Page  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20  21  22  23 

Monday, October 16: I got up and ran three miles at 8:00, my first run of the trip. It was a beautiful sunny day. After breakfast, Charlie dropped us off in the beach area of Glifada, still familiar to us, though much had changed. There now were fewer of the small shops that once predominated. In their place were larger, and generally more upscale, stores and businesses, and even some small malls. After exploring the area, we walked the few blocks back to Ore's, stopping at a nearby nursery to buy her a large gardenia plant.

Larry and Mina had highly recommended a visit to Hydra, and we had set Tuesday aside to do that. We obtained some information in Glifada about the "three island tour" to Aegina, Poros, and Hydra, but decided to go to Hydra on our own so we'd have more time there. Following a big meal at 1:30, Ore insisted on making a dry run to Piraeus so they would know where to take us in the morning. It was very hectic for Charlie, but he got us very close. After running ahead to ask directions, I took over and drove the last few hundred yards. I also drove home. It was 6:30 by then. We had some tea and cookies, then spent the evening reading and talking. We went to bed about 10:00.

Tuesday, October 17: We were up at 6:45 and left the house at 7:30 to catch the hydrofoil to Hydra. I drove in the rush hour traffic. It was hectic, but the dry run definitely helped. In fact, we arrived at the Kea Marina at 8:27 and caught the 8:30 hydrofoil instead of the 9:00 we'd planned on. It was a sunny day, but the wind was strong and the water very rough. It's 35 miles from Piraeus to Hydra. Our captain announced that we would be taking the more sheltered "inside" route, west of Aegina and Poros, instead of the most direct route. We didn't get close enough to Aegina to see very much, but we got a good look at Poros as we passed at low speed through the narrow channel separating it from the mainland.

We landed at Hydra at 10:03. The harbor area was very picturesque. Because they do not allow motor vehicles or even bicycles on the island, there were several donkeys by the dock, available to take people or their baggage to their hotels. We walked around the entire harbor area. (It wasn't very big.) We tried to stay in the sun, though, because we nearly froze in the shade. As the sun got higher, it eventually warmed up. 

Entering Hydra marina

A very crowded marina

We also strolled on some of the narrow walks on the hills around the harbor, and later on the little streets behind it. We had lunch at a small restaurant on the water. Then we followed a walk above the sea east of the harbor. There were some small beaches, and we even saw one brave soul in the water.

We took the 14:55 hydrofoil for Piraeus. It was delayed a little because a cruise ship docked in front of it as it approached Hydra. This time the hydrofoil stopped at Poros for a few minutes. It was 4:45 when we docked at Piraeus. There were several taxis waiting at the marina, but they argued about taking us to Glifada, demanding almost double the normal fair ($13 instead of $7). When I said we'd walk up to the street (30 yards) and hail a cab there, they finally agreed on $8.50.

Back at Ore's, we rested and read for a while. At 7:30 p.m., Ore insisted on taking us out to dinner, despite our protest that we wanted to take them out. We went to George's Steak House in Glifada. Ore did the ordering, far exceeding what we normally would have had. We had salad, tsatsiki, meatballs, french fries, eggplant salad, and white wine. We thought that was a lot. Then came the steaks! Everything was delicious. I tried to get the bill, but we know from experience that you never succeed (at least not in a different language) on someone else's home turf. We got home about 9:00 and talked a while. Ore asked if we could go to Bia's house again the next day. Since we figured that we still had Thursday to go back into Athens, we agreed.

Wednesday, October 18: I ran four miles at 8:00. He went by Ore's old house and finally figured out exactly how the roads had changed since our 1983 visit. It was a beautiful sunny day, but very windy. With me driving, we left for Bia's about 11:00, stopping again for galactabouriko. We had pastitsio for lunch at Bia's house. She was getting ready to fly to the U.S. the next day, but we still had an enjoyable visit. We left about 6:00. The sun had just set, and the sky over the sea was spectacular.

Back in Glifada, Ore reminded us to confirm our return flight for Friday. After hours of trying, I finally reached KLM in Athens only to be told we were on the wait list and did not have a confirmed reservation. I then called Northwest in the States and, after 30 minutes on the line, learned that we were confirmed from Amsterdam to Dulles, but not from Athens to Amsterdam. I succeeded in getting confirmed seats on the Athens-Amsterdam flight on Thursday as backup, just in case our chances on the wait list for Friday did not look good. By the time I got off the phone, it was 11:00 p.m. 

 Page  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20  21  22  23