Sunday, May 16, 2010

The Rest Of the Ionians

This group of Greek islands is some of the most beautiful in the world. They sweep down the west coast of the mainland one right after the other like a rock skipping across the water. Corfu is the largest and most northern. Paxi, Lefkada, Ithaki, Keffalonia Kythira and Zakynthos follow as you make your way south. Unlike previous trips, this time we sailed down the west side of Lefkada. For some reason this side of the island has the most beautiful beaches. White sand with a slight tint of pink in it and long beaches awashed with the warm turquoise ocean surf. The land has sharp cliffs that have prevented much development on this side of the island. We are able to sail right into a deserted beach, anchor the boat and dive into the refreshing water. You can see the bottom of the ocean even when it is as deep as 50 feet. Yeah it is that clear. And the ocean temperature is around 86°, a far cry from the freezing waters of Northern California, makes it just that much more inviting. There are also no protective bays on this side of the island so we end up staying on the mainland of Greece that night near the southern end of the island.

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