Rome to Hydra

Twelve hours of travel by car, bus, plane, train, boat and foot.

At 7am, the B&B host’s husband was waiting in his taxi (BMW hybrid) and by 7:30, we had already checked in for the 8:55 flight to Athens. Boarding was early because we had a bus ride to the plane (Airbus 321), but it left and landed on time. It was ITA Airways, with the very brave slogan of “Inspired by Alitalia”.

Athens airport was modern and easy. Both bags arrived (!), and it was 5 mins to the train station. Some 23 stops and an hour later we were at Piraeus, the port … and had a nearly 3 hr wait for the hydrofoil to Hydra. There is not much on at Piraeus port on Sunday afternoon. Apart from cafes and the like beside the massive ferry dock, everything but a Mosque-shaped church was closed. We had Greek salads at a little restaurant: the menu described them very differently, but when they came, the only difference was the thin slab of feta across mine. Meanwhile, our red hydrofoil had arrived, along with a few hulking ferries that were releasing buses, cars and people onto the dock.

It was choppy and rough leaving the port, but the “Stay Seated” sign was replaced by a Greek soap opera after 30 mins. We slid into the first stop - Poros - in the dark at 6:20 and most people (c. 120 of 150?) sauntered down the gangplank. By 7pm, the rest of us were on the wharf in Hydra. From there it was a 400m walk to our hotel. Everyone walks: cars and any form of vehicle are banned on the island.

We checked into the hotel and liked our stony room, but walked straight back down the flagstones to find a restaurant. The first seemed good enough, although the hotelier had suggested we check all 10 or so around the harbour. "Lulu's" looked like something out of an old movie about Greece. Choices were limited because everything seemed to have run out by Sunday night, but it was fine, and we managed to survive having cats on three sides of us pleading silently for their fair share.

It was warm and still a bit early, so we walked around the harbour and up and down some of the flagstone alleys - they are definitely not streets - admiring stone buildings (some whitewashed), fleets of fishing boats, some very large yachts and the houses high above us on Hydra's hills.

9,617 steps, 7.3km and 3 flights. Almost embarrassing... Walking 25km a day may be physically tiring, but half a day of planes, trains and airports seems even more wearying.Leer más