Odysseus put wax into the Ears of his Men and asked to tie him to the Mast so he would not jump into the sea to follow the bewitching songs of the Sirens
Immigration to Greece was more time consuming than we assumed. Apparently, there was one Covid case in Corfu's Port Authority building which brought everything else to a stand-still. Captain Nikos queued for hours until finally somebody bothered to look at our papers. Don’t we love our civil servants? Their way of doing business allowed us to enjoy the hospitality and beauty of Corfu for a full day...
The calm sea at Paxos Island around 6 am - the sun rises at 6.15 am
The captain was back at 17.00 h and we set sail immediately. We would not be able to make it to Preveza tonight but could still reach Paxos. Dinner tonight would be the chef’s signature sea bass baked in salt. It was a wonderful, quiet evening with the stars sparkling over our heads. The following day we would have to do a bit more sailing to catch-up with the original schedule. Our aim was to go to Ithaca, Odysseus’ island.
Lifting anchor just before six in the morning, we enjoyed two hours of a totally flat, almost oily sea. There was no wind at all. We decided to take the direct route from Paxos, round Lefkada’s southern tip and then head for our destination. After a good three hours, we crossed the famous battle field of Actium, where the future Emperor Augustus defeated his rival Marc Anthony and his consort, Queen Cleopatra from Egypt, in 31 BC.
Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra and Richard Burton as Marc Anthony in the movie Cleopatra
Wonder what would have happened had Marc Anthony and Cleopatra won. Would they have kept Rome as Capital of the Roman Empire or moved it to Alexandria? Also, would they have kept the Roman institutions like Senate and Consuls or immediately established a theocratic, pharaoh like regime? The world would probably be a different place now had the center of Rome’s gravity shifted to the east.
Augustus outsmarted everyone - pretending to be the "Primus inter Pares" he was in fact Rome's first Emperor - well hidden behind the disguise of Republican Institutions
Over to Odysseus. Most of us have read or heard of the Odyssey, the 10 or 20 years return trip of our hero from Troy. Thought it would be a good idea to pull up a few maps to illustrate his journey. But scholars now argue for 3’000 years not only about the length of his journey but also where he actually went. Just have a look at the maps. Even the longest suggested itinerary would not take 20 years to complete though. But whom am I to argue with experts of antiquity?
Odysseus voyage as assumed in 1901
From my point of view, there are many true elements to Odysseus’ story. Even during the main sailing season, lasting from June to September, one can be blown off course. I vividly remember our crossing of the Aegean Sea in 2017. Had we not had a powerful engine, the strong Meltemi would have pushed us towards the western tip of Crete and maybe beyond into the wider Mediterranean. The story of Saint Paul alludes to the same - but he sailed off season. You do not need angry Gods for these things to happen. The weather in the Mediterranean is more volatile than we believe. We love to remember the sunny days on the beach – as we know, our memory is selective.
Odysseus' voyage as seen today - short version
Another well-known part of the Odyssey is the story of Scilla and Charybdis, the two monsters who lured sailors crossing the Straits of Messina on to the rocky shores where they drown and perish. On this trip, we crossed the Straits of Messina twice. On leg one, we saw with our own eyes how violently the north and south current collide resulting in strong turbulences. The AFAET was on autopilot when suddenly a strong swirl turned it by almost 45 degrees. No problem for a modern boat with strong engines. Within a few seconds we were back again on the correct course. Escaping such strong turbulences with sails alone is another matter and certainly the reason why these Straits have such a bad reputation.
Odysseus' voyage as seen today - extended version - still does not 20 years ...
As we know today, Homer was a writer but not the author of his stories. Their origin proceed him by a few centuries and the materials he used were probably songs passed down verbally from generation to generation. Their rhyme and rhythm indicate this passage. As we learnt in the Museo Archeologico in Lipari, people sailed the Mediterranean already by 5’000 BC to trade obsidian stones. These early navigators and explorers must have reported their adventures back home where they were woven into the daily folklore. Maybe the story of Odysseus is a composite of many sailor stories which Homer combined into the Odyssey.
Beautiful Elohim Beach in the Northern Part of Ithaca - except two other boats nobody there
Whether Odysseus as a person existed is not known. But there is evidence that a respected leader from Ithaca who was also a senior advisor to King Agamemnon, participated in the campaign for Troy. Be it as it may, his island is beautiful. We arrived just after lunch and spent the whole afternoon in one of the idyllic bays in the northern part.
Vathy - main village in Ithaca - no wonder Odysseus wanted to return home - it is beautiful
NB: Made an interesting observation. Since we crossed the Straits of Otranto, there are no more Saracen Watchtowers. Obviously the Turks did not raid these islands as they raided the Italian and Spanish coast - maybe they believed these islands will be anyway theirs once Venice surrenders?