Early morning start for our optional Greek Island tour to Aegina, Poros, Hydra. Golden Age provided a magnificent buffet breakfast ( a real buffet) which included bacon, eggs and omelettes. Not all European hotels 'do'bacon.
It took about an hour to reach the first island, Aegina. I was a bit disappointed as it wasn't what I expected of a Greek Island. There are cars and bikes everywhere and the exhaust fumes, even on the beach front, are terrible. We walked along the front for a while then ventured into the back streets. Greece has a lot of eucalypts - mainly what appear to be Weeping Peppermints. Wonder which Greek immigrant took those seeds home to his old town first? The back streets, i.e. the main streets of the village, are typically very narrow. The bikes and cars zoom up and down and there are no footpaths so you need to get out of their way. We wandered around the main local shops for a while then headed back to the boat. The street we chose appeared to be the Harley Street of Aegina, as it had a lot of doctors' signs up. The houses here were much nicer and it was very quiet.
On Poros, we had a buffet lunch included in the tour at a local taverna. The Greek idea of a buffet is to have a variety of dishes and deal out the ones you want. There was a heap of food and it was all good. I scored the local beagle, who came and put his head on my knee and did the sad eye thing for pieces of chicken - knew who to come to! Most of the dogs we see in Greece are of some indiscriminate breed so it was unusual to see a dog I could actually identify. Dog are everywhere - they were even on the ferry and stay in the cabins with their owners. Jess would love it apart from the big bath that would be surrounding her.
After lunch, another quick wander around the town. There were less cars/bikes and it was a much nicer island. We would have preferred more time here and skipped Aegina altogether.
Off again to Hydra - this island has no cars on it and they use donkeys apparently. There were some lined up to give rides but at 10Eu for 10 mins it wasn't high on the list of priorities. Hydra is lovely - just what you expect of a Greek island. the white houses and the bright blue trims. Some of the group went swimming. All I did was climb down the stairs in the harbour and dangle my feet in the waters of the Aegean Sea. It was very cold and crystal clear, with little fish swimming around. Alex and I walked from one 'point'to another in the hour we had on the island. I also contributed a lot to the local economy! A week or two would be nice here.
The shopkeepers in Greece are amusing. They hang around the front of the shops and chat cheerfully to lure you inside. they all know someone or have a relative in Australia. This is possibly true since Melbourne has the largest Greek population outside Athens. Once inside, nothing is the price on the ticket - there is always a discount. Things are cheap though.
We all trundled back onto the boat for a two hour ride home. After a while, an entertainer fired up his electronic organ and started singing. A couple in our group were dancing and then the two woman on staff started to teach Greek dances. This progressed to some golden oldies like YMCA and the twist. It is very hard to twist while trying to keep your balance as the boat rocks n rolls.
Arrived back at the hotel around 9. We had booked a special dinner - 13Eu for 3 courses - that the hotel had offered. Too tired to go and shower first, Margi and I went to eat and found that most of the others had the same idea. Dinner was good - mushrooms with a sort of cheese (like haloumi) crust in a ramekin, followed by a chicken dish and then tiny baklava type sweets and coffee.
Before bed we needed to pack suitcases, and also a carryon for two days for the ferry crossing the next day. The air con in our room wasn't working and we had to leave the window open a bit. The traffic noise just went on all night - I didn't sleep well.
Tomorrow we have a tour of the Acropolis and Panthenon.
Hotel: Golden Age, Athens
Wakeup: 6:00; Breakfast: 6:45 ; Depart: 7:15
It took about an hour to reach the first island, Aegina. I was a bit disappointed as it wasn't what I expected of a Greek Island. There are cars and bikes everywhere and the exhaust fumes, even on the beach front, are terrible. We walked along the front for a while then ventured into the back streets. Greece has a lot of eucalypts - mainly what appear to be Weeping Peppermints. Wonder which Greek immigrant took those seeds home to his old town first? The back streets, i.e. the main streets of the village, are typically very narrow. The bikes and cars zoom up and down and there are no footpaths so you need to get out of their way. We wandered around the main local shops for a while then headed back to the boat. The street we chose appeared to be the Harley Street of Aegina, as it had a lot of doctors' signs up. The houses here were much nicer and it was very quiet.
On Poros, we had a buffet lunch included in the tour at a local taverna. The Greek idea of a buffet is to have a variety of dishes and deal out the ones you want. There was a heap of food and it was all good. I scored the local beagle, who came and put his head on my knee and did the sad eye thing for pieces of chicken - knew who to come to! Most of the dogs we see in Greece are of some indiscriminate breed so it was unusual to see a dog I could actually identify. Dog are everywhere - they were even on the ferry and stay in the cabins with their owners. Jess would love it apart from the big bath that would be surrounding her.
After lunch, another quick wander around the town. There were less cars/bikes and it was a much nicer island. We would have preferred more time here and skipped Aegina altogether.
Off again to Hydra - this island has no cars on it and they use donkeys apparently. There were some lined up to give rides but at 10Eu for 10 mins it wasn't high on the list of priorities. Hydra is lovely - just what you expect of a Greek island. the white houses and the bright blue trims. Some of the group went swimming. All I did was climb down the stairs in the harbour and dangle my feet in the waters of the Aegean Sea. It was very cold and crystal clear, with little fish swimming around. Alex and I walked from one 'point'to another in the hour we had on the island. I also contributed a lot to the local economy! A week or two would be nice here.
The shopkeepers in Greece are amusing. They hang around the front of the shops and chat cheerfully to lure you inside. they all know someone or have a relative in Australia. This is possibly true since Melbourne has the largest Greek population outside Athens. Once inside, nothing is the price on the ticket - there is always a discount. Things are cheap though.
We all trundled back onto the boat for a two hour ride home. After a while, an entertainer fired up his electronic organ and started singing. A couple in our group were dancing and then the two woman on staff started to teach Greek dances. This progressed to some golden oldies like YMCA and the twist. It is very hard to twist while trying to keep your balance as the boat rocks n rolls.
Arrived back at the hotel around 9. We had booked a special dinner - 13Eu for 3 courses - that the hotel had offered. Too tired to go and shower first, Margi and I went to eat and found that most of the others had the same idea. Dinner was good - mushrooms with a sort of cheese (like haloumi) crust in a ramekin, followed by a chicken dish and then tiny baklava type sweets and coffee.
Before bed we needed to pack suitcases, and also a carryon for two days for the ferry crossing the next day. The air con in our room wasn't working and we had to leave the window open a bit. The traffic noise just went on all night - I didn't sleep well.
Tomorrow we have a tour of the Acropolis and Panthenon.
Hotel: Golden Age, Athens
Wakeup: 6:00; Breakfast: 6:45 ; Depart: 7:15
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