Rainy, it would be. Cold and windy, the websites said. We knew it would be off-season with all its ups and downs. The weather is hit and miss. Many restaurants and shops would be closed and even some excursions might not be going.
But the desire to travel abroad at least once in 2021 was stronger. Our choice fell on Zakynthos. A mid-size island in the Ionian Sea. The flight was quickly booked. Our temporarily home not so. It took us ages to find the right lodging. Too far from the beach, too far from a town, too big, to touristy… but almost like happenstance we found the Fiore Beach Studios at the Kaminia beach. It was a good choice.
Flying during a pandemic is not that difficult after all. A proof of vaccination or a negativ test was easy to get. And the PLF for Greece was no obstacle either. It is just a little more paperwork.
After dumping our luggage in our room we checked out the restaurant. Lumped together in our warmest cloths and raincoats, we sat at the table watching the water slowly creeping in the enclosure. But the owner and we were happy to eat together. And this was the first encounter with greek cuisine. Meat and potatos. No vegetables. More of that later.
The next day was already better. Sunny and balm. We explored the town up the hill, collected ideas for the upcoming days and booked a tour. We even dared to enter the ocean for a quick swim.
The following days we visited all the top spots on the island. For example Laganas beach where all the tourist go. There we tasted great juices in a cafe watching the waves and got reminded that not everything you see on the internet is true. The small island right off the beach, which should be accessable through a small wooden bridge (very photogenic), had no bridge anymore. Haha!
Of course we also went to the blue caves and the shipwreck cove. The best part about that was getting off the boat at the shipwreck beach. You literally had to jump off the front onto very soft sand. Many fell. And so did I. Sophia on the other hand glided gracefully off and walked away as if it was no biggie. Of course it was one big photo shoot around the wreck. But the best pictures can be taken from the outlook above the cove. One of those photos is the newest addition to my best-of selection.
As mentioned above greek food as its idiosyncrasies. Much Feta cheese and olive oil. Both ingredients have a reputation of being healthy, are almost always combined with meat, fish and potatos. Fried, grilled, mashed. Potatos everywhere. Is almost appears to be the only vegetable on the island. We dearly missed other vitamin laden pieces on our plates.
Overall we spend a good week on Zakynthos and enjoyed every hour. It has gotten our travel spirit back in gear and we cannot wait to go on a big trip again next year.
Please check out the gallery and stay ready for more blogs in the future.