Gone to Greece ” Cruising the Greek Isles /part 2
Oupah! The Grecian version of Mabuhay reverberated heartily around the ship as it sets sail for a day cruise to the Saronic Gulf . Our group will be visiting the 3 islands of the Gulf – Hydra, Poros and Aegina , each with a personality of its own. As seating were assigned by language, from English, Chinese and Spanish, we all scrambled towards our assigned deck where we were given a briefing and treated to a show of Greek history, costume and dance.
Poros island was our first stop. The visit was short and vivid of last minute buys from small shops surrounding the area. Greek caps and caftans, alongside puffy embroidered blouses and mats were sold in Mediterranean style shops jutting out like mismatched growth of houses atop hills. A few of us climbed up a maze of steps to see the panoramic view from a watchtower resting loftily above the hustle and bustle of activity below.
We retreated back to the ship for a light lunch at the dining deck. One of the cruise staff found out we were Filipinos and called out “Tito! Tito!”. It turns out that one of their well loved staff is a Filipino. We also had a short chat with a Filipina from Switzerland with her family. As we made new friends, the sound of the bell signaled us to our next stop, the pretty island of Hydra .
Hydra, is everything I imagine a Greek isle should be, pretty and quaint with a spattering of fantastic stone villas and houses in their characteristic Grecian architecture. Houses, washed in white with accents of aqua blue, sunny yellow and cherry red are arrested in shrouds of trees. Transportation is limited only to donkeys and horses since cars are strictly barred from the island. Island locals offer tourists a short round of the island on their donkeys, cobblestone path of shops sell seaside souvenirs and family owned tavernas display let their freshly caught squid and fish like shirts on a clothesline.
I got bored with the group’s shopping and decided to walk further up towards a path leading to a cliff where a few resorts offered a quick jump into the shiny sparkling Mediterranean Sea . I find Poros to be deliciously lazy and absolutely delightful, my personal favorite.
The last stop, Aegina was where we stayed the longest. One can choose between a historical visit to the temple of Athena , a wild beach party at a Waterpark or an adventurous hike to the Hellenic Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre. One can also opt to discover Aegina on your own where shops, museums and churches also abound. A public beach was a few minutes walk away where one can swim for free. I took a dip just to say I did touch the sea but I find it too dull and brown however compared to the white sands of our own Paradise Island .
In Aegina, one can also shop for the islands fresh produce of pistachio nuts and fresh honey, sundried tomatoes and olives along stores where storekeepers entice you with a a taste test. Gelatos and ice flavored drinks are a fresh respite in the hot sun. I bought a pistachio flavored gelato while waited for my group to finish their buys before we headed off back to the ship and back to the city of Athens .
