Poros Town

"... It has something of Venice: the canal, communication between the houses being by boats, luxury, idleness. sensual temptation, something lustful. A place for international lovers, providing much magic. There is something of the closed space here, with the moon high up in the sky, and all day long the copper echo of the music from the Naval School. Last night going up to bed, I stood for a moment on the balcony of my room, staring at the mountain lines opposite..."
-George Seferis
 

Poros Town may remind you of Venice. The main street is the channel that passes between it and the town of Galati on the Peleponisos across the way. Its a very lively area and just sitting in the cafes is entertainment enough on those days when you don't feel like exploring or venturing into Athens. A line of small taxi boats on the wharf bring people back and forth to Galati.

The upper village is very different from the cafes and tourist shops of the main harbor road. The streets are small and winding with many businesses that are not tourist oriented and some of the better restaurants wich are frequented by locals and knowledgable travelers.

"If I should ever attain the fulfilment which the Buddists speak of, if I should ever have the choice of attaining Nirvana or remaining behind to guide those who come, I say now let me remain behind, let me hover as a gentle spirit above the roofs of Poros and look down upon the voyager with a smile of peace and good cheer. " -Henry Miller

Beyond the ferry is a line of sailboats and just after that the Naval Acadamy and the destroyer Averoff which is open to the public. For those who don't know their Greek history this ship was part of a counter-coup against the dictatorship. When it failed, the captain and crew sailed to Italy and were granted asylum.

The town of Poros is actually an island in itself seperated by a small canal from the rest of the island. In ancient times it was two islands, Spheria and Kalavria, which gradually became joined by an isthmus of sand. Kalavria, the larger island was wooded and had lots of water. Spheria, which is now Poros town, was a volcano.

The town of Galatia across the Poros straits is the doorway to the Peleponisos. With bus service to Naphlion and other cities it also serves as an escape hatch because even on those rare occasions when the sea is too rough for ferries and flying dolphins, you can always take a bus back to Athens, so you never have to worry about missing your flight home. Besides the little taxi boats there are also ferries which cross every 15 minutes so you can have a car on the island and easily get to the mainland.

Cafe life is thriving in Poros town and the straits serve as an ever changing screen as ferries, cruiseships, sailboats and water taxis pass through on their way to the other Saronic islands. From breakfast and espresso until a late night ouzo there are always people to watch and talk to and prices are reasonable. There is an international press shop where you can buy the Herald Tribune, the Athens News and even the USA Today to keep up with baseball scores and news from home.

Fish is plentiful at the local market...

Getting a cab to or from the boat is never a problem...

...Nor is coaxing a smile from a doorway full of kids in the upper village

As for night life in Poros, the best nightclub is called the Sirocco which plays European music with some Greek music mixed in. Things don't really get started until around midnight but then it goes on until 4 in the morning or later. There are also a number of music bars, divided with roughly half of them playing English music and the other half Greek. Many of the bars are owned by foreigners who visited and stayed. Because many people come for weekends the bars can get pretty wild on Friday, Satuday and Sunday nights.