Melassani Cave

We got some coffee in Argostoli at a local, authentic, kafenio with Greek men who spoke no English. It was pretty great. We also got to see the sea turtles in the fishing harbor. They were stunning and graceful and everything you imagine a sea turtle to be. 

We headed for an hour drive to the town of Sami where Melassani caves are. It's basically just like a cenote. We walked down and waited in line for about 15 minutes. The place was packed with tourists. The natural air conditioning was very refreshing. Everywhere you go in Greece, you see naked statues, so there were a few of those on the wall. It is a place where fresh water meets salt water. In ancient mythology it was a place where nymphs lived. I could see that. It truly was one of the most beautiful places I've even been to. We all got in a boat for about 15 people and a guy rowed us around and took pictures of our family for us. It was a quick 15 minute ride, but for the best. You can't help but think of 50 meters deep and that you are going to be attacked by mutant sharks at any moment. Some other boat guy was singing and it was eerily gorgeous.

When we left we stopped at the gift shop for some pricey snacks. Ha!

 

ANOTHER BUSY DAY!!! Argostoli, Lixouri, Crashing Hotel Private Beaches, and the BEST MEAL IN GREECE

We headed to Argostoli to catch the ferry to Lixouri. It was great to see! Argostoli was a decent size city and I was super suprised! So far on Kefalonia, eveything had been very county and remote. Argostoli definitely had a city feel with plenty to do! The streets were very hilly, much like San Francisco. There was quite a bit of traffic and finding parking was a blessing. We split up and Jody and Christina got coffee. I took everyone else to a thrift shop where everything was 3 euros. Maria found a bunch of ponchos and I found a dress that was super comfortable. The lady was so nice and taught us how to say the bathroom in Greek, "Pu eena toileta?" Argostoli was where my Yiaya had gone to school when she was a little girl.

We walked all over the town and headed to a bakery that was quite tasty. Little morning baklava snack... 8 pounds later.

The ferry was a lovely ride. It was about 3 euros for the trip per person. We headed to Lixouri, not knowing that we were 10 minutes from Yiaya's home town of Agia Thekli. It is such a big island!!! Lixouri had a smaller feel to it. The coast was lined with restaurants, but it was not busy at all. On the ferry they were diligent about checking tickets. Everything was so hot! When we finally got to Lixouri, we were very hungry. We used google maps A LOT to find highest rated places, and it didn't dissapoint. Jody's favorite meal was at a small restaurant by a dried up stream. The woman was so kind and wonderful. She misheard us and gave us 3 plates of heaping tsaziki!! There were so many options for Nina as a vegetarian. Jody has a plate of small sardines and he ate EVERY ONE!!!

We were lucky we were able to walk we were so full! We headed down the street to a church that I thought Yiaya Sofia probably went to. It's patron saint was St. Geriassimos. Unfortunately, it was closed but it was very lovely from the outside. The walk was very hot and we were all dying. We headed back to the ferry and for the final stop, decided to go to a quick and close beach. We could not find the beach of course. So we crashed a local hotel and I've got to say, it was a perfect way to end the day. We ended up making friends with the pool boy, Ella made friends with an English family who was playing catch the ball, and Jody was off in the sea. The beach there was pretty rocky and I was glad to have a comfy chair to rest on. The hotel seemed very fancy and had a great view, but I was glad we were staying where we were!