Greek Islands of Poros and Hydra

As the Acropolis pretty much encompasses what Athens is, we wasted no time hopping on a ferry to a nearby island. Little beknownst to us, we got a lot more than we bargained for when booking our short 1 hour 15 minute ride to Poros. After sleeping through our alarm clock, frantically tearing through the apartment gathering our belongings and rinsing the dirty dishes in the sink, and hailing down some taxis, we just made it to the port in time to step on our ferry. Phew--hectic morning, but we were on board and ready for sailing. As the attendents started handing out complimentary puke bags shortly into our trip, however, our stomaches started to feel a little nervous (the birthday boy was looking the worst!) The rest of the trip was a nightmare. The rainy, windy weather outside tossed the ferry everywhere, and stomachs were turning as the boat leapt throught the air. The boat quickly began ringing withe the sounds of people using their previously distributed puke bags and for the first time I actually saw what green sea sick faces looked like! People were dropping like flies and the smell in the boat made it that much more nauseating. The waves were unrelentless, it honestly felt like a nightmare! All I could do from getting sick was put my headphones on full blast to drown out the sounds, close my eyes, and just pretend it was a carnival ride haha. I actually held myself together (barely!), and when we finally arrived in Poros we needed a nap after that adventure! After the nap, we grabbed a really delicious Greek dinner and then walked around in the rain with our makeshift plastic tablecloth raincoats the restaurant gave us free of charge :) The rain cleared up just in time to let the sun peek through to paint the sky with some nice colors for sunset...beautiful. We grabbed some supplies to cook dinner back in our apartments and spent the night relaxing in.We had two little apartments for our stay with 3 people in each, both equipped with kitchen and a bathroom! They were wonderful, and right across from this Greek family selling "local cheap wine" that they poured straight out of barrels in their basement when we bought it.

The island was adorable overall--it really was tiny, but with so much character, beautiful beaches, and amazing landscapes. We rented 4 wheelers for a day (SO FUN! and pretty cheap too!) and were able to cruise around the entire island, capturing some views from some pretty steep heights we wouldn't have traversed to by foot. We were able to stumble across tome quiet deserted beaches, do some mild rock climbing, and see all that Poros had to offer--all thanks to our trusty 4 wheelers! We spent some time soaking in the sun on the beautiful beach, but the water was pretty icey so we didn't dare more than a quick jump off the rocks. We had a wonderful and relaxing time together, and it was off to the next island Hydra! Heather and Jesse had to part ways with us before venturing onward which was sad, but getting some of the gang back together again brought some good times...everything is just that much better with your best friends :)

The island of Hydra, you must know, has no motor vehicles besides the occasional garbage trcuk. The terrain is incredibly rocky and there are few roads other than ones for the garbage trucks. Donkeys, instead, serve as the main form of transportation and they actually line the port when you step off the ferries! I wasn't prepared to see that many donkeys, it was quite humorous. After bartering our way to a 20 euro a night hostel (they wanted so much at these places!), we decided why not start our trip off the right way--with a little donkey ride. We quickly learned the power of language barriers and savvy greek business men, as it came to our attention that our "50 minute 10 euro" donkey ride was actually a 15 minute ride. Wow-what a little trick of the tongue can do! Of course this guy knows what he's doing, he rips tourists off all day long...its just our fault for not clarifying in the beginning! Oh well, we had a good laugh about us being stupid tourists and opted to traverse the island on foot for the remainder of our stay.

We began a hike that we assumed was a medium long loop around the island (why we assumed, I'm not sure), only to reach a gate saying "keep out" 2.5 hours into our uphill hike. We captured some great views on the way, however, it hardly seemed worth it when we reached this gate!! We reluctantly turned around and prepared for the descent (much easier than the hike up). Later did we discover that our looped hike we were anticipating was actually just a neverending (basically) path to all the monasteries on the island...at least we got our religion in on the hike! Another minor loop hole in the day, but at least this one was free :)

We were able to watch the sunset, grab some dinner at a quaint Greek family diner, and enjoy a bottle of wine by the port with our shoes off and our feet hanging over the edge. It was beautiful weather and there was lively music drifting from the nearby diners and bars--it was a really simple, perfect night. We slept well after our long day hiking outside.

Saturday we just walked around a bit, relaxed in the sun on the beach (the beaches in Hydra are just big rocks and cement made flat for sunbathing.) They don't have sand beaches which is different, but the "rock beaches" were actually kind of cute with umbrellas and cafes and such. We grabbed an afternoon ferry back to Athens after an incredible stay on two islands. The Greeks were allround friendly, genuine, hopsitable people who really take time to slow down and enjoy life. I am completely satisfied with my stay there and always felt very taken care of! (minus the donkey escapade)

Overall, I had such a relaxing and refreshing time, a perfect way to cap off my vacation. Each destination had something completley different to offer and it was the perfect mix of relaxation and sight seeing. Hard to believe all I have seen and experienced the last two weeks, pretty sweet.

Now its back to reality. Final exam coming up!