run by a Greek ex-DHS schoolboy, Nick, and his Australian Greek wife, Poppy. Together, they've establish a wonderful business and the food and service is absolutely outstanding. Go there!

And this is Margarita's (early one morning) where our tribe gathered every now and then to use the Internet, catch up on the world and do a series of puzzles and crosswords. We almost had exactly the same table for 2.5 weeks so the staff became quite good friends.

And this pics shows my mates again - and eating, something we did frequently! This time at Calypso in Kioni - look at all the food on the table. I had a Mixed Grill - what wasn't on my plate was - nothing! Five different meats, chips, salad and dips/sauces - amazing. Doggy bag.