Keri - Zakynthos

Keri harbour seen from nearby hills

   This August I had a chance to visit Zakynthos (in greek Ζάκυνθος, in italian Zante), a greek island in the Ionian sea lying almost in the same parallel (37°.79'N) as my native town Messina (38°11'N)  which, by the way, had been a greek colony founded in 740 B.C. and named in greek Ζàγκλης (in old sicilian Zanclo), that is sickle, because of its natural harbour shape. This cultural, and may be old genetic link, which I feel with Greece, gives me a sense of belonging whenever I visit this beautiful european country.

   The occasion was spurred by the desire to meet a friend I hadn’t seen, for various reasons, in ten years; and what impressed me most from this encounter was that he looked quite the same, or rather, he looked better because he had quit smoking and had been living almost all that time in California; he has just put some weight on: you know, USA food. He is being an habitué of this nice greek island since twenty years and, as my son had been invited to pass an holiday there with his one, after a week I got their proposal to join them even if - because of logistics in their rented flat - I had to stay in a pension called Apelati, an accomodation which my friend thought suitable for me and a choice which I appreciated a lot: no moquitos and comfortingly fresher in summer nights than a seaside dwelling.  

Zakynthos map

   My going to Greece this year was also felt by me – as by thousands of Italians – as a must: to encourage this nation’s ailing economy, although in my case I was amply rewarded, also in economic terms. As a matter of fact, on my way back to Milano, via Athens, I got acquainted by an Olympic Air hostess that the flight had been overbooked and that the company was offering to the ones accepting to fly on the next day flight – via Wien - a four stars hotel room outside the capital, in Vravrona Bay, Attica, back and forth transportation and, hold the breath, € 250 cash, a donation which I immediately signed for, to enjoy the rest that inevitably you need after a vacation, as a scuba diver needs a decompression chamber after being immersed deep into the sea for a long time.

   At this point, even if it may sound partisan, I have to say that Olympic Air has made a very good impression on me: new aeroplanes – even the one from Zakynthos to Athens was a brand new Bombardier with leather seats (just for you not to misunderstand, it wasn’t a Greek Air Force bomber lent to the company for emergency: Bombardier is the name of the world’s third largest civil aircraft manufacturer) and the food and service, as on the route Wien-Milano, was excellent; and this may probably be put down to Olympic Air CEO Antonis Simigdalas. Yes, we Europeans, have to help Greece, a nation from which has stemmed our culture. Even the name Europa (in Greek language Ευρώπη) derives from this nation’s mithology: the story says that she was a woman living in the island of Crete abducted by Zeus in the form of a white bull. I mean, if we would let fail this country from which comes our identity, in the long run, the whole Europe project will sink too. Identity is a force which melts into all our activities even in the products we exports to more competing countries worldwide whose citizens will choose to buy those goods also because of the ideas, history and miths they convey with.

   The best way to enjoy a vacation in Keri area is to go there with a rubber dinghy. My friend too has this kind of boat with which went rod fishing, but this year, because of changing currents – as local fishermen pointed out – few catches were recorded: during countless hours of plying the island coastal waters, slow-trolling with live needlefish as bait, we got only two strong bites from unknown creatures – most probably amberjacks - whose pulling was so strong that in the end they tore the lines.

   In Keri harbour are mostly hosted rubber dinghy boats and small local fishermen trawlers berthed at the  artificial concrete quay. A peculiar geologic phenomenon - aeons old - happens in this place: from the sands under the sea you can peek bubbles, sometimes as big as oranges, surfacing and you can smell the hydrocarbon gases generated in the underlying strata of bituminous limestone. On the left of the picture, near the center, is visible the turtle shaped Marathonisi Island. 

   The Apelati pension in Keri. In the foreground a rubber dinghy readied to be hauled back to Italy by some pension's customers after the end of their holiday. Herunder a series of typical zakinthian dishes offered by the pension's restaurant. From left, lamb chops and french fries, wild rabbit stew and stuffed farmyard chicken.

A bimillenary olive tree. The zakynthian olive oil is mild and tasty very suited to sprinkle a greek salad.

   A roadside map of Zakynthos whose upper part is covered by the branches of the omnipresent olive tree. For downloading a progressive more detailed map click on the picture and check this link.

   This was my friend's panoramic vista rented flat. Going two kilometers on the left you reach Keri harbour, while on the right you can admire Marathonisi Island shaped like a turtle which forms, with its surrounding gulf waters, a marine national park. The turtles by the tens, attracted by their huge replica, lay their eggs in its ample beach quite visible on its tail's tip. Unfortunately, because of budget cuts, the Greek Ministry of Environment did not endow the Society for the Turtle Protection with the yearly fund, so their island post was unattended, nor navy boats were patrolling, as usual, these waters to avoid blast fishing or treading Marathonisi beach. Also a law, to forbid in this area freediving spear fishing, would be welcomed by residents and ecotourists alike.

   Among wuthering waves in search of the elusive amberjack. Ulysses may have sailed this beautiful sea: Ithaca is only few miles away from Zakynthos. 

   Following the perpendicular line of the rock resembling a castle tower, at the end of the promontory, you will note (click on the picture to enlarge) a change of colour shade among the waves: it's a Caretta Caretta turtle's carapace. The creature, while swimming in the opposite direction, raised its head and looked at us puzzled for some seconds.

   This is a Caretta Caretta turtle, otherwise called Loggerhead. It feeds on sponges and eats with much gusto a sea creature most feared by bathers; I would say, more than the white shark, because it's present in the sea by the billions: jellyfish. Its worldwide spreading has dramatically increased due to warmer waters caused by the greenhouse effect on our planet Earth. So, for turtle population to thrive and pack away those venom barbed creatures, we should avoid pollution: sure enough many turtles die eating plastic bags resembling jellyfishes.

   
Navagio beach in Zakynthos northwest coast