According to Homer's Odyssey, Odysseus had been away from his home island of Ithaca for 20 years. For ten years he was fighting the Trojan War then a further ten were spent on his eventful journey home. Finally he returned to Ithaca and met up with his son Telemachus. At the time of Odysseus' arrival Telemachus, now a young man, had gone to the mainland in search of his father. The goddess Athena fetched him back. The eventual emotional meeting between father and son took place at the small house of his faithful swineherd Eumaeus. According to the most reliable Homeric scholars, Eumaeus' house was located at the top of this cliff, the Korakos Petra (Raven's Crag) in Ithaca. On his return from the mainland Telemachus arrived at Pera Pigadi Bay, at the base of this photograph, and walked up to Eumaeus' house. In early June this year my walk-checker set off to make the same ascent. You can see him setting off. He was dressed in an orange T shirt in case he needed to be rescued. But all was well. I hope to publish details of the Homeric Walks on Ithaca, in the footsteps of Odysseus and his son Telemachus, later this year.
The black pipes washed up on this beach are the remains of a fish farm that went bankrupt. I hope they are a temporary addition to the scene!
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