Ithaca, a Greek Ionian island on the northeast coast of Kefalonia, was known in Homer’s poem as the home of Odysseus whose delayed return to the island is one of the elements of the Odyssey’s plot. C.P. Cavafy’s poem, “Ithaca”, has fueled the minds of many homesick travelers:

As you set out for Ithaca
hope the voyage is a long one,
full of adventure, full of discovery.
Laistrygonians and Cyclops,
angry Poseidon—don’t be afraid of them:
you’ll never find things like that on your way
as long as you keep your thoughts raised high,
as long as a rare excitement
stirs your spirit and your body.
Laistrygonians and Cyclops,
wild Poseidon—you won’t encounter them
unless you bring them along inside your soul,
unless your soul sets them up in front of you.