Alonissos animal welfare:

Mother and kittens on the donkey track near Patitiri

One of the many features of Greek islands which visitors encounter is the number of stray and feral cats. It's not unusual for holiday makers to adopt a cat (or cats) during their stay and provide some food for them -despite some tour operators attempts to discourage this. The long gone specialist holiday company Laskerina even went as far as warning against putting out milk for cats on the grounds that it would attract snakes "snakes love milk". I like a challenge and felt obliged to trawl the internet for some evidence of that but failed to find anything to back up that assertion at all. It's not even good for them. That said, milk is often not good for cats either (or hedgehogs for that matter) so if you are going to feed strays give them what they need -meat (and water, of course). Cat food is readily available in Greek mini markets just like anywhere else.
But what about the ones you can't help and the winter months when there are few visitors? That is where organisations such as ASAP (Alonnisos Society for Protection of Animals) comes in. Providing year round care and help for all animals (not just cats) this local charity carries out a range of activities including feeding programmes, re-homing for cats and dogs, and importantly bringing in vets to the island to provide medical care and spaying and neutering.
Of course, many islands have similar organisations so if you have a favourite Greek island and want to help the animals there try doing an internet search under "animal welfare" (or similar) to find the
Regards, David.
Edit on 25/1/2018: I have removed the previous links to ASAP as they are no longer valid. It seems that due to changes in Greek law ASAP no longer operates in an "official" capacity. I have been assured, however, that supporters on the island continue to work to help the animals there -look out for them if you are visiting the island.

Paxos (Ionian):

Gaios harbour, Paxos

Just a few miles off the coast of Corfu lies the charming small island of Paxos. I visited Paxos in 2003 staying in the village of Lakka at the northern end of the island. The village has a good selection of tavernas and bars and a lovely horse shoe shaped bay.Covered in olive groves Paxos makes for a good walking destination, though for various reasons I wasn't able to explore as much as I would have liked when I was there. From Lakka you can take the island bus which runs to the capital of the island Gaios (pictured) which had a more cosmopolitan feel with numerous boats and yachts moored up. On the way to Gaios you pass through the small fishing village of Loggos. This provides some entertainment as due to the narrow street everyone sitting outside the tavernas has to jump out of their seat and retreat to the side of the road to allow the bus to pass.


Tight squeeze for the bus at Loggos

Worth doing on Paxos is to take one of the round the island boat trips. The one I went on visited some large caves -actually taking the boat right inside. It then went to the very small satellite island of Anti Paxos for some lunch at one of the few tavernas there. There is little development on Anti Paxos although one or two of the specialist holiday companies sometimes offer accomodation there.On another excursion offered by the Friends of the Ionian we were able to visit a farm to watch the goats being milked followed by a demonstration and tasting of cheese making. This was followed by a visit to an old olive oil press and a talk about the history of olive oil production on the island. The trip finished off with a meal at a taverna and some traditional music and singing - including contributions from our coach driver/guide.

Lakka harbour, Paxos

Apart from the goats being milked I can't really offer an accurate Goatiness rating for Paxos due to the lack of off road walks. However the Cockerel Count ranked as high here (in Lakka) with a superb dawn chorus echoing around the valley leading down to the harbour. It came in waves -starting at one end of the valley and working its way round. Right up in my top two (with Symi) Cockerel Counts.
So Paxos, an authentic small island with lots of walking and photographic potential especially at Lakka and Loggos (Gaios was a tad too busy for me) and certainly on my list of islands to, hopefully, revisit in the future** Regards, David.

**Re-reading this post reminded me just how much I liked Paxos, so I am indeed heading back there in 2014! I'll publish a new post on Paxos in the future.

Skopelos (Northern Sporades):

Boats in Skopelos town harbour

Skopelos is one of the group of Northern Sporades islands which also include Skiathos, Alonissos and Skyros. I spent a day on Skopelos in June 2013 whilst staying on Alonissos. It's a short journey of 30 minutes or less and as I had caught the 06.40 Flying Cat fast catamaran I arrived in Skopelos Town (Chora) around 07.00 as the sun was starting to rise.

This proved good light for photographing the harbour from all angles. If you follow the quay to the far right (looking inland) of the harbour you are in a good position to photograph boats and ferries coming and going -just be aware that the larger ferries create some wash which is likely to splash over the end of the quay.

Also on the right is the photogenic church of Panagia tou Pyrgou (pictured) which you can access via a number of steps from the harbour front to get good views over the town. Carry on from the church a little way and there are the ruins of an old castle. 

The old town itself is a maze of narrow alleys and steps with numerous churches and chapels to be seen. The usual adage applies here -if you get lost just head downwards and you'll reach the harbour front sooner or later. 

Skopelos Town from the harbour

Skopelos is, of course, a draw for fans of the 2008 film Mamma Mia! Most of the location filming was done in 2007 mainly at Kastani beach on the West coast. Don't bother looking for the long wooden jetty that features so much in the film  -it was built especially for the film and then dismantled. The other location that fans head for is that church used in the wedding scenes of the film. This is Agios Ioannis at the North East end of the island. Of course, if you are just on a day visit you're probaly not going to have time to get to these but worth noting that there are a number of excursion boat tours that will take you to the various locations. These also operate from Skiathos as well.

Church of Panagia tou Pyrgou on Skopelos

There are plenty of tavernas and shops along the harbour front but not so many as to make it feel overly touristy. Whilst having lunch I had a Greek island first when a funeral procession came past - priests, mourners in black and a grieving, elderly widow. Nobody told us what to do but I was pleased that out of natural instinct every person in the taverna respectfully stood up whilst the procession went past. Needless to say my camera remained on the table. It was one of those moments when getting a picture wasn't important and would have been totally inappropriate.

So Skopelos then, a very pretty old town with lots of churches and interesting buildings and, by all accounts, lots of nice country walks to be had inland. It is certainly well worth a day trip if you are staying on Skiathos or Alonissos and very worthy of consideration as a holiday destination in itself. Regards, David.

Lefkada (Ionian):

Approaching Nidri on the car ferry

As a companion piece to my last posting on Meganissi here's a post about a day trip made in 2008 to the nearby island of Lefkada (Lefkas) to see the Ronies waterfalls near Nydri.
Arriving at the port/town of Nydri (Nidri) after the short ferry trip from Meganissi you are met with a busy harbour front lined with tavernas and shops.

Ronies waterfalls on Lefkada

To get to the falls head back through the town away from the harbour until you reach the modern looking ring road. Now, I had to turn right and follow the road for around 10 minutes or so (though this is going to depend on where you initially joined it). There is then a smaller road on the left which is the one you want. Hopefully, it will be signposted either for the waterfalls or the village of Rachi which is near the falls.

Ronies waterfalls near Nidri

This is a lovely walk through nice countryside. As you near the falls note the dry river bed to your right (well, it was dry in August). The gorge up to the falls is signposted welcoming you to the waterfalls "Ronies". Some sources refer to them as the Dimossari waterfalls -don't worry it's the same place!
When you reach the top of the gorge there are a number of pools and lagoons of water fed by the stream of water coming down the cliff face. Don't be disappointed, this is unlikely to be a vast cascade of water (not in the Summer at least) but all the same it's a novelty to see running water. Some people took the opportunity to cool off by paddling in the pools. Just be aware that there are frogs swimming about in them as well. There was also a bat hanging under the rocks which periodically went for a fly around.
As you head back down the gorge there is a taverna where you can stop for a drink or meal before your walk back to Nydri.
You should probaly allow around 45 -60 minutes for this walk (harbour to falls) and
I certainly thought it was well worth the effort. Regards, David.

Meganissi (Ionian):

Boats moored in Spilia Bay

I visited the charming Ionian island of Meganissi (Meganisi) for two weeks in 2008.  Arriving at Preveza airport on the Greek mainland it is a short coach trip to the island of Lefkada which is so close to the mainland that it is simply reached by a road bridge. From there to the port of Nydri for the 30-40 minute ferry journey to Meganissi. On the way over, look out on your left for the small island of Skorpios which is owned by the famous Onassis family.
Meganissi has three main areas of population - Spartohori (where I was staying), Katomeri and Vathi. Spartohori stands high above Spilia Bay (pictured) where the ferry docks before continuing on to Vathi. To the left (looking inland) of the small harbour is a popular beach with a taverna. Be aware that to get to the sea from Spartohori there is either a steep road or a steep pathway, so plenty of exercise to be had here. Spartohori itself has a few shops and tavernas (including an excellent Pizzaria which even offers a take away service). Pretty pastel coloured buildings and narrow streets make up this small village where you will often see elderly Greek women wearing traditional black clothing.

The beach at Agios Ioannis

About 45 minutes walk from Spartohori is the shingle beach at Agios Ioannis (pictured) where there is also a taverna. Beware if you see a helpful painted notice on the road saying "shortcut to beach" - I followed this diversion, missed any shortcut (if it exists) and ended up walking for hours before finally backtracking and following the original road down to the beach. The ensuing lager at the taverna was very welcome, so welcome that I virtually passed out after a few sips. One of the few times I have been affected by the heat in Greece and a good reminder to take the time to acclimatise when you first arrive (this was my first morning there).
Another walk took me to Atherinos bay (pictured) where there were a number of fishing boats and private vessels moored up. Several old derelict stone buildings stood above the bay.

Looking down to Atherinos Bay

From Spartohori you can walk the main road to the administrative capital of Katomeri. Just head out of Spartohori, pass the petrol station, and carry straight on. The road is high up above the sea and offers excellent views along the way. There's a handy bench at one of the highest points roughly at the half way point to Katomeri. When you reach Katomeri, look out for a house on which the owner has painted various political messages relating to PASOK (Pan Hellenic Socialist Party). It's quite eye catching and makes for an unusual photograph.
It is only a short walk downhill from Katomeri to the harbour at Vathi. This is the liveliest of the three villages with a good number of tavernas and boats coming and going.

Politics in Katomeri

Sheep (equipped with tinkling bells) seemed to outnumber goats on Meganissi though there were some to be seen. Cockerels were certainly heard but not in a mass dawn chorus way. It is, of course, all dependent on where you are staying. A number of donkeys were also dotted around the Spartohori area.
Meganissi certainly had the shortest ferry transfer to get there but, nethertheless, I found it a peaceful and tranquil little island (excursion boats at lunch time excluded) with some lovely walks through pine and olive trees. Regards, David.