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Getting to Poros

I don't know which affected me more deeply-the story of the lemon groves just opposite us or the sight of Poros itself when suddenly I realized we were sailing through the streets. If there is one dream which I like above all others it is that of sailing on land. Coming into Poros gives the illusion of the deep dream.Suddenly the land converges on all sides and the boat is squeezed into a narrow strait from which there is no egress. The men and women of Poros are hanging out of the windows just above your head. You pull in right under their frosty nostrils, as though for a shave and a haircut en route. The loungers on the quay are walking with the same speed as the boat. They can walk faster than the boat if they choose to quicken their pace.
Henry Miller-The Collossus of Marousi

With ferries leaving every few hours and Flying Dolphins leaving from Pireaus almost every hour, going to Poros could not be easier. You don't even have to wake up early. The trip there is enjoyable. I prefer to take the ferry boat. I stop at a kiosk and pick up the International Herald Tribune and before I have read the whole thing we have arrived at the island of Aegina. From there the trip gets more interesting as we stop in Methana, a town on the Peloponessos. The narrow straitsbetween Poros and the Peloponessos hasalways been my favorite ferry trip and Ihave taken it dozens of times. It alwaysseems to me like we are sailing up a biglazy old river with the mountains of theArgolis on the right and the wooded hillsof Poros on the left. In the coves andbays there are  sailboats and yachtsanchored in safety while the sailorsthemselves swim nearby, water ski or eatin the tavernas on the shore. This wholesheltered area between the island and themainland is like a watersportparadise.  

The town of Poros is impressive enough, even without thedestroyer Averoff anchored there. Itserves as a Naval museum and has taken theplace of the original heavy cruiser Averoff, liberatorof the Dodecanese islands and the mostfamous ship in Greece's history, which satin the bay here for decades until it wasmoved to the bay in Faliron, where it toois a museum. This is probably the secondmost famous ship for its part in thecountercoup against the dictatorship whenit left Greece and the captain and crewwere granted asylum in Italy.

As Henry Millerdescribes it above, the impression you getupon arrival is that you are sailing downmainstreet. The harbor road is lined withcafes and alive with activity. There aretaxis waiting to take you wherever youneed to go and the small water taxis thatcan ferry you to the mainland. There isalso a small car ferry boat that crossescontinuously,every fifteen minutes all daylong so if you have rented a car in Athens it is just a short trip to the mainland for visits to Nafplion and the Argolis.

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