Kythera, Greece

Saturday - Thursday, July 7-12, 2018

Bear with me here. This post is going to be a little long and a little different than the other posts from this trip. Rather than give a blow by blow report of all of the activities we did on the island each day, this is more of a reflection of the time that I have spent on Kythera and my attempt to describe the uniqueness of this place. I have strong feelings about this island, something difficult to put into words. It’s just a sense I get when I go there, knowing that even though I am several generations removed, my roots are deep, and I just feel this incredible CONNECTION to the rich history of the island.

Every visit here has been special. This island is special. Kythera doesn’t have the crowds of some of the more well-known islands, and though there are a fair share of tourists there, most of them are Kytherian Australians or Americans, whose family members emigrated from the island in recent generations. Kythera doesn’t have the glamour or polish of some of the other, more famous Greek islands like Santorini or Mykonos. It’s rugged and undeveloped. It’s actually quite large compared to many of the other Greek islands, and the great majority of the land is rocky, arid, and vastly empty. However, if you dig a little deeper and explore, heading to the edges and far corners, you will find delightful surprises all over: Caves, millions of years in the making, where locals hid to secretly practice their faith during Ottoman persecution. Rocky ruins of Venetian castles and fortresses. Gorgeous waterfalls spilling into deep crystal pools. Sprawling beaches dotted with umbrellas and comfy lounge chairs where gentle waves lap the soft white sand.

The first time I went to Kythera was in 1987. I was 13 years old. I went there for a week with my grandparents, and have extremely fond memories of that trip. We stayed at the house of my grandmother’s cousin, Manolis Alfieris, right on the beach, and I remember sitting on his deck, overlooking the incredible blue waters while eating scrumptious homemade meals that his wife, Botitsa had cooked. I remember watching my Yiayia (grandmother) relish sipping cold, milky white glasses of Ouzo, and I remember how much we both enjoyed swimming in that incredibly clear, azure Mediterranean water. I remember visiting the beautiful Myrtidiotissa Monastery with my grandparents and celebrating the Panagyri feast. At that age, I especially appreciated meeting cute Australian boys.

(1987) We spent lots of time on this balcony eating and looking out at the sea.
That's a 13-year-old-me on the left, in case you didn't recognize me.

(1987) Me with "Papou" (grandpa) at the Myrtidiotissa Monastery

The second trip was in 2009, when our son Ewan was two years old. It was a challenge to travel with a toddler, however a joy to bring him to this special place, and also share it for the first time with my husband, Gavin. During our stay, we met many Aussie visitors and made some new friends. We also discovered “new” distant cousins, and enjoyed exploring some of the island’s top sights.

Ewan playing on the beach in Agia Pelagia

At my great-grandmother's home (now in ruins) in 2009

This year was my third trip. This time we spent five nights on this island, and it wasn’t long enough! Completely coincidentally, and serendipitously, my second cousins from California (Kelly and Jason) and their parents (Mary Frances and Richard) were also visiting the island the very same week as us, and we all just happened to be staying in the same village, in the same hotel even! We have always felt close to their family, as my mom and Mary Frances were close in age (first cousins and good friends) growing up together, but we rarely see them at home. Even better, Kelly’s three kiddos (ages 18, 16, and 14) and Jason’s two boys (ages 8 and 11) were along for the ride, so Ewan was ecstatic to have an instant posse of 3rd cousins to hang out with. They were all there for the purpose of celebrating Kelly’s 50th birthday, which we were absolutely honored and excited to be able to share with them. We couldn’t have planned it better. 

First dinner all together with the cousins

So rather than tell you what we did each day, I will describe some of the highlights of the wonderful places we visited over the course of our five days. 

Potamos Market

Every Sunday morning there is a large market held in the square of the town of Potamos, one of the larger villages in the center of the island. We arrived on a Saturday evening, so I was very excited that I would be able to partake in this fun, weekly event. On Sunday morning we, along with everyone else on the island, tourists and locals alike, headed to this lively market where we sampled freshly baked cookies and pastries and tasted a sweet and spicy cinnamon liqueur specific to the island called “Fatourada.” All kinds of vendors were there, selling everything from local produce to handmade jewelry to olive oil soaps to local honey and handmade jams and preserves. I bought some gorgeous silver earrings, oregano, and soap while Gavin sipped on a cold frappé at a nearby table with Ewan in the square. It was so fun to mingle in this friendly bustle and do a little shopping.

Agia Pelagia

The town of Agia Pelagia is in the northeast coast, and is a larger village, which is where we stayed. The beach here was the closest and most convenient to where we were staying. We could walk there from our hotel (Filoxenia Apartments). The beach had beautiful white sand, and the water was so clear and warm with waves so gentle. We rented an umbrella and two lounge chairs, and took advantage of the beachside food and beverage service and ordered delicious souvlaki pitas and Mythos beers. 

Cousins played in the water while I sipped my beer in the shade

Dinner at one of the restaurants on the beach in Agia Pelagia

Chora and Kapsali

Kythera village, a.k.a. Chora, which means “village” is an absolutely charming place at the southern part of the island. It is perched on cliffs overlooking the sea, and the town of Kapsali below it. It boasts stucco buildings with sparkling white walls, curving staircases, and doorways and arches framed by bougainvillea, bursting with gorgeous pink and red hues. There were lots of lovely shops and cafes, and spectacular views at the foot of a huge, stone fortress overlooking Kapsali. 

Looking down at Kapsali

View of the fortress Kapsali

Kapsali is another little village built around a double bay dotted with fishing boats. There was a nice beach where the kids played, lined with plenty of restaurants. We had the best meal on the island at a restaurant there.

The grown ups

The kids table--all of them are Ewan's 3rd cousins

Horiatiki (Village) Salad

Calamari

Fried potatoes

Souvlakia

Octopus

We ate pretty much every meal in Greece outdoors, and without fail, at some point during lunch or dinner, multiple feline friends would arrive, looking for scraps of food. Some were friendlier than others, nevertheless, Ewan attempted to make friends with all of them, and even succeeded a couple of times!

Mylopotamos

This village near the center of the island had so much to do and explore. We began with a guided tour in a nearby massive cave, made up of impressive formations and stalactites and stalagmites. Even more fascinating, were the beautifully preserved frescoes from the 15th century that were painted on the walls, next to a chapel that was built near the cave’s entrance. Kythera had been under Ottoman rule for nearly 400 years, and therefore locals had to practice their Orthodox faith in secrecy. 

View from near the cave entrance

Really cool formations in the cave

Chapel built inside the cave where persecuted
Orthodox Christians practice their faith in secret

Beautifully preserved fresco inside the cave dating from the 15th or 16th century

Nearby, Kato Hora is an old ruined Venetian castle. Unfortunately I couldn’t find much information about its history, but it was quite a large complex and fun to explore. 

Mylopotamos also boasts some beautiful waterfalls and water mills. We hiked down to one of the waterfalls, but we didn’t go as far to see the mills. Apparently at one point there were 22 watermills along the river that were used to grind wheat into flour. 

The waterfall behind us was just a trickle in the summer, but still beautiful!

We also happened upon these adorable kittens when in a wine shop in Mylopotamos. They were only 4 weeks old! Ewan was loving it!

The Cat Lady of Kythera

And speaking of cats, at the Potamos market on Sunday, we met Irene, the “Cat Lady” of Kythera. She had a booth where she sold homemade jams, soaps, jewelry and t-shirts to raise money for her organization. We learned that she moved to Kythera from Holland over ten years ago and has started a new life for herself by creating an organization that helps to take care of the homeless cats on the island by feeding, neutering and vaccinating them. We asked her if we could come visit the shelter at her home where she cares for the most needy animals: those that are blind and/or deaf, those who have kidney problems, or other ailments. We met her at the church in Karvounades and followed her to her property where we were impressed by the shelter she had built on the side of her house. She had around 20 kitties who came swarming when we walked in, many of them missing eyes. Apparently there is a very common virus cats contract as kittens that eats away at their eyeballs and obviously renders them blind, poor things. She also had half a dozen kittens that she was taking care of, one of which needed a sponsor. Anyone can “adopt” a specific cat in need on the island for €55 a year, and you get to choose the cat’s name, and she will update you with pictures of your kitty throughout the year. She informed us that one of the female kittens was in need of a sponsor. She was only 12 weeks old, but had already lost an eye to the virus by the time Irene had found her, but it didn’t slow her down at all. She was cuddly, friendly and as active as you would expect a kitten to be. Of course we agreed to sponsor her, and gave her the name "Daphne." We had so much fun cuddling and playing with her and all of her little furry friends. If you would like to learn more about the work that Irene does and possibly support a sweet needy kitty on Kythera, check out her website.

Our sweet kitty we "adopted" and named Daphne

Avlemonas

This is a little fishing village on the east coast of the island worth mentioning. Though we didn’t spend much time here, we were quite captivated by its beauty. The main feature of the village is this amazing little swimming cove, framed with large boulders that are tailor-made for jumping off of into the crystal waters in the deep pool below. They have even built ladders up the rocks to help swimmers get to these rocky cliff more easily and safely. As in most of the coastal villages, there are ruins of a stone fortress there as well.

Swimming cove in Avlemonas

View through an opening in the ruined fortress in Avlemonas

Myrtidiotissa Monastery 

This is a beautiful monastery on the western part of the island with an interesting legend. The version I’ve heard is described as such:  A shepherd found an icon of the Virgin Mary (Panagia) and Christ Child in a myrtle bush (myrtidia is myrtle in Greek). When he brought the icon home, it disappeared, and mysteriously returned to the same bush the next day. This happened multiple times until he realized that the icon belonged there and he built a chapel to house the icon and he dedicated it to the Panagia. Many miracles have been attributed to this icon over the years, and the faithful have shown their appreciation by donating large wax candles and other items, which our housed in the original chapel, below the larger church that was built in the 1800s. This is a beautiful and tranquil place, and definitely worth a visit if you ever are on the island.

Interesting arch on the road to the monastery

Icon of the Panagia Myrtidiotissa

View inside the church

Bell tower at the monastery 

I know this might seem like a lot, but we really only just scratched the surface of Kythera, in the five days that we spent on the island. There were many more places that I would have liked to check out, but we just didn’t have time. Nevertheless, this island left, as it always does, a deep impression on my heart. Kythera has it all: delicious food, warm and caring people, beautiful beaches, exciting adventure, ancient caves, fascinating history, evocative ruins, and vibrant spirituality. I love its unique combination of being raw and unspoiled, yet inviting and accessible. I look forward to returning!