Day 4 Island Tour

Today was absolutely amazing! We took a ferry boat to 3 islands: Poros, Hydra and Aeigna! It was an all day event that included a long boat ride complete with naps, tanning, some rain, being attacked (not really) by seagulls, dolphin sightings, and much more. The day started out really overcast and everyone was worried about rain. Just as we were pulling into the first dock it started to rain. The first island, Poros, was the smallest but very cute. They had a beautiful clock tower on a hill right above the little shops and cafes. I tried to find my way up but we only had about 20 minutes and I didn't want to get lost. The second island, Hydra, was hands down my favorite stop. This island was also small so they don't have cars or mopeds; their only transportation is by foot or by boat. Rushing past all the touristy shops (that are pretty much the exact same everywhere), a group of us set out to explore the more residential part of town. We just started walking to see what we could find. By then, the sun had come out and we were starting to warm up. Then, with the sun still shining, it started to rain big drops. I usually hate rain, but this was so beautiful. It only lasted a few minutes but i decided sunny rain is my favorite! It was also refreshing because we were getting hot from all the walking and climbing. It was very steep at certain points, with winding stairs leading either to dead-ends at people's door steps or to another section with more stairs. The houses were so beautiful- white with blue or other colorful details such as doors, windows, iron gates... There were so many gorgeous flowers and we saw a few lemon trees that smelled delicious. Who cared if we were possibly getting lost, we were having fun just exploring. We went about as far as we could go and realized it was probably a good time to start heading back down to the port. We didn't want to miss our ferry or we'd be spending the night (which would have been bad but a great story)! We got back and still had some time so while others were sitting and enjoying some drinks, a few of us decided to go explore the opposite side of the port. Dustin (1 out of the 2 guys we have on the trip) thought he saw a cave and a place to get in the water. We walked along the shops and found a restaurant with stairs leading straight down into the water. Not that we could read Greek, but there were no signs around saying not to... So, thinking we still had a little time, we all dipped our feet and legs at first in just to see how it felt. We would ease in and then hop back out, still not knowing if it was ok for us to be down there. Then a group of French-speaking kids saw us and came down to try it out too. One guy dove right in. Of course we weren't gonna just sit back and watch so we decided to jump into the clear blue water too. It was cold but so worth it! The rocks lining the island were amazing and you could see straight down to the bottom. It was so much better than shopping and so far one of my favorite experiences! The last island was much larger and was the only one with an actual beach so we thought we'd enjoy laying out and getting in the water. But when we got there, the beach wasn't very clean or pretty and the wind blew debris all over us. The water was gorgeous and you could see all the different blue and green colors but it was way too cold for me. So we ended up walking around the town a little and we picked up a snack for the boat ride back. I found out later that a group of people had gone exploring instead of sitting on the beach. They saw an old Greek Orthodox church and were able to go inside. I was upset with myself for not going and decided from now on, I am always going to explore rather than shop or tan (things I can do anywhere). We all got so much sun sitting on the boat all day and I even got a little pink on my chest and shoulders. I forgot to put on sunscreen but I knew it would all be a nice brown tan in a few days if I put lotion on. On the way back to Athens, many of us passed out and took a little nap on the boat. It was a long day but so much fun! I loved seeing all the gorgeous little islands. Many people on the trip said that when they thought of Greece, this was how they pictured it- quaint little towns on the water with white houses and blue windows. It is such a contrast to the more urban areas of Athens and Glyfada. It was so cool to see how the ancient ruins, like the Acropolis, from yesterday are surrounded by modern buildings. I think it is awesome that we get to see so many sides of Greece- the urban, the historical, and the picturesque!

Here are some photos from our island tour:

We sat on the top deck at the back of the boat. I loved watching the flag blow in the wind!

This was how it all started. Just one seagull having fun trying to fly next to the boat using the wind draft to keep up. Then a waiter held out a piece of food for the bird and everyone was so amazed to see it swoop down and eat it out of his hand. Other people on the boat followed the waiter's example and before you knew it, there were hundreds of seagulls flying behind our boat. It was so funny how everyone got out their cameras to take pictures. I actually enjoyed watching the seagulls swoop from side to side and then dive bomb down into the water to sit on a wake from the ferry. It was almost peaceful. I laughed out loud, thinking to myself how funny it would be if two of the crashed into each other because of how fast and wildly they were flying around.

The cute little clock-tower on Poros!

A tiny little church on Hydra.

simply beautiful!

Me, Madison, Annie, & Hannah S.

This was so much fun!

The restaurant leading down to the water.

I love the blue and white. This is from Aeigna.

this is the beach at Aeigna