We rose early on Friday morning to rush onto a boat to take us to an eventual destination which, thankfully, does not encourage rushing. To get to that peaceful island of Hydra, however, we spent a very long time on a day cruise ship called the Ana Maru, stopping at the islands of Aegina and Poros along the way. We sailed out of Piraeus, the port city near Athens, and shared some fairly decent conversation on the way to Aegina.
Although Aegina is home to the famous temple of Apollo and a rather lovely monastery, the tour to those places was rather out of the price range of anyone in my group, myself included. So, we walked Aegina's streets instead, looking at things which are free, like the fish market and the local Greek Orthodox church. It was somewhat disturbing to see octopus tentacles hanging like decoration outside of some of the cafes, but more disturbing were the sea horses sitting in a bowl outside a jewelry store. Unsettling, rather. The Greek Orthodox church, on the other hand, was transcendentally beautiful, from the elegantly carved chairs for the people, the rich paintings on its ceiling, and the soft glow of the light through the colorfully stained glass to the scent of incense which lingered in the air.
Poros had one point of interest--a lighthouse with a flag next to it overlooking the city. So, we climbed it, took pictures, browsed the stores, and climbed back down again. It was nice, after the noise and bustle of Aegina, to see the soft white of the village's houses with bougainvilleas (yeesh, that's a hard word to spell) spilling out from various openings. That was nothing to be compared, however, to the incredible stillness and peace of Hydra.
With no cars or motorcycles, the place had its own unique sound--nothing but waves, footsteps, and human voices. The hotel was a charming place, converted from the former governor's palace, if I recall, and not a single room was alike. Mine was a pure white--walls, ceiling, beds--no clutter, just soft white. Coming down the stairs on the way to dinner, I was shocked to run into an old classmate of mine from sixth grade, Nicole King--it is amazing how, even in the most remote of places, it is still possible to run into a long-lost acquaintance. She was there with her college, studying abroad, and I hadn't seen her in years. Remarkable.
After an incredible dinner (I wish I knew the name of the restaurant so that I could personally recommend it on a travel site), we went up to where the cannons from the battle against the Ottoman Empire were, and had worship there, overlooking the sea and the town. A perfect opening to the Sabbath. Many hiked up the hill to the monastery the next morning; I slept, slept better than I had slept since I came here. Then, we had a study on the book of Esther in our room before meeting together for our little group's church service, a discussion on Daniel.
Free to go, I wandered around the streets, hanging out with the local cat population--Hydra is teeming with cats. I visited a local book shop, where I was mistaken for a Greek by the owner, to my delight. Unfortunately, I could not keep up the illusion with my very few phrases of modern Greek, but it was cool to hear that. After dinner and worship, I bought a dress so that I could attend a Greek Orthodox service the next morning, just to see what it would be like. The chanting was beautiful, if a bit repetitive. The priest's robes were intricately embroidered, red stitching on white silk, if my eyes guessed the fabric right--I've always had a strange fascination with ecclesiastical vestments.
Spent the rest of the morning and, in fact, the day, just wandering around the island. I started walking on a path leading out of the town, and before I knew it, I found myself what felt like a mile or so out of it and in another village so small, it must qualify as a hamlet. I dragged some of my fellow students to the Ecclesiastical Museum of Hydra, and they actually thanked me, as it was quite a few shiny objects on display for free--and free museums are not to be passed up by starving students. Vestments, vessels, and gilded books--gorgeous.
The rest of the trip was fairly tedious, though we stopped at Aegina again on our way back to Piraeus, where two of us were cheated into paying twice as much for a scoop of ice cream as intended. . . just for sitting down. Irritating. On the way back, there was a show on board the Ana Maru with Greek music and dancing, as well as a comedian of many faces. The dancing, at least, was interesting.
Coming back to the Palace Hotel felt like coming back home, and after I checked my email, my heart was warmed by how many of you sent me letters of encouragement or news from home--I really appreciate that, and just wanted to thank, categorically, everyone who did. I wish I could write back to each one of you personally, but the finicky internet here makes even these posts a challenge. I am glad to hear that so many of you are doing so well, and look forward to seeing a few of you as I return--next weekend. The end is in sight!
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