Towards the end of our stay in Kefalonia, the group of us piled into our two tiny rental cars and headed towards Mount Ainos, the rocky peak that towered over the whole island. In the afternoons, clouds could be seen creeping down the mountain towards the coast in slow motion. As we drove, the landscape changed from dry grasses and olive trees to rocky hillsides filled with goats, and further still to towering pines and mossy earth. After about an hour of driving, we stopped at a small outlook- the rest could only be done on foot. We set off along the lower ridge of the peak, and enjoyed the view of the usually hidden northern side of the island. 

Eventually we reached a short trail that lead us right into the woods. It headed straight for the peak, and though we didn’t have far left to go, it was steep and my legs were burning in minutes. Although the most painful, this short retreat into the woods was breathtaking- we hiked up a set of switchbacks surrounded on all sides by vividly green moss. When we reached the peak at last, we could see all the way to the coast surrounding us on all sides, its beaches a piercing blue. The towns on the island below were tiny clusters of color in the landscape. We could even see neighboring islands emerging from the horizon- Zakynthos to the south and Ithaka to the north. No trees grew here because the ground was all rock and all around us was just blue. The sky seemed to drop seamlessly into the sea. Before the sun began to set, we took tons of photos and then headed back down for a picnic at the outlook. It was really a wonderful evening spent in a place that not many people will ever be lucky enough to experience.