You might wonder how come I am a first timer on a Greek island (Lefkada that is) despite being a well travelled one and Greece not being such a vast country. That's actually a result of focusing on touring abroad since I find it more motivating to visit places that differ from the ones I'm used in, preferably in a good way. However, what many people ignore is the fact that Greece is VERY diverse and FULL of nice places therefore even if I was doing domestic kms there would still be many nice places left unvisited. I mean, the Greek islands alone are flirting with countless and it's rare to find even an indifferent one so exploring all of them could be a lifetime dedicated task with questionable success.
The one I'm currently at, Lefkada, has the great advantage to be bridged so you just drive there - how cool is that! To be precise, it's an idle ferry that does the bridging which folds or rotates when vessels pass through - quite an inspired construction worth checking out.
I leave my AirBnb at the village of Tsoukalades and hop on my bike as I can't wait to see how the stunning images of Lefkada match the island's reality. More than happy to find out that they actually do! Even the first random view point I find on my way gives a first taste of the colours to follow:
The day is an overcast pale one like yesterday which unfortunately doesn't compliment the view but still shows Lefkada's unique shades of Blue peppered with White ("lefko" means "white" in Greek). That can feel exotic even for a Greek.
The island is also famous for its steep slopes and landslides and I get a taste of both at the very same spot on the opposite side:
Let's move on:
Only a few meters later a more "formal" view point overlooking Pefkoulia beach is impossible to skip. Here's why:
There's no such thing like enough of this blue:
Do your self a favour and choose to visit this during Spring so you get some flowers as bonus in your pictures:
With a heavy heart I had to convince me and my bike to leave this heaven and continue South:
When the sea is not an attraction the trees and rock formations take charge:
Here is Pefkoulia beach from its South end:
I get a feeling I'm not the only one enjoying the view:
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The island looks already fulfilling the promises as the above is my harvest in my very first kms already and trust me I left many out to keep this short. I make a stop at Agios Nikitas to check some more gems around there. As soon as I leave the bike and start walking I meet this very old olive tree:
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Feels like it's got as many wrinkles as stories to tell.
I take the path that leads to Mylos beach which starts with these stairs in full flower power Spring mood:
A gravel path follows:
The view to Agios Nikitas from here is sweet:
But this one through this opening definitely is too:
The path continues in the woods:
And later becomes rocky:
Interesting to see the roots of the trees exposed like that on this trail:
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I'm close to the top of this hill anxious to finally get view to the beach - its name is written on this stone wall:
Goodness me, look at the beach itself:
How awesome is this! One of the best views from the top ever. Here's one more before I go:
Here is a summary of the clips I recorded so far:
As I'll be exploring the island for the next days let me know if you wanna see a specific place and I'll visit it if circumstances allow.
To be continued 🙂