Cephalonia (K
efalonia) is a beautiful island. Some have said that while Corfu has all the history, Cephalonia has all the beauty. I would have to agree with t
hat. Not that Corfu is ugly, but it just doesn't have the outstanding beauty o of Cephalonia. One of the nice things about the island is that the port area is very well kept and pleasant.
Our tour took us first to the Drogarati cave, which was a great disappointment. The problem is that it has not been well maintained, and there is no one in the cave to supervise what the people are doing. Many of the people who go in touch everything in sight, totally ignoring signs that tell them not to touch. It would probably be interesting
if you have never been to Carlsbad Caverns, or even the cave at Halong Bay, Viet Nam, a dead cave (no new formations or formation growth). For us, the kittens playing outside were more interesting. It was sad to see the cave in such poor condition. I liked the fact that I saw wildflowers growing outside the cave (cyclamen) and ferns.
Melissani Lake was a better experience. The lake was underground in a cave, but part of the roof caved in so now about half of it is open to the sky.
We walked down a ramp to the water's edge, where we boarded a boat, which a well-muscled young man rowed around the lake, telling us about the lake. The interesting thing about this lake is that it took a very long time to figure out where the water was coming from. Apparently there is a "swallow hole," the opposite of a blow
hole over on
the other side of the island, and the water in the lake comes from that swallow hole. That means that the water is brackish, since the sea water is added to whatever fresh water the lake gets.
The drive around the island was beautiful. It is quite mountainous, as well as green. We had a short photo stop to see Myrtos Beach, which was gorgeous with its incredible blue water. The mountains drop straight into the ocean over
much of the island, and the road is carved into the side of the mountain. It is amazing to see the trees growing on such steep terrain.
I'm not sure I'd want to go back to Cephalonia unless we could find something of interest to do there, apart from the cave and the underground lake. However, it is definitely worth a visit if you've never been before.
One of the reaons I enjoy cruises on Holland America Line so much, is the crew. Most of them are either from the Philippines or from Indonesia. On a shorter cruise you will see either a Filipino show or an Indonesian show. On longer cruises, one can see both. These shows are always a treat, even though they do the same basic show each time. There are always individual touches, and different singers who do different songs each time. Attending the show is a really good way to support the crew. One of the fun things about this show is that our wine steward, Teofilo, who was in two of the dances, handed out AUTOGRAPHED programs in the dining room, before the show. He wanted to make sure that we remembered that he was THE STAR!! The amazing thing about the crew shows is that they are always done at 11 PM, after the crew is done with their long workday. Even so, they have fun and do a great job! For me the shows never get old, and I highly recommend them.
