water

Fascinating Fiscardo

Posted on by collymarples

Today’s time travelling trawl takes us back to the beautiful Kefalonian village of Fiscardo in 2019.

With its pretty little beach, bustling harbour and terraces of adorable houses, it is picture postcard perfect.

Fiscardo is unique in that it is the only village on Kefalonia that has so many of the original Venetian buildings intact and still in use.

From every vantage point the azure ocean stretches to the horizon with any number of boats bobbing serenely on its surface.

Fiscardo is a bit of a boaters paradise and the harbour is jammed pack with boats of all sizes and specifications.

The buildings in Fiscardo managed to escape the devastating earthquake of 1953 that destroyed many parts of Kefalonia. Most of the houses are built in the attractive Venetian design and painted in pastel colours.

Shops and tavernas huddle around the harbour offering numerous opportunities to enjoy the day’s fresh catch.

The ubiquitous Bougainvillea drapes its shocking pink bracts over every surface, brazen in the knowledge that it steals the show every time!

Weathered wood, traditional textiles and colourful paintings are also on offer to the souvenir seekers.

Colourful walls sit baking in the midday sun while sunflowers are an obvious choice to flourish in this sweltering Greek town.

Dropping down to the harbour side offers some respite from the heat and I am a sucker for a floaty boaty!

Taking a walk away from the town and around the headland reveals more stunning, private little covers where clear waters lap at your feet as warm as bath water!

There’s so much to see that it warrants another post! So enjoy the sun seeking hubby as he paddles in the glorious water below!

Blue water dreaming

Posted on by collymarples

It might be snowing, raining and flooding here in dismal Blighty but my mind is floating away in the warmth of a Kefalonian summer!

Stopping for a brief pause on our road trip around the island, we stumble upon this little roadside pebble beach.

Complete with obligatory bobbing boats!

Everywhere you look, Kefalonia has a delightful cove or hidden beach begging to be discovered.

Melissani Cave

Posted on by collymarples

One of our favourite things when in sunnier climes is to enjoy the stunning array of different coloured water!

Whether it’s turquoise blue, crystal clear or emerald green. Kefalonia is no exception with an abundance of amazing natural caves, coastlines and water courses to explore.

One of the most stunning is the Melissani Cave – an incredible, natural cavern of almost unnatural blueness.

In Greek mythology, Melissani was the Cave of the Nymphs and it features an ethereal subterranean lake that can be explored for a small fee.

It can be found located east of the mountains of Evmorfia and Agia Dynati. You queue down to the cavern for the chance to be ferried around for about 20 minutes.

The cave itself is B-shaped with two chambers or halls separated with an island in the centre. The roof of one of the halls collapsed many centuries ago letting the bright sunlight filter in.

Because the cave is open to the elements so you can look up and see the clear blue skies, while trees fringe the edges.

When the sunlight hits the water, it becomes almost luminescent. It’s best to get there for about mid day if possible, to fully experience this phenomena.

Myth has it that the cave was named after the nymph Melissanthi who committed suicide because her love for the God Pan was not reciprocated.

Gorges de la Spelunca

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Next up on our Corsican odyssey is an exploration of the gorgeous Gorges de la Spelunca.

Just inland from Porto, the awesome gorges offers splendid hiking, plus freshwater swimming on hot days.

The Gorges de Spelunca are scenic river valleys cutting through the mountains. Rocky paths pass alongside stunning gushing waters of green, blue and brown.

We took the shorter route which was from the road bridge to the old Pont de Zaglia in the gorge-bottom forest – and back again. It took about two hours in total.

The winding path passes through the gorges with mountains, river valleys and pools. It’s a bit of a scramble in the heat but well worth it when you reach your destination.

After about 40 minutes you reach the Ponte a Zaglia. A fairy-tale like Genoan stone bridge that was built at the end of the 18th century to make life easier for the locals and the shepherds.

The bridge has a very high arch because at certain times of year the river becomes very large and fast flowing.

Next to the Ponte à Zaglia bridge there are some glorious pools of colourful water surrounded by boulders, which are an excellent place for a picnic.

After a sweaty hike these beautiful pools are like magnets to us.

The rushing, sparkling water is so tempting as it glitters under the Corsican sunshine.

How tempting does this beautiful pool look? The man looks like he is about to dive right in!

And he’s in. Dipping his toes in this wonderful green pool of cooling goodness.

Even now, the water makes me want to leap in! I can remember the boiling heat on my neck and the beguiling sparkles on the river.

Then finally I take the plunge! Like a plump mermaid, wallowing in the gorgeous, shockingly cold, pools.

It might have been a little chilly (and I might have soaked my only set of clothes) but it was awesome!!!

Look how delighted we both are!! Thumbs up from us, definitely a must see.

Circle Line cruise

Posted on by collymarples

We’re taking to the water to see the city of NYC from a new perspective now with a Circle Line Cruise.

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Started in 1945 Circle Line is one of the oldest NYC cruise companies and offers lots of different options for seeing the Big Apple from the water.

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Departing from Pier 83, close to the Intrepid Aircraft carrier that now serves as a museum, we opted for the Landmarks Cruise.

Two and a half hours of gentle floating between some of the most iconic sights the city has to offer.

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From the comfort of the deck you can see it all, from the One World Centre to the Empire State, the Chrysler Building to the Brooklyn Bridge.

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And of course, the most iconic green woman ever created – Lady Liberty. I don’t pretend to be cool about it, the hubby remains impassive but he is excited inside – I think!

 

Here’s a few phone snaps of the lady herself – not great quality but you get the gist.

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Later on in our trip we’ll get to climb up to the pedestal of this world famous landmark for a proper up close look at here.

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After bidding goodbye to her for a while the cruise carries on to the three impressive bridges that span the East River – below is just one of them.

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We got the cruise as part of the New York City Pass which saved us some money and also time queuing at several attractions.

It’s well worth a look if you know exactly what you want to see and have the luxury of a few days to see them in.

Other passes tend to make you cram everything into one, two or three days but this one allowed you to do them at leisure over nine days.

Captivating Capriccioli

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We’re heading to the last of the stunning Costa S’meralda beaches now – the lovely Capriccioli.

It’s a small beach with a length of 200 meters is surrounded by an abundance of lush Mediterranean brush, with olive and pine trees.

The beach is divided into two parts by enormous granite rocks and is a gorgeous stretch of white sand and gently shelving waters.

The waters are very shallow and so very safe for children and other water babies!

As is common with the Costa Smeralda beaches there are lots of weird, weather beaten rocks that seem to have fallen from an alien planet.

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The waters are as close to the Caribbean as you can get just three hours from the UK.

But luckily Sardinia doesn’t seem to have registered on the tourist hit list so far, so rampant development hasn’t happen and it retains a low key, laid back vibe.

With beaches this amazing though, I doubt it will be long before people looking for alternative, cheap holiday destinations start to wise up to this amazing island.

 

 

 

Spiaggia del Principe

Posted on by collymarples

Next on our coastal trip around the Costa S’meralda is the gorgeous little sandy spot of Spiaggia del Principe.

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Spiaggia del Principe, also known as Portu Li Coggi, is one of the best beaches of Costa Smeralda.

The Prince’s Beach is aptly named as it was the favourite beach of Karim Aga Khan IV, the playboy prince who fell in love with the stunning Sardianian coastline and founded the Costa S’meralda.

The beach is located near the small village of Cala di Volpe, between Romazzino beach and Capriccioli.

It will take you a good ten-minute walk along a rocky path before you’ll get rewarded with an arc of stunning white sand, lovely clear water and ever-changing hues of turquoise.

Principe Beach is about 250 meters long in total and is divided by rocks in the middle that stretch out into the ocean.

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White, pink, green, emerald green, blue, turquoise and sky blue colours all combine to make this little beach pack a huge punch!

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There’s a small bar that serves lunch, ice cream and cold drinks. Much needed refreshments in the baking heat of the Sardinian sun.

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It’s a definite must for the avid beach lover and a lovely little spot for watching the waves. It gets chock a block in high season though so visiting in October is perfect.

Simply stunning

Posted on by collymarples

There’s no other words to describe our next Sardinian hot spot – simply stunning just about covers it.

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La Pelosa beach (Spiaggia della Pelosa) with its warm shallow turquoise waters and glittering white sands, is a true oasis of wonder.

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It could easily stand as possibly the best beach I have ever been to, it’s that incredible.

The beach is 300 meters long – and up to 60 meters wide in some spots and is overlooked by an ancient sixteenth century watchtower.

There are two main inlets, each with its own small harbour: The old port is Minori (small) and the new port is Mannu (big)

These unreal azure waters and pristine sands are like a little taste of the Caribbean but just under three hours from the UK!

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The imposing stone tower, the Torre della Pelosa,  used to be part of Sardinia’s marine defense system but now just serves as yet more stunning scenery.

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With it’s shallow waters barely coming up to waist height, this beach is a magnet for families and tourists alike.

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As it’s October we are lucky enough to get the benefit of relatively warm weather but the bonus of sparse crowds. I would imagine in the height of summer this place is thronged.

I could wax lyrical for every and a day about the crystal clear waters with gentle ripples revealing the pure white sands beneath.

The sea, the glorious sea! In places turquoise, in others azure, teal and cadet blue.

 

Soft fine sand swirls beneath our feet as we wade through the shallow waters of the bay.

In short, as close to beach paradise as you’ll likely to come in Europe. No wonder the man is jumping for sheer joy!

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We’ll do our best not to look too smug, but hey! Who can help it when the view is this good!

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If you’re heading to Sardinia then you’d be very foolish not to check out this slice of paradise. But try out of season to avoid the heaving masses!!

Wondrous waters

Posted on by collymarples

Missed a post! Ooops . .  while in the little village of Portixeddu we take a little trek upwards to enjoy the peaceful view.

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From our vantage point we have a perfect view of the stunning Sardinian coastline.

Rugged outcrops of rock surge out of the crystal clear waters that sparkle in a host of hues from emerald green to turquoise and royal blue.

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it’s a little taster of the incredible seascapes that we’ll encounter as we travel around this lovely island.

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Water babies

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As a final farewell to Kos this post is dedicated to the wonderous swimming pool at our awesome hotel!

Being UK residents we don’t often have the chance to float around in an azure pool in the warmth!

So this post is just dedicated to the splashy, watery delights of this epic scale pool.

 

Floating, lolling, posing and a little bit of swimming too! In water based heaven.

And with that we bid adieu to Kos, it was a roller coaster of a trip but well worth it.

Next up we’re heading to the enchanting island of Sardinia for some pizza, cocktails and utterly stunning beaches!