Zakynthos the most southerly of the Ionian Islands. Allan Rogers in in Worldrover Travel Magazine

I

ALLAN ROGERS,

VISITS THE GREEK ISLANDS AND GETS OFF THE TOURIST TRAIL IN ZAKYNTHOS
©

It was an interesting time to be visiting Zakynthos. It was the first week of the season and all was quiet, There were just a few people on the beaches. The sun was warm and holiday package prices low so I hoped that we were there at the right time to get the best value out of the place.

However the locals were worried. They had their fingers crossed as they prepared for what was usually a vast tourist invasion. Would the visitors come? The problem was that volcanic ash was flying high and drifting from Iceland towards Europe and the Greek economy was crashing.
.
As travellers we found that prices for food in the shops were certainly a lot higher than in the UK but to off set that, it being early in the season, we got a reasonable deal on car rental. The one we hired cost 20 Euros for the day and we used it to go Greek and visit the bits the tourists did not normally reach.

.It was a little yellow Chevrolet and we nicknamed it the flying custard. In a land where the sun shone so brightly the colours were vibrant. Cream and terra-cotta tiles on the twin tower of a church at Katastari sparkled, They caught the eye as did a large blue truck festooned with kitchen and garden goods. It lumbered up the hill in front of us on our way north like a slow moving plastic ‘haystack.’

We decided to give it space and pulled in at a cliff top view point.

A green lizard darted out and standing stock still, gripped the rock with its spiky fingers. He and observed me with a quizzical eye, posed for a picture then shot away as quickly as he had arrived.
Below the sea was intensely blue and in the distance the island of Kefalonia sat covered by a faint curtain of mist. It offered tempting plans for future travels. The ferry from Agios Nikolas gets you there and there are lots of other smaller boats offering trips to the "blue grotto" and the "smugglers wreck."

Zakynthos (or Zante as it is sometimes called) is the most southerly of The Ionian islands, When you are up it the hills with the hundreds of Olive trees and conical pines its pretty easy to think that the Greek gods are keeping you company.
The roads in were very twisty, but it was beautiful driving through vast olive groves that stretch up into the hills.

Stopping at a little village of Volimes we joined some locals crowding around the back of a farmer's truck and bought a dozen massive oranges . Later as we picniced we agreed that they were the juiciest we had ever tasted.

It was also a holiday where we did a lot of walking. The atmosphere was good with birdsong and a great scent of herbs everywhere.

We passed neat olive groves and other ancient ones where the odd gnarled tree looked as though it was having a bad hair day.

There was a flock of sheep amid the trees and along with the shepherd the scene was almost biblical.

Ancient tractors and cars lay were they had expired and giant geraniums covered walls and houses.
Goats observed us and children waved to us.

There are 80 miles of coastline and some stunning beaches, on Zakynthos they are probably the best in the Ionian. Take a dip in the sea and your swimming companion could be a loggerhead turtle.

Down at Kalamaki one evening I stood on a cliff top with the sun behind me, t he water was crystal clear and I watched a turtle as big as a dining room table.

On the Vassilikos peninsula at Porta Roma a flash of colour distracted me as I relaxed on the sand. It was a girl in a flourescent bikini gliding out to sea on a windsurfer.

I had a go and managed to get it back without tipping it over. But even if I had, thae water was so warm it would have been a pleasure to fall in.

I remember thinking that it would be a good place for anyone learning to sail. Capsize drill would certainly be more appealing than in UK waters.

The tourist resorts in the south are large and lively. Some will find them fun, others tacky loud and brash, but there is something for everyone. We opted for the quiet life and were happy with our selfcatering apartment at Alykanas with its one street of tavernas and shops.

The beach had sunbeds, an interesting harbour and a foundered schooner to swim around. It might have been a little walk to get there, 900m away, but that kept us fit.

We even bought garlic, cucumber, yogurt etc., and made our own Zatziki dip which went very well with the ouzo we sipped when we sat out on the balcony watching the swifts dart over the pool.

It is a taste that lingers in the memory and is forever Greek.

Pictures and article by Allan Rogers


.It was a little yellow Chevrolet and we nicknamed it the flying custard. In a land where the sun shone so brightly the colours were vibrant. Cream and terra-cotta tiles on the twin tower of a church at Katastari sparkled, They caught the eye as did a large blue truck festooned with kitchen and garden goods. It lumbered up the hill in front of us on our way north like a slow moving plastic ‘haystack.’