We struggled out of bed this morning after a gala cocktail evening with the staff from the marina. Off we go to Sivota.
Drinks when we arrive.
There is a family of ducks living in the harbour. They wander around teasing cats.
And here’s Konstantinos tied up at Stavros’s pontoon.
Yesterday we travelled 1300 miles by plane. It took 3 hours. Then we had a 20 mile journey in our boat. This took over 4 hours. Lesson for the day – if you’re in a hurry there’s nothing like an Airbus.
Here we are on our way from Preveza to Little Vathi.
We got here at around 8.30 last night. A long trip but worth the effort.
And here’s Konstantinos.
This morning we got a water taxi across to the opposite side of the bay. Our plan is to walk the whole way round.
View back to Nidri.
Along the path we came across the grave of William Dorpfeld who we discussed a few days ago. After a while we arrive at Tranquil Bay, which is a popular anchorage.
The path turns into a paved road, and we get to the hamlet of Geni. We’ve anchored just offshore here in the past. Time for a coffee stop at a taverna to enjoy the scenery.
The bay is huge – it’s hard to get a photo that shows the size.
Eventually we arrive at the village of Vlicho where we have lunch. Afterwards we get the bus back to Nidri for ice cream.
That’s just about it for this trip, so thanks for reading – tune in again in 3 weeks time for some boaty fun on board Konstantinos.
Here in Nidri, one name surpasses all others; Onassis. The shipping magnate, airline owner, sometime whaler is held in such high regard here that unlike other mythical or legendary individuals (Odysseus, Cleopatra, Zeus etc) you won’t find his name used in marketing – there’s no ‘Onassis Taverna’ or suchlike.
All of which is perhaps a little strange, as Onassis never stayed here, although he bought the island of Skorpios opposite the town. Come to that, he never stayed on Skorpios either, preferring to live on his yacht, the ‘Christina’.
The yacht (all 325 feet of it) was named after Onassis’ daughter. Christina was convinced that Onassis’ second wife Jackie Kennedy was cursed, owing to the untimely deaths of JFK and his brother Bobby, but she could never convince her father of this. It turned out she may have had a point however, as Christina lost her entire immediate family (father, mother, and brother Alexander) within a 29 month period in the 1970s. Christina herself died in mysterious circumstances in 1988 aged just 37.
By all accounts Aristotle was an urbane and socially mobile chap. He liked to pop over to Nidri and have a few beers in Nick the Greek’s taverna. This is one of the original tavernas of Nidri, and it’s still going – pop in for a beer and you can find photos of Onassis with the owner (who is also still going) and contemporary newspaper cuttings.
Onassis is remembered with a splendid statue on the town quay. The inscription reads ‘Men have to construct their own destiny’, a saying that was handed to him by his grandmother when he was a boy.
Onassis died in 1975 and is buried on Skorpios alongside his son.
Lovely old trip boat passing the little church across the bay yesterday evening while we were having dinner.
Weather forecast was a bit iffy today, but we decided to head for Meganisi anyway. It turned out ok. Nice views of Skorpios on the way.
Our track, in blue.
Lots of boats at Little Vathi while we had lunch.
Beautiful British yacht leaving the harbour at Spartachori. Note the guy standing at the bow operating the anchor winch – we have to do that, just the same!
Preveza is a big town on the mainland, about 20 kilometres north of Lefkada. Our interest in Preveza is that it’s the home port of our boat, so we’ll have to come here to pick her up in 3 weeks time.
It’s a big commercial port.
The town quay is pleasant enough, with lots of bars and restaurants, but I can’t imagine wanting to spend too much time here – it feels so busy after the islands.
Back in Nidri the trip boats are returning as we enjoy a few beers. Can’t help being impressed with this one.
It was raining when we had breakfast this morning; we didn’t have a plan for the day but as it looked like clearing up we caught the bus to a village called Nikiana which is just up the coast. In case you’re not keeping up with the geography, here’s a map of the island.
As you can see, Lefkada is only just an island. It is connected to the mainland by a swing bridge at the northern tip. The bridge opens every hour to let waterborne traffic through.
Nikiana was very quiet – it seems the tourist season hasn’t really begun here yet. It’s a charming spot though, with a little harbour and a few shops. We had a walk on the beach and a coffee, and headed back to Nidri.
Back in Nidri it’s time for lunch. Here’s mine. This is a waffle with strawberry cheesecake ice cream, plus whipped cream, chocolate sauce and a sprinkling of biscuit crumbs.
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