Three Island Cruise Athens

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Athens One Day Cruise to Hydra, Poros and AeginaLeft hotel at 7.45am and travelled by coach to the Port of Piraeus where we boarded a very comfortable day cruiser, Platyera. It has 3 levels with a very nice a air conditioned dining room. The first island, Hydra is the smallest and there are no cars, motor bikes or bicycles (that we could see) on the island. A delightful and busy little port. Beautiful lane ways and shops typical of a small tourist resort. There were also delicious looking fruit & veg shops up the alleyways.The water is amazingly deep, clear and blue. People were swimming everywhere along the short bit of coastline that we walked. Apart from the signs for Margaritas, which made us instantly think of Lawrence, the most entertaining part of the visit was watching the yachts manoeuvre alongside the massive ferries in the tiny harbour. No wonder they have so many fenders down each side.Lunch served on the way to the next stop, Poros. A much bigger island it is beautiful but lacks the charm of Hydra. We had a short walk along the waterfront, took some photos of the clock tower (should have walked up to the top but didn't see the sign until we were about to leave). Took some photos of yachts in the harbour. Obviously a popular destination with laundrettes and yachtie cafes all along the waterfront .Now we are on the way to Aegina the largest of the 3 islands we are seeing today. We have opted for a coach tour that takes us to the temple Aegina that completes the isosceles triangle with the temple of Poseidon and the Parthenon at the Acropolis. Then we have a tour through an Ancient Greek Orthodox Church. The other option was a speed boat to a swimming beach. Forgot to bring the bathers so that was out....although Shane did notice that it wasn't an impediment for a young woman on Hydra. The other option was a tour of the island and a tour of the church, then a walk through the town. Shane is falling asleep as I write and we only drank water at lunch time! That is what sun and sea breeze does to you (nothing to do with age).We have returned to the boat after a lovely drive through the countryside to the other side of the island. The island is known for its excellent pistachios which are harvested at this time of the year, soaked in lemon juice and salt overnight and then roasted. We are sampling them with a beer as I write this.We visited the temple of Athena Aphaia and a beautiful church which has been built in honour of Saint Nicolai and now we commence the 1.5 hr trip back to Athens. It has been a long day but most enjoyable.

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