We spent the first few days on the island of Poros. Quiet, out of the way, gorgeous. The weather was cooler and wetter than expected for the first couple of days, which caused me to moan on Twitter about not having packed a jumper. But when it brightened up, it brightened up properly and we soon felt the heat. B and I wilted a bit; K loved it. She’s a sunflower.
One of the waitresses at one of the island restaurants was a woman from Manchester. “Why’s it so quiet on the island?” I asked. We expected it to be heaving, but the beaches were almost empty.
“It’s just not peak season yet,” she replied. “Next week, the week after, it will suddenly go mad. But you’ve arrived the week before the madness. Good choice.”
We took a boat to Hydra for a day. What a stunning place. K knows someone who lives there, so we got the inside story on what that’s like. Not as glamorous as the island appears, but still pretty damn special.
B and I took a dip while K and her friend chatted. The sea was colder than either of us expected, but I loved having a chance to properly cool off. I wished I’d taken snorkelling kit, the sea bed was enticingly close and looked enticingly packed with plants and wildlife. Next time, I promised myself.
Hydra has no cars (well, not very many cars – there are a few), so the town is just alleyways and courtyards climbing up the hillsides away from the harbour. We explored a bit in the heat. K cooled off with a strawberry daiquiri.
(3 Oct 2017)