May 10
Argostoli, Kefalonia
Erika and Dodger found me in front of the Argostoli Bus Station and after a quick introduction we set off along the waterfront until we came upon a row of sailboats tied to the sea wall. No dinghy required here - it was as easy as one big step from the walkway to the back of the boat where Francis was waiting.
The quay runs right along the town's main road so from the boat we've got a front row seat for the parade of characters and traffic streaming by. Then there's underwear man on the balcony across the street. I'm getting a bit ahead of myself but each morning as we're enjoying breakfast in the pilot house, underwear man emerges from his apartment and takes a seat on his balcony. Let's just say his view of the harbor is nicer than our view of him.
At 33 feet this is the smallest boat on which I've sailed but the interior is somewhat spacious. My bed is in the salon boxed in by the stove at my feet, the fold-down dining table on the outside (close enough to ensure that a windy night won't land me on the floor) and storage cabinets lining the side of the boat. In a move that would have been greatly appreciated in the Andamans (where I surely added to my lifetime concussion total) the exterior of the cabinets are padded.
The big news on my first night aboard was that the bar/restaurant across the street has a shower. So after dinner, a little unsure of exactly what to expect, Erika and I packed shower bags and headed over. It was awkward to say the least when, with a handful of older Greek men gathered out front for drinks, we asked about showering. We were pointed toward Leonardo, our new favorite person, who said no problem and directed Erika to the back of the bar. Still feeling slightly strange about going to a bar for the sole purpose of showering, I did the more appropriate thing and ordered a beer. At Leonardo's suggestion Alpha will forever replace Mythos.
Okay, so about the shower... here it is.
Turns out it's actually a little hose attached to the sink in the bathroom. Now don't get me wrong, it worked perfectly well and I'm certainly not going to complain about a shower but I'm not sure exactly what would have happened if say, one of the people at the bar actually had to use the bathroom. Probably best not to think about it.
We finished our beers, thanked Leonardo, told him he'd see us again and returned to the boat which, as I mentioned, is tied stern to the wall - so we, or anyone else for that matter, can just step from the sidewalk onto the boat. Convenient, sure. But safe? As I was lying in my bed, looking out at the main road it occurred to me that we were, in essence, going to sleep in the middle of town with the front door wide open. Well, at least we had Dodger to stand guard.
May 11
Argostoli
Security concerns and cars zooming by at all hours were no competition for my travel day exhaustion and I slept until a few minutes past 8am. A little while later we were urged out on deck by high-pitched screams of "Tortoise! Tortoise!" courtesy of four French children from one of the other boats. They had spotted a barnacle-covered giant swimming along the wall. We ventured a little further in the direction of the returning fishing boats and there, in anticipation of some free fish, more giant turtles swam around.
After our breakfast (and unfortunate introduction to underwear man) a trip to town was in order.
We wandered through the shops, coffee shops, markets, coffee shops and did I mention... coffee shops in search of nothing in particular - and certainly not this. Rare is the beer I wouldn't give a try. This is surely one of them. Why? Just... why? And seriously, no soccer in the roundabout? Where are we?
We grabbed iced coffees in front of a perfectly picturesque church near the center of town and watched the people go by. Now, I'm not much of a coffee drinker but I can confidently say, this thing had some kick - enough to send us on a caffeine-fueled hike around the south end of the bay.
Later, over a few Alphas, we learned a little more about our shower savior Leonardo. In addition to helping out at the family restaurant, he is a boating agent in the harbor - basically assisting people who need help to check in and take care of paperwork. Then in the winter he spends about four months working in New York City (30 blocks from my apartment) as an agent booking cruises into Kefalonia.
May 12
Argostoli
We woke up to another big morning for our young French neighbors. Eight year old Leo was pacing the sea wall with a fishing net at the ready. Yesterday's tortoise excitement was nothing compared to the cries of "Poisson! Poisson! Poisson!" let loose when he realized his swipe resulted in a fish. (8th grade French has nothing on The Little Mermaid!) He came running up to the stern of our boat proudly displaying the tiny pinky-length fish still in the net. After pointing at his "Poisson!!!!" he ran back to his boat, flipped the little guy into a bucket and called his sisters over. The three little girls crouched over the bucket while Leo smiled as if he had just reeled in a prize-winning catch. Sadly, all did not end well for Leo's little friend. We later learned that the fish jumped out of the bucket only to be stepped on by papa. I'm happy to report that Leo recovered from the trauma of his father squashing his pet. To ward off future fiascoes his other captures, a crab and another fish, had their buckets relocated so that any attempted escape would land them safely back in the sea rather than on the deck.
Our plan to depart Argostoli this afternoon went the way of most of the other plans on this trip so far - which is to say, we're still in Argostoli. Turns out we slightly misjudged exactly how much of the town shuts down on Sunday (that would be pretty much the whole thing). With no way to re-supply and heading for a secluded bay with no facilities, we'd be spending another night. And since another night meant another shower, I was more than okay with that.
What better to do on a Sunday afternoon in Argostoli than attend a soccer match? Well, for Francis and Erika pretty much anything - so unable to convince them to join me, I set out to the stadium at the edge of town on my own. I didn't know it at the time but I was witnessing the first leg of a playoff for promotion from the Greek 4th Division. It took a few minutes to determine which team was which - and by that I mean which was Kefalonia because I couldn't read the name of the opponent. An injured player brought things to a halt midway through the first half - but all was taken care of when the trainer threw down his cigarette and ran onto the field with his assistant - properly prepared with a stethoscope around his neck. Unfortunately the home side lost 1-0 leaving the prospect of reaching new heights (according to our waiter at dinner, Kefalonia has never reached the 3rd Division) looking grim. The boys will have to pull it together for the second leg, down 1-0 and an away goal.
Alpha-ville
Friday, May 10, 2013
Argostolion, Ionian Islands, Greece
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