Alright guys, let's dive straight into how I finally tracked down that tricky Ithaca spot from Homer's Odyssey. Got super obsessed after rereading that "rosy-fingered dawn" bit last Tuesday midnight. Grabbed my dusty laptop and just started googling like crazy.
Step one was comparing old maps. Pulled up three different ancient Greek maps side-by-side on my screen - looked like spaghetti thrown everywhere! Started squinting at every island near Kefalonia while chugging cold brew. Took screenshots and circled anything remotely Ithaca-shaped with bright red digital markers.
Then came the landscape checklist:
- Checked satellite pics for that "hilly but not mountain" thing Homer mentioned
- Zoomed into every bay looking for natural harbors deep enough for old ships
- Measured distances to nearby islands on Google Earth until my eyes crossed
Hit massive frustration Wednesday afternoon. Every candidate island had something wrong - too big, too flat, wrong coastline. Almost threw my notebook across the room when...
Eureka moment came accidentally! Was watching this crusty documentary on YouTube during dinner. Some archaeologist dude pointed at specific rock formations near modern Vathy. Jumped back to my satellite view and bam - matched Homer's "sheer cliffs" description perfectly. Did the Homeric happy dance right there in my pajamas!
Thursday morning I cross-checked everything. Water sources? Check. Strategic position? Check. That weird valley Odysseus supposedly trekked through? Found it hiding behind Mount Neritos. Took me 37 hours total with three coffee crashes but holy moly - there it was blinking on my screen!
