Kicking around Kefalonia Tuesday 10th October

 In a nutshell, we plan to circumnavigate the island today, although rather than the nutshell we will be using the hired Nissan Micra. In addition we are planning a turtle hunt. When I say we, I mean the recently convened Dungeon Gang.  We have it on good authority that if we are in the right place at the right time then there is every chance we will encounter one or more of these endangered reptiles. 

The loggerhead turtle, named after its large brown head is about 90 cms long and is the world's biggest turtle. The head is big in order to accommodate its powerful crunching jaws with which it eats crabs, molluscs, clams and urchins. They can live 50 to 60 years in the wild.

The hunt was long and hard. We stalked along the edge of the harbour on the lagoon side of the Gulf of Agostoli. We encountered several shoals of interesting fish, but nothing to raise the blood pressure and excitement level in the way that even a brief encounter with one of those ocean going leviathans would do. On, past the back of the fish market building until Mary was sure she spotted a flipper, possibly waving at her. We were getting warm, well actually hot! After the fish market, the quayside veers left for 30 metres then again to the right. Parked along the quay wall were a number of fishing boats and no small gaggle of very excited people, soon to be joined by our gang. 

This is what we saw.

And even closer, 

So for the first time in your life you can shake hands (well flippers........or hand to flipper) if you see what I mean, with a loggerhead turtle. Just in case you are getting the wrong idea here, no we didn't touch them. Having filled our boots (well, flip flops) with photos and videos it was time to reward ourselves with coffee and cakes. An arduous hunt successfully concluded. 

Next we plan an assault on the wild west coast of the island, making eventually to Fiskardo which is a fishing community in the extreme north of the island. The area around Fiskardo escaped the worst effects of the 1953 earthquake, consequently it still has some good examples the Venetian architecture. There are some interesting small ports and resorts to see or visit on the way up. 

Remember driving anywhere on this island is no bowl of cherries. The topography is such that at any one time a road is either going up or down, left or right but very rarely straight on. This means overtaking other cars is almost impossible. Not, however for the locals who seem to have special powers or extreme faith. 

Looking down to Myrtos Beach you start to get an idea of the land that the roads have been built to serve. North of Myrtos is Assos, our next destination. The road down to Assos is somewhat precipitous which thankfully discourages quite a few people resulting in the village port remaining pleasantly quiet. The village actually lies on an isthmus connecting the island to another bit of land which looks very like an island. 

If you look across the water, you can see a castle and lengthy fortified wall. Originally built by the Venetians, this was a prison until 1953. We enjoyed a drink in the quayside bar before heading back to the car. The picture below shows just how quiet Assos is.

Lunch is calling so we must move north to Fiskardo, which lies in the extreme northern tip of the island. It has a small but diminishing fishing fleet and an increasing recreational one. Ferries sail to the close island of Ithaka and the nearby island of Lefkada. This part of Kefalonia largely missed the worst effects of the '53 earthquake, consequently much of the Venetian architecture remains. The lunch turned out to be a delightful experience with tasty food consumed in a most convivial setting. The candid conversation around the cuisine was blunt, bawdy, biological, blasphemous and bottom bleaching but above all unforgettable. Thank you, especially Mary. 

Fiskardo below.  

Time to continue on our way, first retracing our steps,  then branching south and east towards Sammi. Another port for Ithaka and beach resort. 

It was on the beach here that the filming of Louis de Bernier's novel Captain Corelli's Mandolin took place along with several other locations on the island in 2000. The book and particularly the film thrust Kefalonia onto the tourist map. Although hung on a peg of  a romance the story of the Italian Acqui Division and their relationship with and eventual massacre by former allies the Germans. I would like to supply you with more details of this horrific event courtesy of Wikipedia. 

 The Massacre of the Acqui Division, also known as the Cephalonia massacre, was a war crime by German soldiers against POWs of the Italian 33rd Infantry Division "Acqui" on the island of Cephalonia, Greece, in September 1943, following the Italian armistice during the Second World War.^[1][2][3] About 5,000 soldiers were executed, and around 3,000 more drowned.

Massacre of the Acqui Division
The island of Cephalonia
Location	Cephalonia, Ionian Islands, Kingdom of Greece
Coordinates	38.25°N

Following the decision of the Italian government to negotiate a surrender to the Allies in 1943, the German Army tried to disarm the Italians during Operation Achse. On 13 September the Italians of the Acqui resisted, and fought the Germans on the island of Cephalonia. By 22 September the last of the Italian resistance surrendered after running out of ammunition. A total of 1,315 Italians were killed in the battle, 5,155 were executed by 26 September, and 3,000 drowned when the German ships taking the survivors to concentration camps were sunk by the Allies. It was one of the largest prisoner of war massacres of the war, along with the Katyn massacre,^[4][5] and it was one of many atrocities committed by the 1st Mountain Division (German: 1. Gebirgs Division).

One of the more amazing facts of this  whole tragedy is given the choice to surrender or fight on against all the odds, the division 

voted, yes voted to fight on.

Leaving Sammi behind it was on to Poros for a last pit stop as the daylight was finally dipping below the mountain range to our 

west . We completed the circumnavigation in the dark. Thank you the Dungeon Gang for giving me one of the more memorable

 days in my life.