Departing from Sarande we traveled through the Korfu Channel and entered the Greek Ionian Sea, leaving the Adriatic behind us to the north. We passed by the island of Kefalonia to our starboard side in the morning as we rounded the north end of the beautiful yet neglected little island of Ithaka. Entering Vathi Bay on the east side, we anchored and had a relaxed morning of swimming and kayaking. Justin and I jumped in the water off the stern of the ship and swam ashore where we explored the shoreline and found a lot of well rounded seaglass.
In the late morning we moved a short distance to dock at the island's main port town of Vathi, which was our base for exploring the island of Ithaka. Immortalized as the home of Odysseus and the destination of his odyssey, Ithaka today is a tanquil island full of charm and natural beauty. Lacking huge archaeological sites or fancy resort beaches, its appeal is in the small villages and the everyday life that we could see as we drove around the island. Our two Greek guides, Effie and Lora, joined us for the remainder of the voyage, beginning with our island excursion in Vathi. This picturesque port was rebuilt in the modern Venetian style after the devastating earthquake of 1953.
It was clear why Odysseus spent twenty years trying to return to his beautiful island home and family. As we drove around the island, there was a focus on Greek village life and the Greek Orthodox Church. One of our stops was at an Orthodox monastery built in the 1600's. We also make a stop in the small town of Stavros, where we ate gelato and had fredo cappuccinos. We had an awesome seafood buffet dinner on board, starting with a Greek cocktail party complete with grilled octopus and ouzo. After dinner we went ashore and strolled the charming port town of Vathi.
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