About Hydra...
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Hydra
is perhaps the most beautiful port
village in all of Greece. A tiny
harbor ringed with cafes,
restaurants and gold shops is
surrounded by a village of stone
houses and villas that rise up the
hills like an ampitheatre. But one
of the best things about Hydra is
that there are no cars. Everything
is moved by donkey, including
groceries, building supplies,
people and their luggage. Hydra is
the former home of Leonard Cohen
and stomping grounds of Mick
Jagger, Keith Richards, Pink Floyd
and many other famous and not so
famous people. Hydra is a little
expensive, but not as much as
Mykonos and there are still
bargains to be found on the
backstreets in the way of food,
hotels and entertainment. |
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Hydra
is one of the Saronic Gulf islands
which includes Aegina, Angistri,
Poros and Spetsis. Of these, Hydra
is the most unspoiled even though
it is the most popular. The reason
is because growth has been limited
and while the other islands expand
outward to accomodate tourism,
Hydra has remained the same. Most
of its visitors just come for the
day because there are simply not
enough places for them to stay. If
you do want to stay overnight, or
over many nights, (which I
recommend), then I would book a
hotel in advance during the summer
because if you wait you won't find
one. Because of its proximity to
Athens it is the perfect island to
visit in the way-off season. There
are usually people there,
especially during weekends,
including the odd writer or poet
wintering on the island in search
of inspiration. Not far enough
away to feel like you are cut off
from society, the beat goes on
into the winter. And if you get
stir-crazy or if the weather gets
nasty you can hightail it back to
the nightlife of Athens. |
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The
main hobby on Hydra and on most
islands is people watching. Though
the cafes are expensive, you can
get a coffee or a soda and sit
there all day long. Nobody will
ask you to move like they would if
you sat in a diner in the states
all day with one cup of coffee.
There are plenty of shops to keep
you busy, on the waterfront and a
few on the main streets leading
away from it. There is a very nice
book shop which you can find by
going up Miaoulis and taking your
first right and going past Zoe's
Silver and Gold Jewlery. There is
a foreign press shop on the
waterfront where you can get your
International Herald Tribune, USA
Today, The Athens News and papers
from just about any country. Then
you can walk to one of the cafes,
order a cappucino, and spend the
day there. |
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There
are ships and yachts going in and
out all day, including several
large criuse ships that dump their
loads of middle class and elderly
groups who fan out around the town
looking for bargains in gold
jewelry and tourist paraphenalia.
Like supermarket sweep, they have
2 hours to buy everything they can
carry back to the ship and
disappear, only to be replaced by
the next group. Some make their
way to the rocks for a quick swim
and a ciggarette or two. Most are
disappointed that Hydra does not
have a long sandy beach. (Sorry I
didn't mention it sooner but there
are excursions to beaches on the
mainland by small boat and
swimming from the platforms and
rocks is great.) Generally the day
tourists seem to talk too loud and
make you remember why you left the
States. But they deserve thanks
because they are also the reason
that Hydra has retained its
attractive appearance. The
tourists come, they shop, and they
leave their money behind when they
return to the cruise ship.
Since the daily cruise ships dump
so much dough on Hydra for the two
hours or so they are in port,
there was no need to develop the
island as other islands have with
hotel after hotel. The island has
basically looked the way it looks
now for the last two hundred years
and certainly as it did when Henry
Miller visited it on the eve of
World War Two. Developers have
attempted to buy chunks of the
island and create resorts, but
have been stopped. |
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There
are 3 main streets which go up
through the village from the
waterfront. The first street you
come to from the ferry is Tombazi,
on the corner where the donkeys
hang out. The next street is
Mialouli which is next to the
Monastery of the Panagias and the
clock tower. The third street is
Lignou which goes up the hill and
ends up in the village of Kamini.
Wandering up these streets is an
enjoyable pastime and getting lost
is both easy and fun. The interior
of the village is very different
from the cafe-ringed harbor with
its jet-setters and urban Greeks.
Hydra is as traditional looking as
even the most remote village once
you break away from the masses.
Some people who live in the
village may not go down to the
harbor for days and many of the
resident artists, writers and
soul-searchers don't go down there
at all once the summer
begins. |
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The
Monastery of the Panagia is right
in the port, with it's entrance by
the clock tower. The monks cells
are now municiple offices but you
can go in and admire the church,
the marble stones and columns and
visit the small museum upstairs.
The best time to be in Hydra is
during easter when the island
celebration begins on Holy
Thursday and gathers momentum
until it explodes in fireworks
Satuday at midnight. Much of the
acitivity is focused on the
monastery with all the
congregations from the islands
other churches walking through
town to meet there on Friday
night. After the Saturday night
fireworks everyone makes their way
with lighted candles to their
homes or the various restaurants
to break their fast with the
traditional magaritsa soup, lamb,
the red easter eggs, wine and
conversation. Sunday is of course
the day when the smell of roasting
lamb is in the air as friends and
family gather together to
celebrate the reserection. If you
don't like loud noises you may
want to bring ear plugs. There are
loud fire-crackers that sometime
shake the ground like dynamite
that go off frequently from Friday
on. |
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As
for the rest of the island, if you
walk along the coast heading west
you will come to Kamini, another
village that appears to be an
extension of the main village. If
you continue walking you will come
to a small settlement of Vlichos
with 2 or 3 resturants and sort of
a beach. The restaurants are cheap
and the food is good and if you
don't feel like walking back,
there are guys in little motor
boats who will take you back for a
couple hundred drachma and the
famous Hydra Water-Taxis that you
will undoubtedly notice racing in
and out of the harbor and along
the coast. Continueing another 2
miles beyond Vlichos is Molos,
surrounded by the pine trees that
used to cover the island. You can
go even further for more seclusion
to the bay of Agios Nikolaos if
you have the stamina to walk
several islands. Bring water on
any of you journeys
If you walk east from the harbor
you will come to Mandraki beach
owned by the Hotel Miramare where
you can rent windsurfers and other
watersport utilities. |
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There
are many paths through the hills
that lead to small settlements,
monasteries and churches and a
walk in springtime will introduce
you to the islands large array of
wildflowers. The walk to the
Monastery of Profiti Illias will
take you an hour but the view is
worth it. There are still monks
living there. You may also enjoy
walking to Moni Zourvas on the far
eastern point of the island. It's
a three hour trek that passes the
monasteries of Agia Traida and
Agios Nikolaos along the
way. |
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If
you need information look for my
old pal Pan. He is hard to miss at
about five feet tall, 250 pounds
and hair and beard down to his
waist. He is one of the most
informed, active and interesting
people on the island and at one
time was a Green Beret in the US
Military. More informative then a
travel agent or the tourist police
and his info is free.Pan has been
featured in movies and his now
defunct bar called 'Pan's' was a
legend among travelers in the
seventies. If you are coming by
sailboat or yacht look for him. He
can supply you with whatever you
need. See
Pan's Page |
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Despite
the lack of long sandy beaches
(over-rated in my book. It gets in
your bathing suit, in your hair,
on your towel and eventually on
the floor of your room and in your
bed), Hydra is a great place to
visit and one can not
over-estimate the value in
spending time in a place that has
no automobiles. You feel safer and
if you have kids your stress-level
drops many degrees since the worse
that could happen is that they are
trampled by a rampaging donkey,
which happens so rarely that it is
not even worth mentioning. If you
have a day or two to spare then
come to check it out. But you
could easily spend longer here and
go home relaxed and at the same
time feeling like you have a
second home or at least a place to
escape to if need be. And believe
me. The swimming is great off the
rocks! |
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