Melissani Cave, Kefalonia Island (Greece) is a very popular destination among tourists from all over the world; it has great nature, a lot of architectural buildings and cultural monuments, there are also a variety of caves, the most interesting and beautiful among which is, perhaps, the cave of Melissani representing a huge hole in the "ceiling" through which sunlight penetrates, thereby illuminating a lake with the purest water in the world named Melissani.
Independent research shows that the breathtaking Melissani Cave in Greece appeared 20 thousand years ago due to the dissolution of rock formations. Back then, the water from the Ionian Sea had been gradually making passages in the limestone rocks, thereby destroying them and creating hollows. Resultingly, in one of these hollows the location of which is the center of the cave, there was formed the lake. Nevertheless, the most efforts on the decoration of the cave were made by an earthquake. The cave itself took the blow with dignity, but the upper part of it collapsed, as a result, sunlight was let into the underground Kingdom, thereby coloring the surface of the water there.
The water in the Melissani Cave in Kefalonia, Greece, in turn, is so clean and clear that you can easily see its rocky bottom which is at a depth of 14 meters, while floating on a boat through the lake gives you a sense of feeling that you float in an azure weightlessness. That's how clear the water there is.
Also, as the sun across the sky, the water in the lake changes its color from turquoise, green, to piercing blue, and even black. The lake is salty, as its water comes from the Ionian Sea through underground channels.
Since the atmosphere inside the breathtaking Melissani Cave is so delightful and fantastic and was hidden from human eyes for many, many years, the ancient people believed that the cave is the abode of the nymphs; therefore, they were used it for various religious ceremonies, that is borne out by the items found there, among them were: a clay figurine of a God named PAN (the God of forests, shepherds, and hunters), a clay disc depicting dancing nymphs, and a small plate with an embossed figure of a woman. Now these ancient relics can be seen in the Museum located in the capital of Kefalonia - Argostoli.
The interesting thing is that the cave was named after one of the nymphs. According to legend, there lived a nymph named Melissani that was in love with the Pan, but when he did not reciprocate her love, she, having lost her meaning of life, drowned herself in the underground lake.
Besides, inside, the Melissani cave in Kefalonia, Greece is heavily decorated with stalagmites and stalactites, while its entrance is buried in green plants. A fairy tale, isn't it?
In order to get inside the cave, you need to pay a boatman a small fee who is capable of getting to it. Usually, there are many of thereof.
Melissani Cave address: The island of Kefalonia, northwest of Sami, about 5 km SE of Agia Efthymia, NE of Argostoli and NW of Poros, Greece
Melissani Underground Lake/Melissani Cave, Kefalonia Island, Greece
Reviewed by Unknown
on
12/19/2016
Rating:
Reviewed by Unknown
on
12/19/2016
Rating: