AmericanphotographerDianaPappasmakesanemotionaljourneytoKefalloniain Greece,followinga journeyhergrandmothermadenearlya century before, and finding how much remains of the island she lovedWORDSDIANAPAPPASPHOTOGRAPHSDIANAPAPPASAND TOM BLAND
@dianapappasphoto@tomblandphotoYEYESARECLOSED,ANDMYSENSESARE
alreadyhappilyoverwhelmed.Theairsmells
likehoney,perfumedbywildfennel,Greek
mountainsage and the yellowflowersof
Spanishbroom.Thechatteringofbarnswallowsisan
almostconstantrefrainand,everysooften,I canhear
thegentlesoundofbellswornbya distantherdofgoats.
Eyes open,and I find the beautyof Kefalloniaalmost
toomuchtobear.Thewholeislandinvitesexploration:
overgrownpathsleadtosecretbeaches;dirtroadstrail
over the mountains,throughthicketsof wildflowers,
pastancientolivegrovesandVenetianruins.I washere
for an adventureand, fittingly,this is Odysseusterritory.
Ninety-fouryearsago,mygrandmotherandher
mothercameto Kefalloniaon a very differentkind
ofadventure,asGreekrefugeesfromTurkey;detailsof
how long they were here and where on the island they
werehousedarelosttohistory.But,althoughshewas
caughtupinpost-WWIupheavalandforcedmigration,
my grandmotherrememberedKefalloniaas a beautiful
placewithdeliciousfruit,andit’sthishanded-down
memorythathasbroughtmeherealltheseyearslater.
Tosee in present-dayKefalloniawhatshe mighthave
seenthen,I seek out the wild places,to find aspectsthat
haven’tchangedwiththepassageoftime.I lookbeyond
theresorts,full-servicebeachesandsunburnttourists,
andturnmygazeinsteadtothemountainsandcoast.
The thousandsof wildflowersand the blindingsunlight- thesearestillasmygrandmotherexperiencedthem.
Witha rentalcar and a map,I seek out wild Kefallonia.
IfeelimmediatelyinaweoftheIonianSea,withits
astonishinggradationsofbluefromnavytocobaltto
turquoisetoceruleantosky.Nobeachlooksthesame:
some are sandy, others rocky. Some you can drive down
Retrace your roots