POROS, HYDRA & AEGINA ISLANDS: GREEK ODYSSEY PART II

18 Comments40th Anniversary Trip, Greek Odyssey, History, Memoir, Photography, Travel

greek odyssey

All my life I’ve wanted to visit Greece and indulge my passion for ancient history, archaeology and mythology.

When my husband first broached the subject of marking our 40th anniversary (in 2013) with a vacation, it came to mind immediately.

Thus, we embarked on the trip of a lifetime! Come along for the ride, will you?

This is a continuing series. See other chapters HERE.

Part II:  Poros, Hydra and Aegina Islands
Sept. 9, 2013

Starting at day two, we began a routine of getting up very early and rushing off.  This was not your typical, relaxing vacation!  Almost every moment was tightly scheduled; the only way to see as much as possible in a short time.

The fabulous free breakfasts made up for the lack of decent showers.  (European plumbing is not the greatest!) Greek yogurt in Greece tastes so much better than anything with that label in North America, probably because it’s made from sheep’s and/or goat’s milk.

greek yogurt

Our first excursion was a day cruise to the islands of Poros, Hydra and Aegina, in the Saronic Gulf.  

Saronic Gulf
Photo courtesy of Panagiotis Botsis, Wikimedia Commons

The ship was fairly comfortable and had all the amenities,
including a decent lunch, so our first experience was not too taxing.

First up was the island of Poros; the smallest of the three, (actually made up of two islands):

approaching poros
Approaching Poros
town of poros
Town of Poros. As with most locales in Greece, the town is built on a mountain. What sets Poros apart is the lush Pine forest.
poros town square
Poros Town Square

Next, we docked at Hydra, which is bigger and even more charming:

approaching Hydra
Approaching Hydra
Hydra, dockside
Hydra, dockside
Hydra town
Hydra town. Donkey ride, anyone? Cars and motorcycles are not allowed by law. Donkeys, bicycles, and water taxis provide public transportation.
lovely Hydra
Lovely Hydra
leaving Hydra
Leaving Hydra

The third and final port of call was Aegina, the largest island, which has two major landmarks:

The Temple of Aphaea and the Church of St. Nektarios

Enjoy the slideshow!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

We covered a fair bit of ground on our first excursion, but, this adventure was just beginning!

©D.D.B. 2013 (except as noted) 

Coming up: A four day bus tour of Classical Greece

What’s YOUR dream destination?  

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18 thoughts on “POROS, HYDRA & AEGINA ISLANDS: GREEK ODYSSEY PART II

  1. Thanks for reminding me with your pics how beautiful Greece is.

    p.s. don’t judge European showers on Greek or southern Europe ones. There is still quite a difference between the South and North of Europe. I for one actually prefer my German to the US shower 🙂

    1. Greece is picture perfect, isn’t it? 🙂 I grew up in Germany and the showers weren’t too bad. The hotels we stayed at on this trip were okay too. Still not as good as my shower massage one at home, though. 😉

  2. Debbie, I love the pictures! Would love to visit Greece some day, it looks awesome. I never knew they had donkeys as part of transportation there. Very interesting Debbie. Congratulations again on 40 years, that amazes me too 🙂
    Is the goat’s milk used more than cow’s milk there too?

    1. Hi Lisa! Touring Greece was a dream come true and I’ll always treasure these memories. 😀 Yes, donkeys are used for transportation in the small villages and towns. Athens is a huge city with crazy traffic though. Goat’s and sheep’s milk is more common than cow’s milk. Apparently, there aren’t that many cows in Greece. We didn’t see any; but we did spot goats in the mountains. Thanks for visiting.

  3. These pics are beautiful Debbie!

    Greece is such a beautiful place and seeing your pictures makes me really want to go! The only thing is the food. I’m a very picky eater so it will be hard to adjust to the different foods.

    I can’t wait for your next post….a four day bus tour sounds like a lot of ground to cover. Thank you for sharing your vacation with us!

    1. Hi Corina; Glad you’re enjoying the photos. 🙂 If you like fish and seafood, you’ll find plenty of that in Greece. Their other specialties include lamb, olives, feta cheese, (all things I don’t like), beef and pork, Tzaziki, (a dip or spread made from Greek yogurt and cucumber – love it!). The real Greek yogurt is so good! They also have lots of fruit and excellent wine. That four day tour was crammed full of sights and I’ll probably have to write several posts instead of just one. Thanks for your interest!

  4. Hi Debbie

    Really nice pictures and what a fun journey. A place without cars, it must be nice and quiet and smell like fresh air there! Although, I am sure it would be a pain for merchants trying to get stuff to their stores.

    Shall look forward to your next set of photos.

    Mary

    1. Hi Mary! Yes, it was lovely in Hydra and we didn’t miss the cars at all. 🙂 The town is small and right on the waterfront. Glad you’re enjoying the photos. Thanks for visiting.

  5. Hi Debbie! I’m so jealous! Your pics from your adventure are super awesome! I would love to just travel the world. I told my hubs when we retire, we are selling the house and getting an RV and will travel the US. Then the occaisional trip to the carribean in which we’ll have to house our RV somewhere but the thought it just so awesome! Keep sharing your pics! Loving em!

    1. I have that same dream, Bren. I told hubby, if we ever win the lottery – just sell everything and travel the world. 😀 Your retirement plans sound wonderful – go for it! Glad you’re enjoying the photos. Lots more to come. Thanks for visiting.

  6. Beautiful! European showers baths? AURGH!!!!!!! I am so jealous; I lived in Italy for 31 years, and never once got to Greece. Oh well. Once again–thank you for the beautiful photographs. 😀

    1. Hi Mary! I never got to Greece when I was living in Europe, either. Yeah; it was wonderful to have a GOOD shower after I got home. Small quibble though; I love Europe, otherwise. Glad you enjoyed the photos. Lots more to come. Thanks for visiting. 🙂