Thank you so much erica for showing us an ithica we never see in our 10 days on the island. Beatiful pictures. A & B Carlton

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Hi Erica, It's Kristalenia  I would like to say a big thank you for keeping us all I touch with our beautiful island.  With your website it's like we are all still connected as if we have never left. Take care hope to see you soon luv kris xxxxx

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Hello to everyone, thank you for the images of "our" loved Ithaca that you, every day, publish in your web site.  We have to confess that every day we watch in, having the impression to live there. We spend our holiday there since 25 years ago and the island remain special for us not only for the beach, or for the cleanness of the sea, or for the environment, but over all for the friendless of the People the live there. Thank you. Enzo e Paola Nicoli Italy

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Hello to all, and I hope you all have a most enjoyable Christmas and New Year :) Paul and Brenda Matcott

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Good morning Erika, We first travelled to Ithaca,23/9/1999,with our two children ,jumped off at Vathy,and spent a few days in a harbour side house ,we had a marvellous time ,and vowed to return.Ten years later that return trip was made ,and have since returned each year, staying three weeks at the same apartment ,right in the Village ---Great!!. We are not Greek ,however we love Ithaca,it’s people,(having formed a warm relationship with many), its beauty.Stavros is our favourite place ,especially the old yellow cafe (I call it The Pub),Northern beaches are beautiful ,we swim each day. Your news site is read regularly by us ,the pictures specular ,denoting all seasons ,the winter being especially raw and invigorating. Thank you for your writings,news,photos and web site. Let’s hope the Ferries service resumes on a regular time table ,enabling us to return in October 2014 for three weeks. Take Care and Stay well. Kind regards - Gwen and Chris Brickhill –Canterbury,Melbourne Australia.

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Erica, Many thanks for your info and photo’s, when I access your website I feel as though I’m still on the Island. I hope the Ferries get sorted out as its most important for the Island and People. Paul & Helen Karavias Melbourne Australia

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Hello Erica, we are sorry to hear about the ferry situation. wishing you and all Ithacans a way through the confusion to a happy ending. Keep up the good work. We depend on you. Thank you. Brian and May

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hi Erika, Just marvelling at the wonderful pics on your site.  It seems astonishing that,  coming out of summer, Ithaca is so green and verdant.  Breathtaking. regards George

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Hi Erika, I hope you are surviving all the uncertainty and power cuts! In case you do not know, (I only found out today by ringing one of my contacts on Kef who drives a taxi), that the Argostoli to Athens bus now goes on Kefalonian Lines (on the old Kefalonia now renamed Nissos Kefalonia) embarking at 0800 every morning; on Tuesday and Wedneday the ferry leaves from Argostoli and the other days from Poros. The journey time on the boat is just over 2 hours from Argostoli and just over 1 hour from Poros. I presume
that it then takes about 4 1/2 hours from Killini to Athens. We will be trying out this route shortly.  Best wishes, Nick

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Hi Erica During August of this year I had a surreal experience of staying opposite your house in my grandfathers(Gologos) horse stable built in 1890 and which my cousin Panos Sikiotis has recently coverted into a lovely small house. My holiday in Ithaca was magnificent probably the best holiday that I had ever had.I enjoyed reuniting with all my other Sikiotis relatives who welcomed me with open arms and catching up and having some quality time with some of my Australian cousins Nick and Marica Scotis. Drinking Mohitos at night with Steven Karametos at the new upstairs Kioni bar and admiring the view below was very memorable and relaxing. I would also like to thank you Erica for taking a photograph of myself and Helen (her family make the best chicken and chips in Australia) at the Sotiros Panyguri. You are also to be congratulated on the production of such an informative website which was a great help to someone like myself who had not visited our island for so many years. I cannot wait to show my wife Bernadette our lovely island.  Kind regards, John Sikiotis Melbourne Australia

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In this letter I want to thanks to many people from Ithaca and Kefalonia. 23 of september my son felt down in platia in Vathi on his head. Now everything is ok and I want to thanks first to the people from the farmacy in platia, to the doctors from the hospital, to the man who drived us to Piso Aetos, to the men from the sea taxi, to the people who drived us to Argostoli to the hospital and to all the people from this hospital. Want to thx for the support and for the way they took care of my son. My name is Hristina  and my son is Martin and we are from Bulgaria. We come every summer in Ithaci. For my son Ithaci is all Greece and maybe not only for him. We hope you will have soon normal place for the children to play. We wish you everything the best!

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Love the web site and look in every now and again. Apart from Vienna,  Kioni is the only holiday place we return to again and again. We have been coming for 2-3 weeks in September since about 2001 and were hoping to be with you again now but I developed an inner ear disorder and the dr said NO. You can imagine how disappointed I am especially as some kind friend bought some baklava  to cheer me up! (Rather be in Greece to eat it!!)  If you are around Kioni and see Gerti (Kioni apartments, Sentouky) please give her my very warm regards.  Keep up the good work   Regards Marie Bush

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Hi Erika, Very much enjoyed your excellent photo essay on the Bulgarian trip.  Loved the goats on the hill - I'm a fan of Bulgarian Goat's Feta! Fantastic photos. George Florence Melbourne Australia

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The Amazing Island.  Hello Erica We have been back in the UK for a few days now after a wonderful return to Ithaki. We didn’t manage to meet you this time, but staying in Kioni for a week, we saw Jenny often (including the straight hair for a christening party!). I don’t know how to explain to people what the special attraction is, but we have lost count now of how many visits we have made. We stayed for a week at Polis Bay this time & enjoyed getting better acquainted with Frikes & Stavros. I loved Katrina’s archaeology walk too. Until the next time, love to you all from Sandra & Doug

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Hi Erikah, we had such a wonderful time on Ithica and just wanted to share some of our favourite places with others. We didn't much care for our accommodation, so I won't mention it. It wasn't bad, just not what we expected, but having said that it didn't detract from our holiday at all. We loved the Vathy restaurants Libreto, Nikos and Kalkanis, we also enjoyed refreshments at Caramela cafe (what nice people), also the crepe place (can't think of the name right now) and the cafe next door. What a lively strip of activity. We had all good intentions of heading north, but got so caught up in Vathy that we didn't make time to leave and explore. This will no doubt give us incentive to return again. For all those thinking of going to Ithica, don't hesitate. It's a special island with special people who made us feel welcome and at home. Cheers from Tony and Alice.

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Hi Erica,
We have just returned from the most magical special family holiday on the islands of Kefalonia and Ithaca. On Ithaca we stayed at Homer's View villas - perfect for everyone from the 2 year olds to the 62 year olds! I notice on your site that there is some frustration around ferries so thought I would share our experience(positive)
We hired cars in Athens and drove straight down to Killini where we took the Kefalonian Lines ferry to Poros. The ferry was excellent, efficient and on time. Overnight in Poros at the Mari- Christi apartments (very good) then a lovely drive up to northern Kefalonia - our destination for the first week. From Kefalonia to Ithaca we had to return to Sami because,being a Saturday the ferry from Fiscardo was not operating. However we enjoyed the easy drive from Pisaetos to Kolieri and it gave us a good initial introduction to and orientation of the island. So if you are self driving it is easy to work around the different departure/ arrival points and ferry times. the drive from Athens to Killini was straightforward but I would recommend the route along the northern side of the gulf of Corinth and across the Rio bridge to Patras or down to Killini. It is a good road, lovely scenery and only slightly longer than the hectic road ( narrow highway) along the southern side of the gulf. It also affords the opportunity of overnighting at or near Delphi if one chooses.
We thoroughly enjoyed the walks on Ithaca particularly to the site of Homer' s school (sadly not well looked after) above our villas and the hilltop town of Exogi. The museum near Stavros was also very interesting but could have been better signposted after the turnoff from the main road. Spring flowers, butterflies, Yefuri's restaurant, Kioni, the centre of Stavros ( great local buzz any day of the week and we were fortunate to chance upon unification celebrations in the square), aghia Ioannis and the beaches beyond Vathy ( Gidaki?). We were all very sad to leave Ithaca - 6 days was way too short a time!
But we will be back. Thank you for your wonderful site which was a huge help to us as we planned the trip.
Best wishes, Rosalind Bush Cape Town

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Hi Erica, Just wanted to say keep up the great work and photos it keeps us going through the year.  Love looking at all the photos and what's going on.  Has any think changed in Kioni this year.  We have booked to come back 27th August for one week we love it so much this will be our 10th year hope to see you one evening in the village.  Kind regards - Yvonne & Les Few

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Dear Erica, Congratulations on the triumphant 10 years of this website.  I am one of many pseudo-Ithacans who has relied on this site to keep me informed about the island when I am not there - that is most of the year, excluding a couple of weeks in summer - some years.
Your photographs are always beautiful and puts me in touch whenever I feel like it.  Regards - Anita Couvaras (Exoghi and Cape Town)

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Hi there, Ann and Paul Nightingale here, we are regular visitors to your lovely island and have even appeared in some of your pictures in the past, the ones that come to mind were on one of your visits taking pictures at the festival of Polis one October, we were sitting with Judith and her mother and , then, husbal Nicky. We have been there many times, and if my memory serves me well, on one  occasion the service at that beautiful ruined church was taken by Papa Floukas, that was a good few years past. We are coming back again in September as we have been for the past 17 or 18 years, and it really is the highlight of our year. We originally stayed with the lovely Stefanos at Capt Yiannis, but after looking around for an apartment and finding a lovely one run by Polly Servos we have returned every year since, and enjoyed the apartment by the football pitch. and also the beautiful apartments up at Ayia Sofia. There is something very, very special about being at Ayia Sofia, especially on the day of celebration. My wife and I were recently given a book of the story of the life of St Joachim by Papa Theodokis and we sat under the centuries- old olive tree at Ayia Sofia, and just being there in that haven of peace and serenity was one of the most magical and spiritual experiences of my life. I defy anyone to go into the small but beautiful church, spend a while just bathing in the spirituality of it and not be moved. It is my favourite place on earth, and i thank the Servos family for allowing us to spend time there  absorbing the beauty of it all. It was made all the more memorable last year because when we were sitting looking out to sea and watching the lights sparkling like diamonds we heard the beautiful call of the skops owl- it was the icing on an already beautiful cake. We are constantly looking at your beautiful pictures Erika and they are excellent, but they do make us wish we was there so very much. My thanks to you for your lovely site and the wonderful way you keep it fresh and charming. Best wishes to all Ithakans, be they native Ithakans or wannabees like us. Memories of many wonderful years walking your lovely paths, tasting the fruits of your land and enjoying the company of your citizens are what keep us going through our cold wet miserable winters, may it always be so. Yassas Erika. Ann and Paul