Greece is a beautiful country, it is nothing but islands, one more beautiful than the other. Looking at pictures at home, I did not think that the island of Hydra would actually be so enchanting. It is not difficult to get there, there are many different water transport from Athens: about an hour and a half and a traveler steps down on Hydra, one of the largest islands of the Saronic Gulf.
We set sail early in the morning from the port of Piraeus in Athens and enjoyed the sea views and air for an hour and a half. From the distance, the island looked gloomy, and the mountains draw the image of a lying bearded man. It is not immediately clear what is interesting in this corner of the planet.
And then we were warned us that we were approaching and a wonderful panorama of the city opened up before us, like an amphitheater descending down the slopes to a small port with its fortress and thousands of moored yachts. White houses with bright orange roofs appear before your eyes, which go up the mountain in cascades.
You won't find any ancient antiquities here - the island is rocky and remote, so in the times of the Hellenes it was inconvenient and unsightly for habitation. Hydra island began its development around the 17th century by fishermen, and reached its heyday in the late 19th - early 20th centuries, and has remained that way over time. All the buildings on the island are from this period. Solid, stone-built, whitewashed houses, narrow street-stairs, which you can't even ride a bicycle along.
Hydra is a bit of a scary name, but in Greek it means water. This name is very suitable, because there is little land in these places, only water. There is no car traffic on the island, only donkeys and horses. There is simply no room for cars to drive, the streets can only let two or three people through, no more. This is very attractive to tourists, because we are tired of our own technical progress and sometimes want to return to places where there is no civilization.
Although they write that the island is the largest of the islands closest to Athens, the length of its entire coastline is only 56 km.
When you get off the boat, they offer you not a taxi, but a donkey. But they offer unobtrusively, very intelligently. If you don't want a donkey, they'll offer you a horse, or walk. Children are incredibly happy with donkeys and horses. They are formed into groups, put in the saddle, and taken on an interesting journey around the island.
The donkey is the symbol of the island, and also cats that live in every house: fluffy and soft, calm.
We started our tour of the town from its miniature fortress. The entire fortress consists of a platform with cannons and its purpose was to protect the port and the city from enemies from the sea. Hydra Island is a former fortress - that is why there are still cannons, towers and other attributes of the bastion.
The port is a small cobblestone street, on one side of which there are houses with cafés and souvenir shops, and on the other - hundreds of donkeys and horses, like a taxi stand. And there is no free space in the water, the yachts are parked tightly next to each other.
The main transport by which people arrive and leave here is yachts. There are so many of them that there is nowhere to moor. Still, the small boats on the water look so magical. Of course, many influential residents of Athens chose Hydra as a place for their country vacation, and there is no other way to get to Hydra except by sea.
There are also temples on Hydra: sacred, ancient, mysterious. Each temple has a neat courtyard with flowers, a clean and easy-to-breath environment.
We went to three beaches and didn't find a single safe and equipped one. There are no changing rooms, no lifeguards, no umbrellas or amenities. There is only a staircase in the rock leading down into the water, like in a swimming pool. There is no shallow water either - just turquoise transparent depth! That is, there is nothing to stand on. People jump from the rocks into the sea head first, and they clearly like it. In general, the beaches are not for children and not for people who can't swim well. Nevertheless, we with my husband are extreme sports enthusiasts, and we really enjoyed swimming in the sea!
After walking along the port embankment, we went deeper into the narrow streets that climbed up the mountain. The amount of greenery and bright flowers caresses the eye.
And sometimes the eyes rest on the laconic combination of white and blue.
Sleeping cats evoke thoughts of laziness and peace.
Donkeys and horses are "parked" near houses here and there.
Narrow streets sometimes lead to small squares.
There are souvenir shops in Hydra, of course. You can buy natural washcloths, magnets, jewelry, handmade items made from natural materials.
Hydra is a miracle of nature. And the ships kept arriving and arriving... The main life is in full swing in the port and on the rocky beaches. It seems that the island is frozen in time, and it is simply impossible to develop it technologically to the modern level - it will have to be completely demolished and a new one built. Of course, no one is going to do this, because it is incredibly picturesque and loved by tourists.
And in general, the island is simply a pearl of Greece. Not ancient, but authentic pure Greece, surrounded by mountains, caressed by the sea and embraced by the winds...
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