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Day 12:
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Hiking Hydra.Day 12 was another day to "take a vacation from our vacation." We had most of the day to explore the island without any organized activities. Dafni had organized a happy hour for the group at our hotel in the evening, but the rest of the day was ours to fill with whatever adventures we chose! Most group members took advantage of the glorious weather and readily available ocean to find a beach for some swimming. Hydra has several different swimming spots available, but I found that most beaches in Greece are quite rocky rather than sandy- and several "beaches" on Hydra don't even have rocks, just a concrete platform and ladders.
A group of us decided to hike out to Vlychos Beach, since it was relatively inexpensive (chairs & umbrellas for rent), but still had a beach area. The walk along the coast was also scenic! It was a bit of a long walk if you're just planning to go for a swim, so definitely bring walking shoes, etc. for a hike rather than just heading out in flip flops. Water shoes are also strongly recommended in Greece because of the rocky shorelines, which are perfect environments for sea urchins - not something you want to step on accidentally! There is usually a boat you can take to Vlychos and to some of the other beaches on Hydra, but the water was too choppy in the morning, so we had to hike. (You can only buy tickets in town, so if you can't take it out, you can't take it back!) We found out the water was still pretty choppy when we went swimming too - there was a pretty strong current and LOTS of waves!
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There's a little town near Vlychos and a delicious restaurant where we enjoyed another family-style lunch (when in Rome, do as the Romans do - or, I guess in this case, the Greeks!). It also makes for a fun meal because you get to try a bunch of different items rather than just one! Marina Taverna was a perfect little shaded lunch spot. We had a bit of excitement right around lunch time when a large tree branch broke for no reason and they had to do some immediate clean up so you could access tables. Interestingly, I had just taken a photo of the whole tree just a few minutes before!
Insider's Info: Bring a sunhat you like for Greece!Greece is sunny (Athens enjoys more than 250 days of sunshine each year), and shade is often hard to find - especially at ancient sites where trees are scarce. Almost every day of the tour, Dafni recommended we wear our sunhats for protection. By Day 12, I was OVER my sunhat and hat hair, and ready for a good breeze to whip the thing off my head, never to be seen again! So, I decided to ditch it in my room for our beach day. Yikes! The walk to Vlychos was about 20-30 minutes each way, and I had to deal with sweaty, salty, wind-whipped hair each way on top of blinding sun that my sunglasses couldn't quite counteract. Before a trip to Greece, find at least one (or two) hats you really enjoy wearing every day or suffer the consequences!
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Cute in week 1, not so beloved by week 2
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Καληνύχτα, Ύδρα! (Good night, Hydra!)
Anna's Animal Encounters.
In addition to the ubiquitous donkeys on Hydra, there is a large population of stray cats. And you can always count on them to find the shadiest spots for naps, no matter if they're convenient for everyone else!
You never know when you'll stumble on some sheep in a backyard!
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Can you see me? Maybe my ears give my hiding space away...
It's all Greek to me!
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