“We are about to arrive in paradise. If this is your final destination, please prepare to disembark shortly,” is what the captain should have announced as we pulled into the port of Kythera. What he really said was more along the lines of “Welcome to Kythera, please take all your belongings with you,” leaving us totally unaware that the island we were about to step on to was in fact paradise.
We did know, however, that we wouldn’t be disappointed by Kythera. Hence our 22 day odyssey through Southeastern Europe to get there (and yes, I’ve been dying to say odyssey when talking about my voyage to Greece). However, I wasn’t prepared for how much like my idea of a perfect Greek island it would be.
Our days started with a friendly “kalimera” from our neighbours as we sat on the balcony drinking coffee. Of course we followed that with Greek yoghurt topped with figs we’d collected the day prior before we could head out and enjoy the island.
We spent our days swimming, eating, exploring and then eating some more. One day we did an olive oil tasting, one day we did an ouzo tasting, another day we drove around looking for moussaka and on Sundays went in search of octopus to be washed down with ouzo. Along the way we discovered postcard perfect beaches, white villages which looked liked they’d come from every Greek stereotype you’d ever seen, and splashes of Greek blue exactly where you’d expect them.
Kythera might not be as well known as more touristy Greek Islands, but it’s certainly no less beautiful. Or so I’m told, but I guess I’ll just have to go back to Greece to find out. And while I’d like to discover more Greek Islands, I feel like I might just end up going back to this paradise.
Are you interested in reading more from my trip through the Southeastern Europe? I started in Ljubljana, took a side trip to Lake Bled, stopped quickly in Split and Dubrovnik, then went to Mostar and Sarajevo. To get to Skopje, I spent a night in Kosovo. Then I travelled through Greece, stopping in Meteora and Gytheio on my way to Kythera. Click on the links to find out more.
Tali Goes Travelling 
O my goodness, this place looks quite divine. Although it hasn’t been raining here in Ireland much lately, I wouldn’t mind escaping someplace warm! Especially living in isolation without any human connection for such a long time. Hopefully we can start traveling again soon. Thanks for sharing and have a good day 😀 Aiva
It really is divine! I hope it is safe to travel again soon too, it would be nice to escape somewhere like Kythera when we can. And if not, at least we can remember all the amazing places we’ve been and to get inspiration for future trips while we wait. Stay safe and have a good day too 🙂 Tali
Wow, that is so beautiful, inspirational as we lockdown for our Covid winter. A spirit lifter. Thank you for sharing,also.
Thank you, I know you’ll love it when Covid is over and you can finally get to Greece. It really is just like the postcards!
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Seriously, Kythera looks like a paradise! What a beautiful destination! Thank you for sharing.
It really is paradise! 🙂