When big yachts with passengers, international tycoons, and expensive loaded people, choose for their favorite anchor Meganissi, and the surrounding small islands of Lefkada...in the Ionian sea, in Greece.
...then it is worth seeing why Meganissi has turned into a superstar of the Ionian islands ...!
With an area of just 22.4 sq. km, Meganisi counts more than 30 kilometers of exotic coastlines and owes everything to its idyllic shape.
To the south is a simple, narrow islet, ideal for being fooled to cross the Ionian Sea.
To the north, the land spreads and the edges are divided into varied segments that sink into the sea, creating natural harbors reminiscent of fjords, serene, well-known and unexplored beaches.
In the largest island of Televoids (which belongs to Scorpios), the shores are countless.
Others with rocks and others with the pine trees bordering on the waves, most of them with white coarse sand and fine gravel contrasting with the green-blue waters, are made for you, who yearned patiently, hoping for that calm.
But you also enjoy the feeling that you are somewhat "important," somewhere that many would like to be with you. And you do not have to be bluish or recognize strangers.
Meganissi is still accessible for all, with luxurious villas and well-kept budget rooms, and something like that is for food.
The ferry from Lefkada's Nydri directly opposite takes less than half an hour to take you to Vathy, in the northern part.
This is the main harbor of the island, a traditional fishing village that stretches in the bay of the bay, with taverns that taste the ouzo and sea meze and the boats in front of you inspire at least for big dreams. Or they make you feel you do not need anything else.
Always remember that behind the luxurious yachts and famous visitors there is an ancient history: Meganisi is inhabited since the Neolithic era and was first mentioned by Homer in the Odyssey. His story always met with Lefkada.
Corinthians, Romans, Venetians, Franks, Ottomans, Frenchmen, Russians and Englishmen passed away before the island was proclaimed Greek in 1864. Do you want to know more?
From Vathi you will definitely have a boat that will lead you to your whole beaches, but also to the sea caves like Giovanni, Demon and the biggest "attraction" of all, that of Papanikoli: the locals will tell you the hideout of the legendary submarine during the Second World War.
In Vathi you will find the only taxi on the island, if not the vehicle in person, its driver's phone at PPC's poles. You do not come with your own car anyway, there is good transport, but the best means of transport remains the boats.
Two traditional settlements, also in the northern part, embellish your summer frame in the green island. Above Vathy, Katomeri reminds of a neighborhood of old with stone houses, small shops and bars for those who do not say "no" to the nightlife.
On the day, however, from here you will descend to the famous Atherinos, to see the turquoise waters reminiscent of the glass so uncomfortably as they stand.
The Fanari with the fine pebble beach, Porto Elia and Limonari are beaches on your way and you must definitely look for them.
The third settlement, Spartochori, and the first stop for the ferry, except for the island's alleys, has the privilege of a panoramic view of Scorpios and the coasts of Lefkada and a beautiful harbor below it, Spilia, usually full of boats and sailing as if they were set up for photography.
Ai-Giannis, Pasoumaki, Ampelakia and Loutrolimni or Bereta are also some beaches that will be suggested by those who have gone to Meganissi, but here is the point of discovering yourself so much that you can tell them.
Lefkada, this prominent island of the Ionian Sea, with the cosmopolitan charm, and the famous beaches, will give you the shine you need on your holidays.
You have certainly seen pictures of the famous beaches of Lefkada. But when you visit here, you will find that her truth overcomes any reputation. Lefkada island is easily accessible, hospitable, alive, and it has the recipe of the perfect holidays.
The Ionian Sea is anxious to embrace your experiences during your stay in Lefkada. Kathisma, Egremni, Porto Katsiki, the most beautiful beaches of the Mediterranean, awarded each year with a Blue Flag and winning international distinctions, will also win your heart.
You will definitely want to revisit here.
Find private boat tours and live the adventure around the small islands of the area and of course the beaches of Lefkada, including also Scorpios island of the Onassis family ... Sports and activities never end here.
Inland tours, luxury or traditional hotels and restaurants on the waves, or up in the mountain.
The vibrant town of Lefkada invites you to its culture, which - like all the Ionian islands - hides an ambiance from the West. The market is busy and the footpaths are small and colorful like in the fairy tales.
A small walk to the colorful footpaths some talking with the locals, and a dish of the world famous Englouvi lentils, will bring you closer to that magic island of Greece.
What is worth seeing in Lefkada
Swim at the most popular beaches of Lefkada. Ready for a swim in paradise? Beaches with turquoise and green waters, white sand or fine white pebbles.
Extensive exotic beaches, coves, rocks cut vertically, pine trees that reach up to the water. Kathisma, Egremni, Mylos, Peukoulia, Mills, Amoglossa. And the star of the island, Porto Katsiki.
Every dive is a cleansing. Every beach is an unforgettable experience. Stay here till late and enjoy the majestic Ionian sunset!
Cruise in the ... islands of Lefkada. In Nydri, plenty of curling in the series are shaken in the rhythm of the aura. Eagerly waiting for the sailboats to plow the Ionian Sea. Solve the cages and open sails for the turquoise waters.
Four islands - small paradises - are waiting for you to discover: Pringiponisa, Meganissi, Kalamos and Kastos. For sailing enthusiasts, the islands of Lefkada are among the most popular destinations in Greece.
Visit Scorpios, the island of Onassis. Right opposite Nydri, one of the most famous islands in Greece and all over the world.
Scorpios is the resort of the magnate Aristotle Onassis, his cherished island, his "shelter". It bought it in 1963 and "embroidered" it with all sorts of trees and exotic plants.
Liz Taylor, Richard Burton, Kennedy, Churchill, kings, dukes, shipowners ... Everyone was found in the famous feasts and parties in Scorpios island and the yacht Christina, all discovered the magic of the Ionian Sea. Here, Onassis himself has been resting ever since 1975, after his death.
Surfin 'Lefkada. Get prepared and we are gone for windsurfing on the beaches of Vasiliki and Ai Yiannis, two of the best in the world for the sport.
Just in case you prefer kitesurfing, Myloi Beach, next to the town of Lefkada, is ideal.
If you are more adventurous, with the paragliding you will enjoy an unforgettable flight and an exciting landing in Kathisma, one of the most beautiful beaches. Or, you can fly with the airplanes of Lefkada Airways Group.
Myths and legends in the lighthouse of Lefkatas. When you get here, legendary energy envelops you. In place of the current lighthouse, 60 meters above sea level, in antiquity, sacrifices were made, so that the gods might be redeemed. That is why the sanctuary of Lefkata Apollo was built here.
After the 6th century, the sacrifices to the gods were replaced by sacrifices of desperate lovers. Of the whimsical girls who lost their lives jumping from here, the rock was called "Sappho Alma" and later "Kavos of Kyra". One of the most interesting sights in Lefkada, worth visiting.
From the castle of Agia Mavra to Gyra. At the entrance of the island welcomes you the sturdy Castle. In 1300 the Venetian ruler John Orsini took Lefkada for ... dowry and began to build it. His defense, seven battalions on his seven sides. Inside, the chapel of Agia Mavra, the patron saint of Lefkada, celebrating on May 3rd with a big feast.
From the Castle to the northwest of the city, a narrow 7 km of land embraces the lagoon of Gyra. The red villa of Kalkani, windmills and fishing houses in a unique wetland that hosts protected bird species ... A walk all the inspiration.
Surprises on the footpaths of Lefkada town. Like the air, you will also walk around the city's streets. Here you will see colorful houses - built after destructive earthquakes - painted in soft colors, trimmed with flowers and neat.
With a walk, you will discover other surprises. Sightseeing in the lively squares and pedestrian streets, 17th, and 18th-century aristocratic shops and churches: impressive bell towers, elaborate temple, and extraordinary images of Ionian art.
Agios Nikitas, the picturesque. The car is forbidden here. The traditional settlement of Agios Nikitas will experience it by walking.
A picturesque harbor, green everywhere, fish taverns, cafes and bars in the waves, small hotels, stone houses glued ... From here you take the boat to the nearby beach of Mylos: indescribable, exotic beauty.
The hidden treasures of Lefkada
The Venetian olive grove. The thick shade of perennial olive trees tells their story. The olive grove, which embraces the western side of the city, was created by the Venetians in the 17th century. There, you will enjoy a walk or cycling among the "immortal" olives.
The waterfalls in Dimosari. Follow the shady path below the plane trees to find yourself in a unique revelation: from the huge rocks, the water drops violently into a deep blue lake. You will not resist a swim. Your holidays in Lefkada will surely compensate you.
Englouvi's lentils. Small production, but great ... taste. They are cooked in large cauldrons by the women of the village at the festival of Agios Donatos on August 7th, on the plateau with the big wells above the village. The feast on your plate.
How to enclose into a museum a world-wide intellectual vision, a national brand, a real intellectual, a great poet, and yet a perishable man suffering from affection in love?
Αll this was Angelos Sikelianos, who, without the two women of his life, the American Eva Palmer Sikelian and Anna Kapanaris Sikelianos, might not be able to unfold.
The grand visions of Sicilian in a shell-jewel
The Sicilian Museum is the first to wish to present:
1. The core of Sikelianοs overall work and interpret his position as a national poet.
2. The realizations of his overall poetic work with his actions (Delphic Feasts) and his position as a political being and intellectual.
3. The presentation of Sikelianos and his relationship with Eva and Anna, as well as the Greek and international reality.
In the two-floor house that was born and lived in his childhood in Lefkada, Sikelianos, it finally became possible to develop the vision and the act of the poet, but also the Sikelianοs himself.
Exhibits and exhibition material
Anna's wedding dress and her woven handcuffs for Angelos and her clients, the hand-made clothing that Eva wore for herself and the Delphic Feasts, her passport, her red hair that she cut when she was in America.
Also, other publications rare and manuscripts of Angelos and other exhibits, are animating moments and situations around Sikelianos early life.
The exhibition architecture
The architectural museological study followed the partitioning of the house, the whole concept conveying the feeling of a house that is celebrated a poem above the common measures and hosts an equally pious poet.
Earthy and tender colors enhance the sense of familiar space.
Oxidized metals indicate the passage of time, while sounds and narratives, the voice of the poet, amplify the experience of the visitor.
Real exhibits with the breeze of time and time alternate with animated images that vibrate the rest of figurative and writing content.
The faces of the poet and his life stamped into the walls to look at us, while his bold writing drew the walls and burst into the interior of the building as a reminder of the inaccessibility of his national presence and his immediate visions.
The visit ends with Sikelianow and his life-gatherers, Eva and Anna. Both of them with the same loom supported the creative act and the survival of Angelos.
The NBG (National Bank of Greece) has commissioned a specialized cinematographic group to create a 15-minute event for an experiential tour of the Angelos Sikelianos Museum. This act of corporate social responsibility delivers to Lefkada the poets, the intellectuals and the artists the museum that suits its great poet, a museum that eventually fits her.
You have to visit this really wonderful museum on your holidays in Lefkada island, in the town of Lefkada.
Climbing up the mountain of Lefkada towards Englouvi, there is a sudden surprise you will find in this adventure in Lefkada.
Four huge antennas are witnessing the Abandoned US Army Base, a ghost area with a wondering past, right at the edge of the steep slide of the mountain.
We took all the way to the end of the steep and narrow mountain road following the signs, and we made some photos to show you in this blog, that we thought you might like.
This NATO base was built almost 50 years ago, in the 60's by the American Army in the cold war.
As USA needed to keep an eye in the area during the cold war, they built that massive and super modern infrastructure, for its ages, with the huge antennas, in order to control the area.
The base was fully equipped with all the up to date facilities, although the remote location of the base made the procurement significantly difficult.
This base was build in the idea of independence and autonomy. Oil tanks, electricity generators or ruins of basketball courts to keep the soldiers fit, are among the things that someone can find here.
Its rising period lasted for almost three decades, and the base influenced a lot the local economy of the island of Lefkada.
Finally, in the early nineties after the fall of the USSR its operations were judged as obsolete by the US government, and it finally shut down.
Now it reminds more of a ghost area, but the view from here is extremely stunning. A great place for a tour while on holidays in Lefkada.
The shutting down was followed by the deliverance of the base to the greek army, that didn't bring any big change.
The Greek Army after keeping it for a few years inactive, it handed it over to the municipality of Karya village in order to renovate it and use it as a touristic attraction.
The lack of drinking water in the wider area, as well as its remote location, kept the costs really high to maintain such a project.
The base lies abandoned for almost 30 years now, and though it didn't have an official touristic ending, its creepy leftovers are still a unique touristic attraction of great mystery and lost memories.
A great place of inspirational background for capturing great pictures if you are into it.
I personally die for areas like this one, and I do not lose the chance to kill those moments with my camera.
So, just relax and enjoy the rest of this photo shooting.
