Ithaka



Ithaka is a small island in between the mainland and the much bigger island of Kefalonia. The latter is actually only 3 kilometers away. Ithaka has an area of approximately 100 but only 5000 people live there. The island was hit hard by the 1953 earthquake. Most of the residents lost everything they got and subsequently fled the island.

Ithaka is rather famous. It is connected to the story of the cunning king Odysseus. The name of the island features prominently in Homers epics. In fact it isn't quite clear if Odysseus was in fact king of Ithaca. There are major discrepancies between the description in the Odyssey and the actual topography of the island. A number of islands these days claim Odysseus as their own.

The island is relatively green. Typically there are cypresses, pine-trees, olives and vineyards. It's quite picturesque. There is little enough tourism on the island to attract nature lovers and individualists. There are a few archaeological sites and museums of interest. Some of the local villages are protected as historical monuments. The beauty of it is that they preserved there typical character. Famous examples are the small fishing village Frikes and the little village of Kioni. Most of the buildings there survived the 1953 earthquake.

The local capital is Vathy. Most of the hotels, restaurants and private rooms are there. If you want to go on a longer walking-tour across the island you can rent some rooms in the villages. It shouldn't be a problem.

There is no airport on Ithaka but there are a number of ferries coming from the Peloponnese. You can get to Ithaka either from Patras or Astrakos. During season there is also a regular connection to Kefalonia and Lefkas.


By the way: The highest building of the world is now (2012) in Dubai.



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