After years as independent travellers we succumbed to a package , but in all honesty I couldn't have chosen a nicer hotel. Arriving Sunday I settled into traditional English holidaymaker mode by watching premiership football on the hotel big screen. My defence is that it was Manchester City v Arsenal, and a 3-0 away win is not to be missed.
After a few hours where I was visited by the resident mosquitos, we had a quiet Sunday night until the storm started, lightning and thunder on a grand scale through the night, meant that a brisk walk into town the next day became let's avoid the deluge. Our plan to travel around the island by bus was grounded when we discovered that the bus service ended in early October. As a result a car was the only option.
A few miles along the cost lay Poros, the ferry port connecting Kefalonia with the mainland.
Poros had the harbour side feel that put me immediately at home, the owner of Kentpikon catered to my vegetarian request and then went the extra mile. We would make three visits to the restaurant during the week and each meal seemed like a feast.
Sami, we were told, had been the setting for Captain Correlli's mandolin, and it was the largest harbour on the island. The town nestled amongst hills ,small fishing boats were tied up and with crystal clear water, fish were clearly visible from the quayside. After strolling around the town, it was off to find the Acropolis of Ancient Sami, except that our pathway was blocked first by goats and then by a herd of cows who showed no desire to move off the warm tarmac.
The study of ancient history stopped by slow moving bovine creatures.
In fact goats were a constant feature of the week, and the sound of bells was never far away. Like many warm weather countries road drainage is rarely even an afterthought , shame because on Wednesday night we certainly could have use some. Torrential rain cassaded down the hillside onto the coast road making it barely passable. The road was turned into something approximating to a ford, and our passage through was not helped by the late sighting of two horses who obviously wanted to watch the mad englishman who was attempting to steer a course through a road littered with debris and water.
Thursday 28th October is a national holiday in Greece to remember to Greeco-Italian War of 1940. When the Greek people repelled an invasion planned by Mussolini. it was the 70th Anniversary, so we made our way to Argostoli , the capital of Kefalonia, to witness the parade.
Marching past local dignitaries came school students, college students, local sporting and voluntary groups plus the crew of a hip in formal naval wear. Local people crowded into the town square to witness the march pass to the sound of two marching bands. Once again I was left to reflect that here the Greek people were passing on their history, heritage and culture, in a way that surprisingly in Britain we do not. When my mother's generation die what will remain of memories of World War 2? Remembrance Day remembers the dead of all wars, but repelling an invasion seems somehow different. With hindsight I'm left a little surprised that VE Day was not made a national holiday in the UK.
The final days in Kefalonis, the sun shone, we visited the peninsula, less developed, and we witnessed the closing down for the end of the season. Tavernas, hotels and businesses were either completely shutting up shop or were retrenching to prepare for the winter period, when the holiday island is left to the natives of the island. I considered how these people tend to earn enough in 7 months to survive 12. I looked at the number of half finished construction sites that seemed to herald an uncertain future.
After several weeks of barely picking up a book I'm pleased to record that I read three during the week away:
Harold Larwood by Duncan Hamilton, quite simply one of the best sports biographies that I have read.
Michael Foot by E.O.Morgan - an interesting portrayal of someone who seem to embody English Labour values during my youth.
The General Election of 2010 - always interesting, as Hennessey say " A British General Election is not over till this book appears"
Music of the Week - Greece in 2010 led me back to Leonard Cohen. Cohen spent a number of years living on the island of Hydraa, it seemed only right to be singing and humming his work.
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