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Our first arrival to Greece in 2002 brought us to the
islands of the Ionian Sea, but we didn't yet appreciate their lush
greenery, postcard-perfect waters, or its many uncrowded nooks and
crannies for anchoring and swimming during the hot days of summer. Here,
Swept Away is anchored just under a lighthouse at the top of Zakynthos
Island, and within dinghy distance from a personal exploration of the blue
caves. |
| The arches of the blue caves of Zakynthos were
carved out by the steady erosion of the sea. The sun-drenched water
reflects shades of turquoise and blue in the unending Mediterranean
summer light.
Tour boats leave from nearby ports such as Agios Nikolaos, and the
small boats duck under the arches and into the caves along the rock.
Orange coral adds color to the underwater vista. |
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There are two legends associated with the
underground cave-lake on Kefallonia named Melissani. The first is that a
shepherdess of that name fell in and drowned while searching for a lost
lamb. The second is that the nymph Melissani drowned herself in the lake
when the goatlike god Pan did not return her love. According to that myth,
dolphins (now petrified as dolphin-shaped stalactites in the cave) acted
as couriers, delivering her futile entreaties to the lusty god.
The maximum depth of the lake is 36 meters (more than 100 feet) and the
water's composition can only support a few varieties of sea life. Part of
the ceiling collapsed into the lake, which provides pockets of bright
light like spotlights on the water. |
| The entrance to Drogarati Cave was created about 300 years
ago by an earthquake, though the cave itself represents tens or hundreds
of millions of years of creation. It takes a thousand years for one
centimeter of stalactite to form. The cave is 60 meters (almost 200 feet)
below the ground. Though it was bone dry outdoors, and had been for
months, ground water dripped relentlessly from the ceiling. The air is so
cool and the acoustics inside the cave are so fine that summer concerts
are performed there. |
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Myrtos Beach, also on Kefallonia, is among the
most beautiful natural places we've seen since we've traveled in the
Mediterranean. Steep cliffs mark the inland edge of a sandy, then pebbly,
beach, and iridescent turquoise water marks the shoreline. Even the Blue
Flag organization, which awards a coveted designation to only the cleanest
beaches, mentions on its web site that Myrtos has been called the
"best beach in Greece."
This island, devastated in a 1953 earthquake, was the inspiration for
the novel "Captain Corelli's Mandolin" and the filming location
for the movie. |
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