Look at me, Poseidon, I’m on a boat! …or…Three Lonely Islands

One of my faults is that I when I plan a vacation, it is exhausting for the people with me. I enjoy jam-packed adventures, and mercilessly try to cram maximum enjoyment and sight-seeing into minimum time. Knowing this about myself, and taking into consideration the unrelenting heat of Athens in July, I planned a day of R&R so my family wouldn’t hate me by the end of this trip. So on Saturday morning, we boarded a boat to see three different islands in the Saronic Gulf.

We were off to Hydra first, since it was the farthest from the mainland, nearly three hours away. We found seats on the bow, and were enjoying the view and the breeze until we realized we were going against the current and hit a wave that drenched us. We quickly retreated inside to dry off. After two hours the lively chatter of the excited passengers had stopped and we were wondering if this excursion was a bad idea. A band started playing Greek music to lift the atmosphere again and we finally arrived at Hydra. We were given no information about the island, which was disconcerting considering the overabundance of information we had received on our prior excursions. We were simply told to meet back in an hour and twenty minutes, and don’t be late!

One thing we did learn about Hydra is that it’s the only Greek island that doesn’t allow cars. These mules were for riding tours but we saw others carrying cargo. One was loaded entirely with Orange Fanta on one side and Lemon Fanta on the other. I’m not ashamed to say I’m a huge KISS fan, and I liked the contrast of these rock posters on an old wooden door, but the best part that you’ll never get to see was the elderly couple sitting below them. They declined to be photographed, but were flattered that I asked.

From our itinerary we knew that we had an opportunity to swim on this island, so we made our way around and eventually discovered a spot. The water was really choppy, and Dani was frightened at first, but I assured her I would save her if anything happened, knowing full well that my daughter swims like a dolphin compared to me. Once in she didn’t want to get out, and Susan and I took turns. We returned punctually to our departure point, but our ship was stuck in traffic, so to speak, for 20 minutes in the harbour, giving us very little time in our next port of call. After an hour of sailing we reached Poros, the smallest of the three islands we visited. There is a temple dedicated to Poseidon that we didn’t have time to see, but we had enough time to have an ice cream. Somehow there’s always time for ice cream. Then back on the boat for another hour, until we landed in Aegina, where we spotted another temple that was too far away to visit in our allotted time so we went to the beach and had another swim. This particular beach was really calm and flat; we had to walk out a few hundred yards before the water was even up to my waist.

Even though we didn’t learn much from this excursion, the main thing I learned in retrospect is that we should have gone to Crete or Mykonos, one island instead of three. This was kind of like going on a trip to Catalina Island three times in one day, only longer. On the plus side, it was the relaxation we needed after all the rushing around; and as we sailed in toward the mainland, it was obvious that someone had really enjoyed the day out, and that made it all worthwhile.