Ah Kefalonia. Have very fond memories of the place as it was our first foreign holiday about 35 years ago.
I hope it hasnt been ruined by more and more tourism over the years.
Can't comment on what it was like 35yrs ago, and clearly tourism is going to be one of the main economies there, but its not built up like many Mediterranean islands, although the capital has a couple of long streets dedicated to selling tourist tat, and was fairly busy would those deranged coming ashore from their floating hotels.
The bottom end, like Skala, to quote a mate's missus who went there last year, is like Blackpool (I thought that was a bit harsh, it was busy, and mostly a certain kind of Brit), and the famous beaches were incredibly busy. Fiskado at the top looks like it hasn't expanded, and felt cramped, but wouldn't mind betting that's always been the case, just the posh boats are getting bigger
. Asos much the same really.
We stayed near Sami, and ignoring the road and restaurants on the road along the sea front, you'd think there was no such thing as tourism.
I'd definitely go back, despite feeling that we had seen everything we wanted to see.
Now, Santorini, where I was in May, that is 100% tourism. Rammed full of them. It wasn't, in my opinion, the pretty Greek island with whitehoused buildings with blue shutters that I had envisaged it to be. No massive resorts with huge hotels, so can only assume its the 3 or 4 floating hotels dumping their guests every day that ruins the place.
As everyone knows, I go to Cyprus every year normally. Nowadays, it's at the Paphos end, as the Brits totally ruined the once lovely Ayia Napa area, with knickerless girls passing out in the main square every night and their short skirts showing off everything, couples with young lads not being able to hold their drink, so fighting and chundering everywhere.
Coral Bay is normally where we go, and in 20 years of doing so, the once outlying areas have just had thousands of villas built, so thats a massive change in a relatively short time period.
Strangely, despite the huge increase in villa numbers, thus presumably visitors, the main strip (Coral Bay's centre is essentially a single road, probably about 300m long) is quiter and less* resturants and bars than it used to have.... ...part of the reason of asking those questions last week about who goes out to eat when in self catering accomodation.
*And a lot of those remaining are turning away from Greek Taverna type cuisine into the likes of KFC and Pizza Hut
Author
Topic: So what have you done to your car today? (Read 6384917 times)