On August 21, we began the 4500km roadtrip to the most fun Aircooled VW event in Europe: the 10th Ionian VolksFest Kefalonia, in Greece.

Get ready for lots of pictures from this great event!

Wednesday, August 21

After months of preparation, the time has finally come, we are leaving for Kefalonia! We gathered early in the morning at Rotterdam for the longest drive of the road trip, through the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg to Selestat in France.

Not the most enjoyable ride, with boring highways until Luxembourg. Then the scenery improved and in the Alsace region of France we took some local roads past vineyards and through small villages.

After about 650km, we arrived at the first hotel in Sélestat, France.

Thursday, August 22

For today, we had a nice ride through Switzerland on the programme. Via Basel and Bern to Lauterbrunnen to enjoy the beautiful mountains.

In the afternoon we had arranged to meet Caspar, who would take us over the Sustenpass from Innertkirchen to Wassen. A challenge with the beetles, where large parts had to be driven in second gear with a short stop to let the engine cool down. What great views we had while driving the pass!

After the pass, we said goodbye to Caspar and took the Gotthart Tunnel towards Italy. By evening, we arrived at our hotel in Como, just across the border.

Friday, August 23

A 470km ride was scheduled for today, from Como to Ancona. Not a ride we were looking forward to, because of the long straight stretches of motorway, with no views.

On the way, one of us had ignition problems. Fortunately, the ignition was quickly replaced, after which we could continue.

In the evening we reached our hotel, Domus Stella Maris in the old Villa di Colle Ameno.

The Villa di Colle Ameno dates back to the end of the 16th century and subsequently served as the first residence of the Camerata Family, a noble family linked to Napoleonic circles, so much so that Napoleon himself stayed at this Domus.

In 1908, Belgian nuns belonging to the order of the ‘Canonesses Regulars of Saint Augustine’ purchased the Villa. A few years later, the first nuns of the order of the ‘Canossian Daughters of Charity‘ arrived, who began their work of testimony and education, establishing a boarding school in 1938, Maria ‘Stella Maris’, the name that still accompanies these buildings today.
After the Canossian Sisters ceased their activities in the 1970s, the Archdiocese of Ancona – Osino purchased Colle Ameno and created a Pastoral Centre with holiday home.

We can highly recommend this hotel!

Saturday, August 24 / Sunday, August 25

Today we had a quiet day in Ancona. By mid-afternoon, we had to check in for the ferry to Patras. After we parked the cars at the port, we had a few hours to see the city. After a walk and a delicious pasta, we were able to board the Hellenic Spirit for a 24-hour crossing to Greece.

After a night of little sleep due to uncomfortable seats and an otherwise not very interesting boat trip, we finally saw Kefalonia in the distance. Unfortunately, we had to pass by the island to get to Patras, so we had to be patient for another night.

We arrived at the port in the early evening and after disembarking we drove straight to the port town of Kyllini for a short hotel stay and the first Souvlaki of the trip.

Monday, August 26

We had to get up early today, to catch the first ferry to Kefalonia. At 0615, the Levante Ferries ferry left for Poror. An hour-an-hour and a half crossing. After a good breakfast on board, we arrived on the island, we had done it again!

Upon arrival, we drove straight to the airport to pick up the rest of the party who were now on their way from Amsterdam.

After we were complete, we drove towards the clubhouse to drop off some stuff for the goodie bags, after which we headed towards Agia Effimia to check into the hotel. After that it was time to get some nice Greek food!

Tuesday, August 27 / Wednesday, August 28 / Thursday, August 29

These days were all about sightseeing, where we visited some of Kefalonia’s well-known spots, such as Melissani Cave and Zervati Cave, Antisamos Beach, Fiskardo, Mirtos Beach, Argostoli, the Sacred Monastery of Agios Gerasimos of Kefalonia and Ainos National Park.

And, of course, lots of swimming! Time to relax before the 10th Ionian VolksFest begins.