Do you want to visit a beach that you and especially your children will love? if Yes, we unreservedly recommend Spartia beach in Kefalonia island. The landscape around is beautiful, the crystal clear waters are ideal for swimming and snorkeling and there are large and steep rocks a little deeper ideal for diving for the more adventurous! Also for the more traditional types the café bar right above the beach makes great cocktails.
The best of course is not only in the sea but also outside. There are sea shell fossils almost everywhere on the surrounding rocks! Most of them are from scallops, oysters and other small shells, if you search carefully you will also find sea urchin fossils!
So an interesting game that kids - and we - love to play here is 'find as many species as you can'! In other words, we observe the different types of fossils and note them on paper or paint or photograph them. We play the same game with live shells. If you look closely at the water puddles that form on the rocks on the south side of the beach you will see that they are full of small shells in different colors, shapes and sizes.
So encourage your children to become researchers for a day! And why not you? As good researchers, of course, we always keep in mind that we only observe! Although sea shells are beautiful souvenirs from our vacations, we do not remove the shells from their place and we do not take them with us at home!
Why? Cause shells provide an array of environmental benefits. They provide homes for sea creatures and hiding spots for small fish from predators, aid in stabilizing beaches and provide an attachment surface for seagrass. Also, shorebirds utilize the shells as materials for building nests. When shells finally break down, they provide essential nutrients to the organisms that live in the sand.
The best time in our opinion to visit Spartia beach is the beginning of summer or at the end of it, when it is quieter. In fact, in May and June you can also collect kritama (or “almyra”), an ideal material for a greek salad!
