We've been here 16 months now and it's amazing how when you have the time, you observe more what's going on around you. Here are a few observations of life here on Kefalonia, in particular around Sami.
- White washing
White wash is a type of paint made from lime and chalk amongst other ingredients, and is applied to edges of pavements, walls and trees in particular. The glare from it in the sun makes sunglasses a necessity especially if it's been recently applied! One day we were coming back from the beach, and we were approaching the junction where we turn off for our house near our local church. The church is looked after by a couple in our village and it's immaculately kept. They are always painting the surrounding walls and the pavement in readiness for a celebration (which is quite often!). Wow - it almost blinded us and I'm sure Mark swerved in the camper van as he was enveloped in a blinding light! The same goes for whitewashing on edges of pavements. I'm surprised there are no road accidents.
I had to find out what the real reason was for all the white washing so, after a bit of research, I found the following:
I had to find out what the real reason was for all the white washing so, after a bit of research, I found the following:
White washing on walls and pavements:
The main material used for the whitening of walls and pavements is lime, which serves as a disinfectant, filling cracks and keeping insects at bay.
Our local church at Grizata (Γριζάτα)
Driving towards Katapodata
The church in the next village - Katapodata
White washing on trees:
When you see fruit trees (orange, lemon, olive etc) on the island the trunks will invariably be white washed. This prevents sun scald. Sun scald results in permanent damage to the bark. Fluctuating winter temperatures can also cause frost cracks which result from the expanding and contracting of the tree trunk.
Whitewash coats and smoothes over the rough surfaces on the trunk, reflects the heat and stops insects from penetrating any cracks in the bark which would be detrimental to the tree and its fruits.
Whitewash coats and smoothes over the rough surfaces on the trunk, reflects the heat and stops insects from penetrating any cracks in the bark which would be detrimental to the tree and its fruits.
Fruit orchard
- Astronomical seats
When I say astronomical seats, I don't mean this in the large sense. I'm referring to the seat position. There are a few seats, especially on the sea front in Sami, where when you sit on them you are in a perfect position to look at the stars! Just need to sit there at night and get the telescope out.
- Sweeping of the streets.
Eucalyptus trees line the sea and harbour front from Sami to Karavomylos. The only trouble is that the leaves from these trees fall on a daily basis. Every day you see locals sweeping the streets outside tavernas and houses. It does make a difference and it's nice to see. This just doesn't happen beside tavernas though. On the road to Sami, we see villagers sweeping the pavements outside their homes and removing weeds from the gutters on a regular basis.
- Motorbike/scooter riders riding one handed.....
Better not put a photo here......may get someone into trouble!
..........while holding a crash helmet in the other hand ????. (We see this a lot!)
..........while conversing on a mobile phone with the other hand.
..........while drinking a cup of coffee with the other hand.
..........while carrying a large bucket (almost down to the ground) in the other hand.
..........while carrying a pitchfork in one hand and a garden strimmer in the other! (really!)
..........while steering a push bike.
..........while walking a shetland pony.
- Fender coats on yachts
Sami harbour and Sami bay are a great place to watch the yachts coming in over the summer. Some are small, some are big and some are huge! Even some of the the tender boats to the yachts are amazing. The boat fenders caught my eye while walking along the harbour front one day. A fender is a bumper used to protect a yacht against damage from a jetty or other vessel. The yacht below has purple fender coats. My first question (after thinking they were quite a nice colour!) was why do the fenders need coats?
Some yachts even have their name on the fender coats.
- The headland looks like a sleeping alligator
This is the view from a cove just outside of Karavomylos looking towards Sami in the distance. You can see what looks like an eye which is just a scar on the mountainside.
- Traditional fishing boats sound like machine guns.
More noticeable first thing in the morning when it's quiet. The engines of the traditional fishing boats going in and out of the harbour sound like machine guns.
The traditional fishing boat in the photo below on the left is in contrast to the yacht (Venus) on the right in the background. Thereby hangs a tale.....
Venus was designed for the entrepreneur Steve Jobs - the co-founder, chairman, and CEO of Apple Inc.
Steve Jobs died in October 2011 and so never saw the finished yacht. It was unveiled a year later in 2012 at a cost of more than €100 million. There are seven 27 inch iMacs on the command deck.The yacht is currently owned by his widow Laurene Powell Jobs.
Having missed seeing the yacht last year when it was in Sami bay, I was really excited and dragged Mark down to the sea front to see it and capture an early morning photo. Rocky and Bobby were, of course, completely indifferent to it!
Venus
- The village of Agia Effimia looks like a ship at night
The village of Agia Effimia is approximately 6 miles from Sami and at night ,when viewed from Sami harbour, it looks like a ship.
Agia Effimia across the sea at night
- Use of rebar (reinforcing bar)
Lots of it! It's used instead of wooden fences around gardens, but also around farmland
- Lots of festivals!
There seems to be lots of festivals especially in the summer months, most of which have religious connotations. The village of Zervata which is just down the road always seems to be having a party. Greek music, wine, beer, food and dancing until the early hours.
I found a YouTube video of a festival in Grizata last year. We went to this festival as it was our first year of living in Grizata so we thought it would be a good idea to see how it's done. The festival is held every year for the church's birthday.
Grizata church from the air
- Lots of ruins
The Great Kefalonia earthquake that struck on August 12th 1953, devastated most of Kefalonia, with most buildings being destroyed with only Fiskardo at the North of the island remaining relatively untouched. The event measured 7.2 and it raised up the whole island of Kefalonia by 24 inches. Lots of ruins remain to this day and they can be seen everywhere. The ruins have been left by previous generations, the majority of whom left the island to seek a new life in the USA, Canada and the UK after the earthquake. So, most of Kefalonia is relatively newly built.
Assos is a very picturesque village on the west coast of Kefalonia..........
Assos
.........but as you enter it you see the devastation that was caused by the earthquake.
A whole street of houses in ruins in Assos
A home for trees in Assos
Ruins of a flour mill in the valley behind us
Ruins of a house right beside us.
Ruins of what was once housing for an olive press
There's even the original olive press itself left behind.
.....and the huge bowl!
Ruins of a church just up the road from us! Inhabited now by a fig tree!
The side of the church - you can see the damage.
- You can see the Milky Way!
I'm used to living in a big city, so I've only ever seen the Milky Way when I spent a week in Duns (Scotland) in a farm house in the middle of nowhere, but over here living in a village with little light pollution - the sky is full of stars and the Milky Way is visible with the naked eye most nights as the skies are clear in the summer.
The Milky Way is there - honest!
- You can see the Milky Way!
I'm used to living in a big city, so I've only ever seen the Milky Way when I spent a week in Duns (Scotland) in a farm house in the middle of nowhere, but over here living in a village with little light pollution - the sky is full of stars and the Milky Way is visible with the naked eye most nights as the skies are clear in the summer.
The Milky Way is there - honest!
Unfortunately I can't get my Panasonic to capture it so you'll just have to take my word for it!
However, out of curiosity, I enlarged the image and I'm sure you can see several satellites/space junk (see photos below) orbiting the earth.
Tell me if I'm wrong......
