Three Island Tour

Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale,

A tale of a fateful trip

That started from this tropic port

Aboard this tiny ship.

The third day in Greece Andreas had arranged for us to take a 3 island tour in the nearby Saronic coast. Though not quite Gilligan’s Island status, we did enjoy island hopping to Poros, Hydra, and Aegina (it seems I have had the opportunity to do lots of island hopping of this trip- I better not get used to it). If we were staying the weekend and the winds were calmer we would have gone to Andreas’ island, but the trip he set up for us was wonderful.

We first went to the island of Poros, one of the further islands off the mainland. We were only allotted 45 minutes to look around, really just enough time to stretch our legs, but my family made the most of it. My mom is a baklava fiend, so the first place we headed was the pastry shop. The last time we were in Greece, i'm pretty sure she ate baklava for breakfast, lunch, and dinner... but so far, three days in and this was her first taste. Of course between the two, both my parents ordered three- to "try each kind." And if they could smuggle it on the ship, I know they would. I personally am not a fan of baklava, but I did try the treat and the honey that was drizzled over the flaky pastry was to die for.

When we embarked back on our little ship (it is a ship because it has a life boat and only ships carry, boats, not the other way around) the staff marked us as VIP. It seems Andreas had outdone himself again. The short cruise was much more enjoyable with free drinks, our own private cabin, and the captain even invited us to drive the ship! I didn't know that ships were still steered by the pirate looking steering wheel, but I confidently grabbed each side and led us through the Saronic waters. Of course when we went through a narrow straight of islands they asked me to step aside and let the crew do the work, only so I wouldn't be stressed on my vacation. How very considerate of them!

The second island we docked at was the island of Hydra. Known for its rocky coast and nice shopping, we hopped off the Aegean Glory (the name of our ship) and tried to keep up appearances of "VIP"... you can see in the picture my family is a bit out of place. We did however enjoy a nice stroll, looking into every shop. The jewelry was stunning, though a bit pricey for my taste, and the view was even better. I was originally bummed that I wasn't going to make it to Santorini because that was where Mamma Mia was filmed on the picturesque Greek Island, but Hydra was a great substitute. The water was a rich blue sapphire color that complemented the blue and white architecture around town. My favorite part was the amount of cats that wandered the streets of Hydra. These cats were much more friendly and did not beg like other cats in Greece. I imagine they were pretty content with the food and beautiful scenery just as I was.

Our third island was Aegina. This island was the biggest and closest to Athens. Most Athenians have summer homes here and go to have a weekend getaway out of the city. We were able to take a tour of the island by bus which was a nice way to see the entirety of the land, and learned a few things along the way. Apparently Aegina only has 5,000 inhabitants, but originally in ancient times it was highly populated and a strong power in the Saronic seas. In fact, Athens frequently called upon their help to fight off unwanted enemies, but feared Aegina may become more powerful than the mainland city, so the ships back to Aegina were burned. The powerful city declined from there, however even today the island seems to be somewhat self sufficient. It is rich with olive and pistachio resources so it is said that Aegina is not feeling the stress of the economy as much as the rest of Greece.

The tour came to a close just as the sun was setting, which was a nice way to come back into the harbor. Completely exhausted, despite the royal treatment, we met up with my brother to have a gyro and then head back to the ship. We were invited to the yacht club with Andreas the next day, after my cooking class, so we wanted to fresh and rested for our last day in port!