A short tour of Greece. Part IV. Kefalonia, Sami

23 January 2020 • Travel time: with 19 December 2019 on 23 December 2019

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REMEZZO APARTMENTS

Hotel Remezzo Apartments

This bunkhouse is also quite close to the port. . .

Sami Port

. . . so we calmly walked to it on foot with suitcases. We were immediately given a key (metal, not a card) and escorted to the room by elevator to the second floor (with luggage, after all). The elevator, however, is of a strange antediluvian design: there are not even internal doors. And the two of us and with luggage barely got in there. The room is quite spacious, comfortable, there is an air conditioner with a normal remote control. . .

General view of the room from the entrance

Balcony door

. . . antediluvian humpback TV hanging on the wall. . .

Humpback wall TV

. . . kitchen with refrigerator, extractor hood, electric kettle. . .

Kitchen

. . . and all the necessary kitchen utensils.

Kitchenware

Kitchen utensils

Tableware

Kitchenware

There is a balcony. . .

Balcony

View from the balcony

. . . on which it is pleasant to sit on a warm evening with a bottle of wine (there are tables and chairs for this). There is also a clothesline with clothespins on the balcony, as well as a fabric sun visor that can be lowered and removed. The only thing missing was a chest. However, this problem did not bother us so much anymore, because we had already managed to spend somewhere around 75% of the dough we had initially. Plumbing is quite antediluvian, one might even say obscenely.

Toilet in the room

Dushkabin

Did you have single-lever mixers in the shower cabin, closed with a curtain, and in the sink? No matter how! There, even the crane boxes were not ceramic, but ordinary, soviet-type, in which you need to periodically change the rubber gaskets. But the room is quiet, no discos and dogs barking at night nearby. Instead, a gray cat ran to the rooming house almost every day. . .

The kitty that constantly came to our hotel. Close-up view

. . . which we constantly fed.

The kitty that constantly came to our hotel for dinner

And once even a small black kitten came running (sorry, we couldn’t capture it), which we fed with food specially for kittens. The staff is friendly, but we almost didn’t communicate with him: we can say only on the first day upon check-in, on the penultimate day, when we paid for the room (so as not to waste extra time on this the next day, because we left early) and actually on the last – just saying goodbye.

TRYING TO RENT A CAR ON YOURSELF

At the beginning of the report, I already explained why in Kefalonia we did not spend all the time in Lassi, but only part of it, and the first part in Sami: in Lassi, rooming houses are much more expensive, which is understandable, because. the situation with the beaches in Sami is a full city. In Sami, we planned to take a car for a day, a maximum of two - this would be more than enough to go around this small island. However, it turned out to be even more difficult than in Patras: firstly, there were not so many rental offices themselves, and secondly, in the available offices there were no free shills for the next few days. And for one day there no one will give a trough at all - at least for two. In short, with renting a car, we specifically broke off there. And where there were troughs, the prices were very high, and they also did not have full insurance - only with a franchise. We even poked ourselves into motorcycle rentals, thinking of renting a quadric for a day. In one place we were offered for 60 a day with a franchise and a deposit of 300, there was no full insurance. You also had to pay separately for helmets. We refused and did the right thing: later we opened reviews about this office, and people wrote there that someone had a breakdown in the middle of the day, the ATV was taken away, but the deposit and the balance for the rent were not returned (such as compensation for repairs) and there was no replacement suggested. And if there were no breakdowns, then they found nit-picking about the state of transport and the deposit was partially returned or not returned at all. In another, ATVs are rented for at least 3 days, so we didn’t even begin to clarify the conditions, because. they didn’t want to take it for such a period.

BEACHES IN SAMI

In the previous section, I already described the situation with the beaches in Sami with just one letter. However, I want to emphasize that we are talking about the SITUATION with the beaches near our rooming house, and not about the beaches themselves. It’s just that the rooming house was located next to the port, where you don’t swim much. However, there were acceptable and even very good beaches. Only to an acceptable one I had to stomp somewhere 1 km (it was half equipped-paid (7 per set) and half wild. The water area there is not bad, but the territory leaves much to be desired, because the ground there is quite hard and it is rather problematic to install a toadstool both with and without a special drill.

The beach to the left of the hotel

And in the second half of the day, ferries begin to move actively there, which is why the water near the coast, on the left side of the port, becomes dirty and all kinds of floating algae appear there. On the right side of the port, in this regard, it is better, since the current carries everything to the left, but the beaches themselves are much worse, there are almost no places to lie down to sunbathe, and those that are, are dirty, and sometimes in the literal sense : )).

TAVERN CARNIO (Κ Α Ρ Ν Α Γ Ι Ο )

After swimming on the beach (the one on the left side of the port), we went to a bunkhouse, but on the way we came across the Carnaio tavern, with tables standing right on the seashore, which seemed romantic to us, and since sunset was just about to begin, we decided enjoy it at dinner. Tuna steak (15). . .

Tuna steak

. . . swordfish (17). . .

Swordfish like

. . . ½ white (3). . .

Tavern CARNAIO

. . . Kefalonia red beer (4).

Day 10, Tuesday 8/20/19

ANDISAMOS BEACH (Α Ν Τ Ι Σ Α Μ Ο Σ )

That day we decided to go to AndisAmos beach (it is also called "White Beach"), however, it took about 15 minutes to get there by minibus. POSIDONOS 16, the schedule of all buses from Sami hangs there. Then a big bus came to the opposite side of the road, and a minibus came to ours. Tourists rushed from one to another. Either they didn’t understand which one goes where, or they didn’t know which one to choose : )), although there were signs on the buses: the big one went to MYRTOS beach, and the minibus went to Α Ν Τ Ι Σ Α Μ Ο Σ beach.

Some tourists decided to go to the MYRTOS beach, but we did not understand what the point was. At first, we ourselves thought about going there, but, having studied the schedule, we dismissed this idea, because. the departure of the bus was at 13:50, and back at 16:45, and even go there longer, so there is very little time to swim and sunbathe. The journey to Andisamos costs 1.5 per person one way (for reference: the journey to MYRTOS is already a two-way ticket. You can sort of walk to Andisamos on foot, but this will certainly not be the easiest and most pleasant experience, because you have to go through mountains about 4.5 km But the beach itself is just awesome - a cove with crystal clear water, surrounded by green hills.

Trip to Andisamos beach. View from the mountains to the beach

Return from Andisamos beach. View from the mountains to the sea.

Andisamos Beach

And small white pebbles give the water an amazing color. Sunbeds-umbrellas are paid (I don’t remember how much they cost there, but usually 7-8). There is also a parking lot where you can easily park your car.

Parking near Andisamos Beach

But going there in this way, I think, is not the best option, because. beer is not particularly drinkable at the bar, of which there is enough. However, it is still better to have a bag of cold: a mug of draft beer in a bar costs half a chip, and a jar of 0.33 costs a triplet. If there is no cold storage, then it turns out to be a little more profitable to buy in jars: it turns out 4.5 in terms of half-liter jars. By the way, you should be careful when drinking beer, because. it attracts wasps, of which there are many in that part of the island. Otherwise, the bite of this creature in the tongue (and for those who are allergic to hymenoptera venom and not only in the tongue) can be fatal if help is not provided in time. They also sell simple food, such as a tuna sandwich (4.5).

In general, a very good beach, but it has one serious drawback: it is inconvenient to get on foot, and the bus runs quite rarely: there - at 10:50 (early), 13:50 and 15:30 (too late - given the reverse schedule ), back - at 11:50 (neither to the village nor to the city), at 14:15 (except for larks) and at 17:15. This is on weekdays. On weekends, in general, some kind of insanity: there - at 13:50 and 17:00 (as they say, neither to... a bag, nor to a... wallet), back - at 14:15 (see comment to 17:00 there) and at 17:15. In general, the freedom of time spent on the beach is rather limited. A decent amount of people gathered on the return bus, and since it was the last flight, some had to ride hard.

TAXI IN KEFALONIA

After we saw the not very convenient bus schedule to Andisamos, we decided to ask how much it would cost to get there by taxi. In general, I approach the taxi rank, taxi drivers immediately notice me and show interest in me. I ask them in pure Greek how much the trip to Andisamos will cost. In response to this, one of them, probably considering that everyone is as stupid as he is, shows me first 2 fives, then one. I understood what he meant, but I didn’t like the fact that they were talking to me like an asshole, so I made a puzzled face and said that I’m actually not deaf, and then he answered me: “Fifteen ". I asked him with a sarcastic smile: "Θ λ ε ι ς ν α π ε ι ς δ ε κ α π ν τ ε; " (“Do you want to say fifteen? ”), and then it finally dawned on him, like a giraffe, that I was talking to him in his native language, and he even complimented me on this occasion. By the way, such “linguistic stupidity” in Sami and in all the previous places where we have been is quite rare, but in the Lassi region, which is located near Argostoli, it is much more common. Returning to the topic of taxis, I asked them for information about the return from Andisamos to Sami - in case we miss the bus. It turned out that there is no taxi rank in Andisamos, but you can contact the cafe and they will call you, but I'm not sure that the price will not increase. And I also found out that to Argostoli, the capital of Kefalonia, the trip will cost about half a dollar.

THE LINGUISTIC STUPIDITY OF SOME GREEKS (If you are not a fan of foreign languages, this section is highly recommended to be skipped)

In Athens, in Patras, in Kurut, the Greeks, as is usually the case (and this is quite natural), when addressing a foreigner for the first time, they do it in English. But when I answered in Greek, they continued talking to me in Greek as if nothing had happened. Although, when I entered various establishments, such as shops, restaurants, car rental offices, many of them immediately greeted me in Greek, just as if they took me for their own, which, however, pleased me. In Kefalonia (by the way, in Crete too), many of them stubbornly continue to “anglicize”. So I usually say, they say, you can not anglicize with me (σ ’ ε μ ν α μ π ο ρ ε τ ε ν α μ η ν α γ γ λ ι κ ζ ε τ ε ), or something like: yes, I believe, I believe that you speak English well, you don’t have to prove it to me. Usually works. Well, some, say, waiters, just automatically speak English with tourists, since there are a lot of tourists, a lot of work, you can’t remember everyone, however, many of them, we must give them their due, remembered that I prefer to speak their native language , and spoke to me in it.

There are also those among the young who anglicise for the sake of practice. Well, no, let them do it with the British, as well as other foreigners, since there are enough of them there. And I need practice. Otherwise, with whom will I speak Greek to my mother in Russia? I don't know a single Greek-speaking person here. Whether it's a matter of my friends, relatives, acquaintances, neighbors, work colleagues know at least one such person, but this fact is somehow on the drum for them. Everyone has their preferences, in general. Yes, I forgot one more category - seasonal bartenders and waiters who do not speak Greek, who work mainly in establishments where foreigners hang out for the most part. I treat such waiters with understanding and communicate with them in English.

Day 11 Wednesday 21/08/19

CAVE OF LAKE MELISSANI (Μ Ε Λ Ι Σ Σ Α Ν Η )

I have already described the cave of the lakes in the Peloponnese, but the cave in Sami is quite different. It's just a lake surrounded by rocks. We had to walk about 2-3 km from our rooming house to it. On the way there, we passed by a rather beautiful pond. . .

The pond on the way to the local cave of the lakes

. . . with trees that the Greeks would call "κ α τ α π ρ σ ι ν α δ ν τ ρ α ", i. e. "very green trees" on one side and benches on the other.

The same pond

Geese were swimming in the pond.

Goose

2 more geese

In general, you can sit on the benches and enjoy all this beauty. Now, about the cave itself. We went there around noon, because, on the recommendation of tourists who have been there, this is the best time in terms of lighting the lake, because. later the sun goes down, and part of the lake is in the shade, and it doesn't look so pretty anymore. When we got there, we were unpleasantly surprised by the fact that there were many buses and cars nearby, and there was a queue for the cave itself, longer than for the Mausoleum (those who lived near the Sovka will understand). By the way, we ourselves were just born in Sovka, so it was a sin not to use the old soviet habit - to shorten the queues, all the more lucky for us. The fact is that several Russians stood at the entrance to the cave, and they called their friends (and they were a pretty decent company). Well, we, seizing the moment, joined them and began to speak rather loudly among ourselves in Russian. The foreigners standing in line thought that we were in the same company with them, so they were not indignant, while the Russians did not pay attention to us either, because We didn't go ahead of them. In general, they harmoniously fit into the queue, bought tickets (7 per person) and began to stand further.

A small fragment of the queue to ride gondolas through the Cave of the Lakes

Even despite the significant reduction in the queue, we had to stand for 40-50 minutes, otherwise we would have stood for at least 2 hours, and most likely under the scorching sun most of the time, then the entrance to the cave just begins.

Entrance to the Cave of the Lakes

Gradually descending, we ended up on a small pier. . .

Pier

. . . and a round lake opened before us. . .

Cave of the Lakes

. . . and sheer, and somewhere even partially overhanging rocks.

View from the cave under the "canopy"

Gondolas

Across the lake, tourists ride on gondolas, each of which can accommodate 12-14 people.

Gondolier at work against the background of the cave walls

Gondolas

Three gondolas in turn come to the pier, the gondoliers seat the tourists and begin to roll them around the lake. If they see a couple with a camera, they begin to insistently offer to take a picture of them together. At the end of the walk, which lasts about a chirp of minutes, the gondolier takes out a jar and rather obsessively lets everyone know that tips are very welcome there. The place itself is quite beautiful, it’s nice to ride a gondola across the lake, but it’s clearly not worth standing in line for 2-3 hours for this. When we left the cave, we saw that the line had decreased a little, but it wasn’t there - 2 more tour buses were driving up to the parking lot. Near the entrance to the cave there is a small shop with souvenirs, drinks and simple food, there are also tables with chairs under a canopy. We also knew that this lake has an observation deck from above, but it turned out to be closed. The approach to the lake was surrounded by a fence from above, and there was a sign that the observation deck was closed “for your own safety. ”

Day 12, Thursday, 08/22/19

It makes no sense to describe this day at all, because. on the morning of that very day we went to the beach already mentioned to the north, which can be described with only one fourth letter of the Russian alphabet.

A beach that can only be described by the fourth letter of the Russian alphabet

After that, we walked and fed the cats.

More pussy

Pussy

Three pussies at breakfast

Pussy

2 pussies

Pussy

Kitten

Pussy occupying the cafe

Pussy

Partially collected things, settled with the institution (155.50 together with all requisitions). the next day we had to leave early in the morning for Lassi, then sat in another restaurant, then enjoyed cocktails in a bar.

Small tour of Greece. Part V. Kefalonia, Lassi >>>

Translated automatically from Russian. View original