Poros: The Alternative to Athens
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"The
island revolves in cubistic planes,
one of walls and windows, one of rocks
and goats, one of stiffblown trees and
shrubs and so on. Yonder, where the
mainland curves like a whip, lie the
wild lemon groves and there in the
spring young and old go mad from the
fragrance of sap and blossom. You
enter the harbor of Poros swaying and
swirling, a gentle idiot tossed about
admidst masts and nets in a world
which only the painter knows. To sail
slowly through the streets of Poros is
to recapture the joy of passing
through the neck of the womb. It is a
joy too deep almost to be
remembered."
Henry
Miller-The Collossus of Marousi |
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Imagine
staying on an island so close to
Athens that you could wake up in
the morning and in a little more
than an hour, be walking around
the acropolis, shopping in the
flea-market or wandering around
the Plaka looking for gifts or a
nice place for lunch. Imagine an
island that is a three minute boat
ride to the Peloponessos and
places like Nafplion, Myceneae,
Epidavros. Imagine an island that
is less then an hour from Pireaus,
where you can make ferry
connections to Mykonos, Ios,
Santorini, Crete, Paros, Naxos,
Lesvos, Rhodes and almost every
island in the Aegean sea. And if
this island was blessed with
beautiful forests that came right
down to the beach, quaility and
inexpensive accommodations, great
restaurants, water sports and cafe
life on par with the best Greek
islands, then why would you bother
staying in Athens? |
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Poros
does not have the incredible long
sandy beaches of the Cyclades, but
neither does downtown Athens. The
beaches of Poros are small, shaded
and calm, even on the windiest
days. The island hugs the shore of
the Peloponessos so that sailing
through the channel is like going
down a river. Its the perfect
island for a day trip but in my
opinion Poros is more than that.
It is the most sensible place to
base yourself if you are planning
to see Athens, the Peloponessos and
the Aegean islands. |
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Think
about it. You are in Athens and
you want to visit the Peloponessos.
You leave your hotel for the car
rental agency and then have to
make your way through the Athens
traffic to the National road. In
two hours you have reached the
isthmus of Corinth and cross over
into the Peloponessos. If you are
in Poros you leave your hotel, pay
the little old guy
who runs the water taxi between
Poros and the town of Galatia, hop
into your rental car (or get on
the bus) and you are ready to
explore the ruins of Ancient
Trizina and the spectacular sites
of the Argolis and beyond. |
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The
word Poros means a strip of sea,
narrower then a strait, uniting
two minor bays. The closest
distance between the two bodies of
land is 300 meters and during
ancient times, according to the
author Pausanias, you could walk
across it. |
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What
about if you want to go to see the
sights of Athens? Walk to the port of
Poros, get on a Flying Dolphin
Hydrofoil and be in Pireaus in about
45 minutes. Then hop on the metro and
get off in the Monastiraki flea
market, a two minute walk from the
Plaka and ten minutes from the
entrance to the Acropolis. Spend the
day in Athens and then after a quick
trip by dolphin or a leisurely
ferryboat trip be home in time for a
swim at sunset, and dinner at a nice
taverna. |
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To visit
islands in the other chains its even
easier. Find the departure time for
your ferry to Paros, Naxos, Ios,
Santorini or whatever island you want
to go to, check the Flying Dolphin
schedule for the boat that will give
you enough time to make your
connection(at least half an hour), and
before you know it you will be
steaming off into the Aegean. When you
return from the islands you can go
back to Poros to spend the rest of
your holidays until it is time for
your flight and be secure in knowing
that even on the rare occasion that
the ferries are not running due to bad
weather you can still get across to
the mainland and be back in Athens in
two and a half hours. |
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What
this means is that if you are one of
these people who wants to visit
Greece, see the islands and the major
archeological sites, but have no
interest in being in a big city like
Athens, then you are in luck. Poros
should suit your holiday needs very
well. |
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Easter in
Poros! Spend
Friday Saturday and Sunday on the island of
Poros, one hour from Athens, taking part in
the church celebrations and ending with a
dinner of lamb roasted on a spit, wine,
dancing and more with hosts Takis and Zefi
Alexopoulos of the beautiful Saga Hotel. If
you are planning to be in Greece on the
weekend of Easter and are looking for
something to do and want to celebrate Greece's
most popular holiday in a magical way this is
the way to go.
Read about Greek Easter and Easter in
Poros at
www.greecetravel.com/easter
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For booking your holiday or
accommodations in Poros or for more
Information contact Fantasy Travel
by
using this
form
. |
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