It snowed on Ainos Mt. Kefalonia and the pictures are amazing

January brings snow and low temperatures all over Europe. Kefalonia didn't make an exception. Even though personally I would like to see some snow on the beach, I have to settle only for the mountains. 

Ainos is covered in white sparkly snow and the views are wonderful. Some of the locals adventured themselves in order to enjoy the new sights and take some photos. Here are some of the most beautiful of them. All pictures belong to THEMIS DK. (Instagram)

"Mount Aenos or Ainos (Italian: Monte Nero or Montagna Nera) is the tallest mountain in the Ioanian island of Cephalonia, Greece. Its elevation is1,628 metres (5,341 ft). Most of the mountain range is designated as a National Park area and is covered with Greek fir and black pine. Semi wild ponies inhabit its forest. On clear days, the view includes the NW Peloponnese and Aetolia along with the islands of Zakynthos, Lefkada, and Ithaca.

No ski resorts are found on this mountain range, but there are beautiful caves to be seen in the north. A highway passes over the mountain range connecting traffic from southwestern to the eastern part of the island is one of the few roads going into the mountain range. Approximately 3,000 to 4,000 people live on the slopes of Ainos. 

Multiple television and cell phone relay towers occupy the summit.

The easiest way to get to the summit is to drive along the Mt Ainos road from the North West to the transmitter station. Leave your car here and then continue along the dirt track on foot for about 10 minutes until you reach some steps to the right and a sign post. Go up these steps for another 10 minutes to reach the summit. A concrete post at the summit has a metal container strapped to it, this contains a visitor book.

A more strenuous walk is the well maintained and signposted route from Digaleto, on the road from Sami to Poros. Drive, or walk, along the road heading West, signposted to Ainos/Einos.

The official walk starts at a quarry, about 1 km out of the village. Walk through the quarry and follow the signs containing a white square on a yellow background (some of these signs are a little rusty and appear to be red, or will have fallen down but the pathway is quite obvious). All the major junctions have a map and most have shaded rest areas. Much of the walk is below the tree line and can be cool even in the summer, there are occasional view points along the route. The climb is 1096 meters and the length is 6.5 km." (Wikipedia)

Discover 3 of the most popular places on Kefalonia: Myrtos, Assos and Antisamos. Explore even more, beautiful churches and villages; HERE are some suggestions.

And be sure to download your free 2021 Kefalonia Calendar copy.

Agios Gerasimos, Pessada, Agia Varvara and other hidden gems on Kefalonia

It's been 7 years since I've arrived for the first time on Kefalonia and every summer I enjoy the most exploring the island. In particular I like showing this beautiful place to new people, in this case my new colleagues. It was the end of August when we embarked on another day trip around the island.

Early in the morning we started driving from Kounopetra to Lixouri and around the bay to the capital city, Argostoli. Our first stop was De Bosset Bridge, a stone bridge built in 1813 over the bay of Argostoli. At 689.9 meters, it is the longest stone bridge over the sea in the world.

After a short stop and few pictures we continued towards Saint Varvara church. The small chapel is located outside of Argostoli, in a cave under the main road. The area was originally called Agia Varvara. It is a lovely place worth exploring. Read more about the legend of Varvara HERE.

On an attempt to visit Ainos Mt. we discovered the National Park was closed due to the high rick of fire. The summer of 2020 was unfortunately filled with local fires in different regions of the island, due to the high temperatures and dry crops or, some say, shady locals fighting for land.

After a few minutes spent on the area in front of the Ainos National Park, admiring the surroundings, we've decided to drive to Agio Gerasimos Church. Saint Gerasimos of Kefalonia is the patron saint of the island.

The body of Saint Gerasimos is at the monastery, made available for veneration as it has never decomposed. During the feasts of Saint Gerasimos – August 16th and 20 October (translation of relics) – his body is passed over ill and sick persons for the purpose of healing them. Did you know that a church named after Saint Gerasimos was established in New York City by Kefalonians who emigrated to New York in the early 20th century?

Leaving the church behind we continue our journey to one of my favourite and most idilic beaches, Pessada. The main beach next to the small harbor is quite narrow, sandy and with amazing blue water on a beautiful background, Ainos on the left side, Zakynthos further away to the front. Walk for about 5 minutes to your right side and discovered another hidden gem, a small sandy, picturesque cove. A big sign at the beginning says to leave your shoes there and people always respect that. Lots of tourists and locals come here during the hot summer days for a refreshing swim break. Explore the small water caves on its right side, the views are incredible.

We've stayed here just for a short while as we've decided to spent the afternoon swimming and sunbathing on the famous Makris Gialos beach, in Lassi. Almost every day off end here because we enjoyed spending time around many people, doing water sports and enjoying a few rounds of cold beers in the lovely Costa Costa Beach Bar. This beach is sandy, very long, plenty of sunbeds, umbrellas or place to sit on the sand. Many tourists choose other more quiet places, and we do too, yet when it comes to a vivid place, this is it.

As we watch the sun going down we look back at this beautiful day and appreciate how many extraordinary places Kefalonia has to offer. The diversity of natural beauties, cultural and historical places, tasty food and drinks and friendly locals are just a few of the reasons why I choose summer after summer to come back here. Hopefully 2021 will bring me the opportunity to visit and live there for the summer another time.

If you enjoy discovering the island and its marvels, make sure to check out Poros and the Avithos and Tzanata Lakes. Looking for the perfect day in the sun? Look no further, discover Petani beach, a piece of heaven on Kefalonia.

'till next time, take care.

Beldi

Poros, Avithos and Tzanata lakes - another amazing day on Kefalonia

Our beloved Kefalonia has so much to offer to the wonderer traveler. From beautiful sandy beaches to green mountains, lakes and caves, the island needs more than just a few days of planned holiday in order to be fully discovered and appreciated.

Today I'm going to let you know about couple of beautiful lakes and the wonderful Poros village.

Beginning of September 2020 started with another one day trip to the south east part of Kefalonia. Early in the morning me and my friends started driving towards Ainos Mt.. After a few stops to admire the view of Ainos Mt. and Omala Valley we arrived to the not so well known Avithos Lake.

Avithos stands for "bottomless lake" and many stories gave it an aura of mystery. In fact it is 11m deep and an underground river connects it to the sea many km away. It is surrounded by green, lush vegetation and it is situated close to Poros.

It is a gorgeous lake that is sadly not open to the public. In order to avoid accidents and because the lake provides water to the surrounding area, it is protected so as to deter visitors that might want to explore it or take a swim. That didn't stop us considering that no one was guarding in and going inside is pretty easy but we do not recommend you do the same. Our only purpose was to take some pictures and enjoy the view.

Close by on our next stop we found Tzanata Lakes or rather reservoirs. There is almost no information online about them, except the fact that they provide water for the surrounding areas. Despite that I can tell you that in Tzanata village you can visit the Mycenaean Tomb of Tzanata. 

This tomb housed Mycenaen kings in their afterlife and dates back to 1300 BC. One of the biggest beehive-type tombs reserved for Ancient Greek royalty in the region, it measures almost 7 meters in diameter, and is thought to be the grave of Odysseus himself. 

Also in Tzanata you can visit and enjoy the stately home Kampitsi, built in 1766, considered piece of architecture of the 18th century, the Byzantine church of the Savior in Levantata, dating to the 13th century, the church of St. John the Lampadiaris, celebrated on 24th of June, with bonfires and a great festival, the traditional celebration of meat pie, famous food in Kefalonia, at the end of August. 

On the way to Poros we wanted to turn left and go up to visit Μονή Υπεραγίας Θεοτόκου Άτρου but the road is mainly made for 4X4 cars. Just in case I would like to mention that close to Atros mountain, at the end of this dirt road, you can find the monastery of the Virgin Mary of Atros. It sits at the top of an impressive triangular hill, 500 meters high. It is the oldest monastery of Kefalonia. The view from the monastery is stunning especially during sunrise. Read more HERE.

Leaving Tzanata behind we drive through the gorgeous Gorge of Poros. The ravine of Poros is one of the most beautiful geological phenomena of Kefalonia. It is an 80m deep precipice, with steep slopes. This wild and imposing landscape is connected to a strange legend, that claims that the hollows in the rocks are the footprints of the huge supernatural feet of the hero Hercules.

We arrived in the middle of the day to the quiet village of Poros. We take a short stroll along the harbor and we decide to have lunch in this wonderful restaurant called Remetzo. As most of the reviews on TripAdvisor say, the food here is poor, but there there is some excellent waterside seating hidden to the right of the coffee shop. Go past the tables on the street and up a few concrete steps. 

There is a bar in a cave and lots of seating on decking fitted between the rocks down to the waters edge. There is a beautiful almost heart shaped islet on its left side and you can explore the coast by foot.

Our day continued driving along the beautiful coastal road between Poros and Skala. There are so many amazing places for swimming and great photos. Take Kato Lagadi for example, a hidden bay with imposing caves and crystal clear water.

We stopped to watch the sunset on Makris Gialos/ Costa Costa beach. Are you a sunset lover as I am, then check out these exceptional places for amazing sunsets on Kefalonia.

'till next time, take care.

Beldi