Starboard Daydreaming

Argostoli Bay, Kefalonia
Argostoli Bay

The short ride by ferry from Argostoli to Lixouri is usually uneventful; almost like taking a shuttle bus to get from one part of town to the other.

Most passengers who make the crossing with a car onboard don't even bother to get out of their vehicles—an indifference justified by the frequency of crossing and familiarity of the view.
Argostoli Bay Kefalonia
Argostoli Bay, Kefalonia
But I always see it as a small adventure and make sure I'm equipped with camera, long zoom lens, etc. You never know, after all, when you may just catch a seagull doing unusual acrobatics, a sea turtle following the boat, or an interesting scene unfolding at the Lighthouse (here's where the long zoom lens comes in!)

There are, however, times that a pocket camera is all that is needed. Just to get a couple of quick snaps for recording purposes.

The remaining twenty or so minutes are best spent leaning over the railing and star gazing. Even in broad daylight!
 
Lixouri, Kefalonia
Breakwaters at Lixouri Harbor, Kefalonia

Foot Massage a la Carte

It's  time to trade the practical but boring under-desk foot stool for a more refreshing one.

pebble beach Skala Kefalonia
The ultimate foot-massaging Kefalonia shore (Skala Beach)
One with built-in foot massage.
With tickling accessories like sand and pebbles...
With an open top...
With alternating bursts of cool sea breeze and soft white foam...
Possibly, with another pair of feet to mingle with...

It's time to take those tired feet from under the desk and place them under the sun....

Myrtos Beach pebbles
Foot spa (Myrtos)

This "apparatus" is readily available in several places.
But Skala, in my humble opinion,* has the best accessories...

* based on repeated on-location trials!

Yummy Pickings

Wild plum tree, Kefalonia
Wild plums @ Xenopoulo, Kefalonia
I spent a bittersweet weekend at the village. Bitter because every little thing there is reminder of my dad who passed away a few months ago. 
Sweet because the wild plum tree he planted some years ago had its best yield ever.

Nice, round, ripe too! It has been decades since I indulged in just picking fruit off a tree and devouring it on the spot.

tastes and aromas of Kefalonia

It is ironic how often I've described the tastes and aromas of Kefalonia on brochures and websites without enjoying them in this simple manner for so long.
Faith is reconfirmed...

I filled up several bags to carry back to my friend Katerina; she knows how to make this taste last longer. Over the next few days, she will pit them, cut them, and do her secret magic until they show up again in vases as marmalade or jam. (I'm trying to convince her to go commercial with this God-given talent).

Meanwhile, go ahead , pick one!
Even the ones captured out of focus are yummy...

Step by Step Kefalonia Sunrise

Kefalonia Sunrise
Sunrise unfolding, observed from Xenopoulo, Kefalonia
All things new need patience, observation, nurturing, and sacrifice.
Like the sun's daily rebirth.
You must have patience and be observant to catch every phase.
You must lose some sleep to catch a sunrise in the making, but it is worth every single breathtaking second!

As it Sets, the Sun Also Rises, Kefalonia-style

sunset at Avythos Beach, Kefalonia
Sunset at Avythos Beach, Kefalonia
It's a wonder how even a mediocre day can end gloriously and in bursts of shape and color. 
Sunsets, beautiful as they are, have an element of melancholy, of regret, of endings...
Of bittersweet closure...
But also of hope, expectation, relief, renewal...
Because as certain as the sun goes down, the sun also rises...

Lead Us Not Into Temptation

Maistrato Argostoli,Kefalonia
Midday swim at Maistrato, Kefalonia
There's a misconception that people who live on an island year-round are on permanent vacation. Though there is some truth in that, it is, nonetheless, a misconception. 
Perhaps it's one that we, ourselves promote.

I mean, how can I tell Grace, my best friend back in NY, that I haven't been to the beach yet???  She is coming out here for a visit in August and warns me by email "not to be too obscenely tanned."

I  strolled down to the pier today to get a few shots of the "Queen Elizabeth" that docked in Argostoli this morning. Then, on to Maistrato to get a different angle.

The scorching sun put strange ideas into my head: abandon the pc on my desk, let the screensaver keep it company, put the camera away, dive in, cool down, be on permanent vacation!

Oh well, there's always the weekend...
I will look like a happy islander by the time Grace gets here...
cruise ship, Argostoli Kefalonia
CS Queen Elizabeth in Argostoli, Kefalonia

I Posed, Now Where's the Cheese?

seagull flying, Kefalonia
Seagull in flight over Argostoli, Kefalonia
I said, Hey! You! Get off of my cloud

Hey! You! Get off of my cloud

Hey! You! Get off of my cloud

Don't hang around 'cause two's a crowd
On my cloud baby ...
 
(Jagger/Richards)

Breakfast at Sea

caretta caretta, Argostoli Kefalonia
Morning on the bay: "What's on the menu?"
Caretta Caretta, Argostoli Kefalonia
Caretta Caretta Turtle, Argostoli Waterfront
Not one, not two, but three beautiful creatures were frolicking around and giving a show for the small crowd that always gathers on the waterfront on lazy Sunday mornings.

It is a mixed crowd of locals and tourists.
The former aim to buy fresh fish off the docked boats and caiques, the latter, camera in hand, seek a unique moment to record on their digital memory gadgets.

It has been 3 years since turtles, myself, and camera availability coincided. 

So, while the objects of everyone's attention were securing their breakfast, I snapped mercilessly. As if they, I, and the camera would never be in the same place at the same time ever again.

Once this "mandate" was out of the way, I stood among the crowd and watched.
And marveled.
And wondered whether or not the turtles can sense the attention, the admiration, the commotion they cause.

caretta caretta turtle


also see previous post➥RED MULLETS FOR THE LADY!

On a Moonlit Night

Moonlit Argostoli Kefalonia
Moon roving over Argostoli, Kefalonia

She rules emotions.
That is widely understood and accepted.

But tonight she has outdone herself, pouring out tons of gold over calm waters, as if trying to bribe the senses of anyone daring to do anything but stare in awe.

There are times when silence is definitely indicated.
Yes, this is one of those occasions.

Filling in the Menu Blank

Fisherman at Sami, Kefalonia
Sami, Kefalonia waterfront
 
I've always wondered about those blank "Fish of Day" columns in tavern menus, haven't you?
How can you order a blank entry?

It's a natural question, if you are a tavern patron sitting at a waterside table trying to guess how many coats of bright blue paint have  piled up over the years on those old fashioned, straw-matted chairs.

As it were, the answer lies within your field of vision. The fishing boat approaches the tavern and the owner—usually the family patriarch—inspects the catch of day, haggles with the fisherman over the price, and voila!  One day it may be humble marine peasants like sardines, the other day royalty like lobster.

Regardless of the entry that fills in the menu blank, rest assured that both parties to the transaction are happy, in their private thoughts, that they put one over on the other—attested by the smug look on their faces.

In all probability they are childhood friends who've been at this for ages.
Some traditions are hard to part with.

A Slippery Character in Fiskardo

Fiskardo Kefalonia cats
Fiskardo, Kefalonia (in October)

I will not succumb to temptation...
I will not succumb to temptation...
I will not!

No pictures of Fiskardo with wall to wall beautiful people, celebrities, yachts, etc.
It's a personal bias with a ton of selfishness.

I  adore the place from October to May when I don't have to share it.
When only the most "clued-in" visitors are still around, and its sovereignty returns to its rightful owners—the fishermen, and the cats waiting for the net to be unloaded to reveal their next meal!

When I can observe in peace a most interesting "ritual": the tabby eyeing the robust Mediterranean slipper lobster roll out of the net, licking her lips and moving in for the kill—only to be scared out of her skin by his well timed movement. 
Oh well, a few sardines or whitebait will have to do.

Lovely, lovely Fiskardo, be your usual gracious self for the next few months and I'll see you in October.
Unless, I cave in sooner!

Of Poets and Visions

Petani Bay Kefalonia
Petani Bay, Kefalonia
Summer and Winter

❝ It was a bright and cheerful afternoon,
Towards the end of the sunny
month of June,
When the north wind
congregates in crowds
The floating mountains
of the silver clouds
From the horizon--
and the stainless sky
Opens beyond them like eternity
.
Percy Bysshe Shelley)


Unlike his contemporary (and friend) Lord Byron,  Shelley had never visited this little corner of the world.

What more proof do we need that creativity is an intuitive rather than a visual process?

How terribly fortunate was I to have discovered and espoused the eternal words of these literary giants in Dr. Raskin's Age of Romanticism class as a graduate student back at Pace University. It was worth every minute,* despite the brutality of the 3-hour classes of Summer Session!

I can't imagine having to google quotations to accompany my photos, when my own words don't suffice.

(*Well, not every minute. I never got as "cozy" with Coleridge and did skip class on the occasion of "The Lady of Shalott"!)

Oh, Luna Mia!!

lunar eclipse
Lunar Eclipse

June 15th, 2011 9:47pm

Though it rained all day and the sky was cloudy, the Princess of the Galaxy managed to shine through.

lunar eclipse Kefalonia

Dedicated to all fellow Moon Children—here, there, everywhere...

Photoshop, Eat Your Hear Out!

Kefalonia sea colors
Agia Kyriaki Bay, Kefalonia
Sure, you've got dozens of buttons, commands, filters, palettes, brushes, masks, tones, textures, layers, levels, curves, etc.
Vouti Beach, Kefalonia
Vouti Beach, Kefalonia
You've got hundreds of ways for color toning, contrasting, sharpening, saturating, fixing, enhancing, turning the mediocre into wow!

But a limestone seabed, you just ain't got!

Sorry!

Myrtos Bay Kefalonia
Agia Kyriaki Bay, Kefalonia (Myrtos)

Kitty's Choice

Kipouria Monastery, Kefalonia
Living on the edge at Kipouria Monastery, Kefalonia

The edge of my emotional universe, that's what this place is.
Sitting on the ledge of the monastery's courtyard and overlooking the sheer drop of the cliff into the sea, only a stretch of railing separating me from the blue abyss below and  the horizon to the west, is always soothing and regenerating.

The only living creature to turn its back to this view is one of the old monk's spoiled companions.
It turned out that kitty was much more interested in my camera bag, left carelessly on the ledge. And this time curiosity did not kill the cat but some of the contents of the bag as they went tumbling down the cliff.

Oh, well! Who needs an extra pair of prescription sunglasses anyway? Or a lens cap.... Or a battery charger..... Nice, Kitty!

Creative Simplicity

Megali Ammos Minies Beach,Kefalonia
Sand-castling at Minies Beach
The rising temperature always makes me a bit restless.
My laptop screen stares back at me in astonishment; I'm letting it go into sleep mode with increasing frequency. The brain seems to go into idle without warning.

I may be due for a career change.

Even if it's only for the next four months.

Hmmm...
Construction looks like an interesting proposition.

What do you think?

Pastel Dusk


Argostoli, Kefalonia sunset
Argostoli at sundown

Sometimes the sky gets a bit lazy.
No gold explosions, no dramatics.
Only reflections in pastel.
But that's OK too.
Often, I regret this attachment to the camera.
It deprives me the pleasure of truly enjoying the event I'm capturing as I'm too caught up in the process.
Fortunately, sometimes these things happen when the camera is resting in its case at home.

Ringing on Heaven's Door

Dias Islet, Kefalonia
The Chapel Bells on Dias Islet

Some places are awe-inspiring.
So uncommon, so self-defined.

A strangely formed floating rock, just offshore, with only a small chapel atop, and hundreds of seagulls keeping vigil till the bravest of summer visitors arrive.

Most come on a pilgrimage in the beginning of July to participate in the centuries-old religious event. Among them, the curious who join in to experience the climb, the view, the exhilaration of being just a little bit closer to the heavens.

The climb is steep and exhausting—I lost count at the 100th step!
But conquering Dias was well worth it.
Dias Islet, Kefalonia
On Dias Islet

The Color Purple, Kefalonia-style


Kefalonia Sunset colors
Kefalonia Sunset - Lourdas Bay
(From Steven Spielberg's The Color Purple, released 1985 - based on the novel by Alice Walker ) *

Shug: More than anything God love admiration.
Celie: You saying God is vain?
Shug: No, not vain, just wanting to share a good thing. I think it pisses God off when you walk by the colour purple in a field and don't notice it.
Celie: You saying it just wanna be loved like it say in the bible?
Shug: Yeah, Celie. Everything wanna be loved. Us sing and dance, and holla just wanting to be loved. Look at them trees. Notice how the trees do everything people do to get attention... except walk?
Shug: Oh Miss Celie, I feels like singing!
Kefalonia sunset, Ammes Beach
Kefalonia Sunset - Ammes Beach
 Oh, yes!
Some sunsets are that way, they make you feel like singing.....

* one of my favorite motion pictures (ever!)

Stairway to the Blue Heavens

Kefalonia Island
Sometimes, all you can do is look up!

On a clear June day everything seems a bit brighter, a bit more optimistic.

I could elaborate but, given the verbosity of previous posts, I think silence is indicated.

"Oh! `darkly, deeply, beautifully blue',
 As someone somewhere sings about the sky."

Lord Byron
Don Juan (canto IV, st. 110)

Between a Rock and a Better Place

Platia Ammos, Kefalonia
Platia Ammos Beach, Paliki Peninsula

There are places I've never been to, at least not as close as I would have wanted.
One of these days, though, I will climb down those hundreds of steps carved into the steep rock...
Maybe...

Till that day comes, I'll just let my zoom lens take me there, and join those braver than me. Meanwhile, I suspect that they haven't wasted one precious minute looking up at me. They're too busy enjoying themselves!

%$#&^*(!!!!!

Sunday Blues

Kefalonia beaches
Kefalonia Blues
The house is a mess, my hard disk is in urgent need of some serious archiving, the cat is showing signs of neglect, the plants need watering, and they'll be nothing to wear tomorrow unless I hit the ironing board...

And on top of that, it's Sunday...

Impossible to get all that done today.

The prudent remedy is to just jump in the car and go out in search of a place where I can mope in peace, methinks.

Just sit there and be absolutely blue...

...and Watch 'em Roll Away Again

cruise ship pier Kefalonia
flagSHIP arrivals!

The first time


When the first big boat rolled in two years ago and docked on the new cruise ship pier, I filled 3 memory cards with photographs. It seemed so immense, so intimidating, that I had to get it down to laptop screen size.

Last summer I upgraded the memory card because once I had the ships' size into manageable dimensions, there were the passengers to deal with.

Thousands of them!

The  nationalities vary and the demographics are astonishing: students, elderly couples, newlyweds, families with small children, groups of friends etc. Interested, bored, curious, indifferent, inquisitive, reluctant, impressed, disappointed, quiet, lively, animated, expressionless—there are as many dispositions as cabins on a ship.

fishing boat, cruise ship, Kefalonia
Size is a matter of perspective!

The tribes of modern sailing


To an extent, each nationality lives up to stereotype:

The British are discreet and enjoy walking along the waterfront.
Italians roll into town in groups, like a thunderstorm!
Germans already know where to go and what to see.
Canadians could pass for Americans if their smoother accent didn't give them away.
The French would rather circle a town block for hours than ask for directions in English.
The Dutch are just happy to find a ledge to bask in the sun.
And the few Americans—taking a break from their usual Caribbean cruises—are always searching for someone to take a group shot of them doing acrobatics in front of landmarks!

cruise ship in Argostoli Kefalonia
Day visitors, testing the waters of Argostoli Bay


The host tribe 


The locals also live up to stereotype of a nation that hasn't made up its mind yet whether it should roll out the renowned Greek hospitality or continue its midday siesta!

The curiosity of that first year, when dozens of locals would pass by the pier to see "the monsters," is gone. It is now replaced by a familiarity evidenced in the ease with which the cruise ships are recognized from afar and referred to by name. From time to time, there's an older fisherman (or two) sitting by the pier and exercising austere criticism at the captain's maneuvers when mooring the ship.
 "All that fancy equipment and it still takes him 10 minutes. I could do it blindfolded!"

I doubt it, but keep my opinion to myself whenever I hear this.

Kefalonia cruise ships
Impressive as these vessels are, it's hard to lose your head over their size when they can actually fit into your side view mirror!  The focus is on their  "load"

cruise ship Argostoli Kefalonia
Of course he can do it better than the captain!

And, though I'm almost certain that this old timer has probably never heard of Otis Redding, I'll dedicate the verse to him anyway!

❝ Sittin' in the mornin' sun
I'll be sittin' when the evenin' come
Watching the ships roll in
And then I watch 'em roll away again....❞

The Bride Wore Flip-flops!

 ❝ To have joy, one must share it. Happiness is a twin.❞ Lord Byron

wedding on Kefalonia
Indeed, she did!

Preparations for a special event


As the boat sheared through the emerald waters of Skala to the impromptu dock at the hotel resort, Captain Vangelis and the crew made a final "systems check." Uniform on, pink rose petals evenly spread out amid rice and koufeta (the small white confectionery traditional to Greek weddings), a jar of walnuts immersed in honey, champagne and glasses in place, music on.

An unforgettable afternoon begins to unfold


Leaning on the deck rail, I too was doing my last systems check: lens in place, memory card inserted, battery charged. This was not my first time on this magnificent glass bottom boat; I happen to be its "house stowaway."

Today, however, was not to be another scheduled island tour. We were to pick up a couple who had just tied the knot at their hotel chapel, and take them, and their party, to Koutsoupia Beach for their wedding reception.
Yes, the day had possibilities!

Little did I know at the time that this was to be such a memorable day for all; it became apparent as soon as the boat rounded the tip of the small cape and the chapel high up on the hill came into view.

Love and beauty in the air


A row of hands, raised against the bright afternoon sun, was waving at the boat; the crew reciprocated by sending waves of sound their way. Once moored, I climbed out and claimed a spot on a rock to leisurely photograph the boarding. Still no clue as to how this would unfold.

And then, they started coming down the steps of the hill.

Emma and Neal, that's the proper way of saying it, I guess, but that isn't really honest. It took a while to figure out who the groom was (forgive me, Neal?) because my viewfinder was exploding with the image of a lovely lady in a dreamy off shoulder, Grecian style, bright white gown. And flip-flops!
wedding party boards boat, Kefalonia
Captain Vangelis welcomes the newlyweds aboard (Skala, kefalonia)

But I deem it wiser to end the narrative here and let the images tell the rest of the story as no words of mine could.

Ending note...
Emma and Neal,
Today, on your 1st ANNIVERSARY
Kefalonia sends lots of sunshine your way.
Thank You for sharing your joy with us!
May the rest of your life be an endless zeimbekiko dance with your family and friends alongside to cheer you on. and your steps to lead you back here.

destination wedding Greece
The newlyweds, joined by family and friends, sail to Koutsoupia Beach for a one-of-a-kind celebration
destination wedding Kefalonia Greece
The case for destination weddings!

Ballos Dance Break

 
Let's make a deal...
On days that my body is too tired and my spirit is too weak,
allow me to upload small videos instead of normal posts.
Enjoy!
Note: Ballos is a popular island dance in Greece, with almost as many variations as there are island clusters. 
The music is cheerful and the steps and moves are flirtatious, with loads of improvisations.
 

Officially Summer

Emblissi Beach Kefalonia
Emblissi Beach, near Fiskardo
What a difference a day makes! 
Yesterday was still Spring. 
Came around a bit late this year but compensated by being particularly colorful. 
But all good things must pass, if only to make place for better things to come.

For some reason, no matter how warm the temperature, I can never get myself into beach gear unless the calendar hits the "right month."
Perhaps out of respect for all the yellow, red, and pink covering every inch of the landscape and making it almost impossible to focus on the sea.

But June puts an end to any lingering hesitation.

Summer is here...
BLUE RULES!