Today would be our last day in Greece; our last port of call and possibly our 2nd best shore excursion. (Ephesus, Turkey still takes the cake for best shore excursion because of the impressive ruins and neato carpet factory.) Given the opportunity this island, Zakynthos, would be the one I would return to spend an extended bit of time on. The waters were absolutely crystal clear, the scenery was like something out of Middle Earth, the food delicious (how can you go wrong with gyro stuffed with fries?!), and there was plenty of adventure to find.
Mikki and I got our requisite number stickers in the theater, grabbed our water, and headed to the area where we’d board our bus.
Just kidding!
This time, we didn’t bother with a bus; we were taken to an ancient, barely running 4X4 Nissan (?) which joined a small caravan of 5 other 4x4s in various states of (dis)repair which would bounce us up into the mountains of Zakynthos Island for a cross-country adventure to be remembered!
This was billed as a 4×4 cross-country tour of the island which would take us into the highlands of the middle of the island, over to the Shipwreck Beach Overlook, down to a very small private cove to swim if we chose, and then back to the ship after a stop for some last-minute shopping.
Zakynthos Island is the greenest island we visited on this trip and, of all the shore excursions offered, I am very glad we ended up on this one! The day broke cloudy and misty….not ideal for a day laying on a beach half naked (most of the other offerings).
Once we got on our way, our guide introduced herself and she turned out to be the best of the drivers who ran this outfit. She was a middle-aged gal from the Netherlands who moved to Greece 25 years ago. She married and had since divorced, but decided to stay since she’d had her own business on the island for years. She’s since sold that business but now drives and guides for the 3rd party tour operator that ran this trip. She was incredibly frank and forthcoming about the pros and cons of living in Greece, especially as a single woman and business entrepreneur; I loved her transparency and down-to-earth style.
It turned out that most of the other drivers couldn’t even speak adequate English to share what we were seeing along the way, and more than a few on our tour were verbally disappointed and frustrated with the entire experience. I was extra grateful that we had such an exceptional guide who taught us a ton about life on Zakynthos.
In no particular order, some of the things we learned:
— The stone fences you see all over Zakynthos and, in fact, all over Greece, are called “dry fences”. They are hundreds of years old and made with NO cement, mortar, frame, reinforcement, etc…. Even through multiple earthquakes, they still stand yet today. Fences aren’t made like this anymore as they take a very specialized skill from masters who are not being replaced and they take too long to build.
— Male chauvinism and misogyny is still very much alive and a thing in Greece and it takes grit, self-confidence, persistence, and shoulder shrugging to face it. I wish I could remember our guide’s name, but she has that art mastered. Despite many business setbacks on the island, she has ultimately, in the end, earned the respect of the local drivers and tour operators, and now they come to her for advice. However, this, she shared, sadly isn’t the case for all women. Domestic abuse is still quite common, and the police tend to turn a blind eye. It would be nice if I didn’t have to say that some things may never change.
— Zakynthos’ most major threat is actually forest fires. No, not due to climate change. These fires, although completely illegal, are intentionally set by local landowners to “extend” their land use. If I understood correctly, if a fire goes through the indigenous cedar stands, they become eligible to be cut for wood, but also, once the wood is cut, the land is suddenly farmable. “Crappy” forest land? Problem solved. Selfish? 100% Profitable? 100%.
During our 4 hours out and about in the mountain tops of Zakythos, we came across many fire crews stationed as lookouts, so they are trying to combat the problem, but it sure sounds like a land use, legislative issue to me. But that’s only one partially-educated lady’s opinion.
– There are loads of super picturesque stone “houses”, more sheds really, that are used for shepherds and farmers all over the island. Many are super old and only in crumbles, but there are also many that dot the countryside and are used for summer shelter for both animal and human.
— Wild herbs are EVERYWHERE on Zakynthos. Want a tasty soup? Get yerself a chicken, go on a hike, dig a few potatoes, and voila!!! Mikki and I spotted thyme, rosemary, oregano, chives, mint, juniper, and obviously olives and grapes growing wild along all the roads and at our stops.
Our first stop was at a cliffside café perched atop a beige-cliffed precipice over inviting turquoise waters far below. There was no purpose other than giving us a nice view over a pristine cove and letting us enjoy a snack and rest. I’ll admit, the view was intoxicating and it was hard to pull ourselves away.
But, it was time for a late morning snack so we took a seat with some others in the small outdoor, family-run café and ordered. Late mornings always call for a latte.
Always.
Someone else in the group decided to bless our table with a nice plate of mezes which was just perfect! Everything was so tasty and, as yet, I hadn’t had any dolmates, a definite Greek favorite of mine. Yum!!! The tomatoes were still sun-ripened and sweet in October, the olives tangy and just-right bitter, and the lamb kefta perfectly minted. Mmm………….
Stealing a couple more glimpses of the cove far below, we loaded up again and were off to the Shipwreck Beach Viewing Platform. At one point, our driver got separated from the convoy, adding to the super fun adventure. Yeeeehaw!! A quick phone call got her on the right road again, and not long after we arrived at the little touristy destination parking lot. There were several vendors there selling honey, almonds with several choices of coating- strawberry (say what?!), cinnamon, etc.., nuts, olives, olive oil, etc…
It was there we’d hang out until everyone had had a chance to go out onto the platform for the all-coveted view of Shipwreck Beach.
PREPARE FOR A RANT…..
Shipwreck Beach is THE main attraction on this island for tourists and admittedly IS a very cool sight to see. It is no wonder it is highly Instagrammed and offers its own shore excursions directly there by boat. But for those who don’t want to actually go TO the beach, there is another option- seeing it from far above from a viewing platform that takes a bit of effort to get to. I think all told our jeeps took an hour to get there.
The platform is set high up on a cliff with the water and beach hundreds of feet below; the beach itself is literally ONLY visible from above from this ONE solitary spot on the whole island. When we arrived, there were probably 60?? people in line on the sidewalk/steps that lead to the platform which holds a maximum of 2-3 people at a time.
Now picture this: The line is full of 20-somethings whose entire vacation depends on this one photo and it has to be just perfect (please note the sarcasm). I mean God forbid their hair is not parted just right for a selfie. They get out to the platform, it’s finally their turn and they spend 5-7 minutes out there taking dozens of photos from every angle imaginable. Then they take MORE minutes looking at the photos and editing the photos, deleting the photos, retaking the photos. GET. OUT. OF. THE. WAY. 60X5=300!!!!
Look, I like a good photo too. But I will never take more time than is polite so that everyone can have a turn. Just snap a photo, maybe retake it once, and move the heck on.
All told I think it took almost an hour in line (only because some people figured out it wasn’t polite to dawdle) to get a glimpse of the beach below. Do I wish I had more time to get a few more shots? Sure. But you get what you get and move on. Here is what I could grab in the 2 minutes I took (because there were still 30 people behind me and wanted the same chance).
Rant over. And I promise I won’t bring this up again. It’s just become a big pet peeve. I see it in Disney too and yes, it torques me off there as well.