#277: Hydra (pg 179; Listed in 2nd Ed as Hydra and Spetses, pg 158)

We had read about this car-less gem of an island where the only mode of transportation is by mule which carries your wares from Place A to Place B and decided to check it out!

I loved seeing all the locals running their errands with the family donkey in tow carrying their groceries and such.

We wandered the streets and made friends with the local stray cats.

And admired all the boats in dock.

And then came across this gem of a swimming spot!

Score!

My cousin Seth, my husband Dave and me!

And yes, in case you're wondering, the water really was that clear and blue-green and gorgeous! And it was the warmest water we'd been in (in Santorini and Mykonos combined!)

But alas, we had to get back on the boat and leave this beauty of an island.

So, so sad to leave her!

Our original plan, after reading about Hydra (pronounced EE-dra) was to get an early ferry out there and spend the whole day.  However, when we went to book our ferry tickets the day before, the early ferry (I think it was a 7:30 ferry or thereabouts) was sold out.  The next one wasn't until 10:30 or so, not getting us into Hydra until noonish.  Wanting to maximize our day, we stopped by a travel agent to ask him about ferry options.  He suggested we take this one day cruise that takes us out to Hydra and then to two other islands (Peros and Aegina) as well.  And it left at 8am, getting back at 7:30pm.  We decided to do it because we still got to see Hydra and (bonus!) two other islands as well.  However, the other two islands weren't nearly as awesome as this one and 2 hours (which was all we got on the island) wasn't nearly enough!  You need a bare minimum of 4-6 hours here.  So, in hindsight, we all wished we would have just gotten the 10:00/10:30 ferry and enjoyed 5-6 hours here and just skipped the other two islands.  Which brings me to my....

Verdict:  YES!  We all fell in love with this island.  It's car-less charm, it's crowd-less streets, it's beautiful waters.  This is a place I had never heard of before planning this trip and yet it's a place I'll recommend to every future Greece traveler!

Cost:  Ferries from Athens to Hydra are ~60 Euros R/T.

#276: National Archaeology Museum (pg 176; Listed as "Athens's Museums" in 2nd Ed, pg 157)

Sept. 30, 2019

Varvakeion Athena.  Per the plaque attached, "this statuette is the truest and best preserved copy of the cult statue of the Athena Parthenon by Pheidias, which was erected in the Parthenon in 438 BC."  The original was 12 times this size.  This copy of that 12 foot statue is from the 3rd Century AD.

According to Fodor's Guide, the National Archaeology Museum is "the most important museum in Greece"

Bronze statuette of Poseidon. Found in the sea.

From ~480 BC.

Dionysos

520-510 BC

One of the earliest known Archaic Sphinxes. 570 BC.

This was found on Delos.  We all had fun finding all the artifacts from Delos, since we had just been there a couple days before.  We felt like we could picture where they had been in their original homes, where they were meant to be seen.

It is unclear if this is Zeus or Poseidon because it was found without the thunderbolt or trident, which would have clarified the god.

460 BC

Rick Steves has a podcast audio tour of this museum and that is what we used.

Verdict:  No.  I didn't walk away from this museum thinking I needed to tell all my friends and family this was a "must do" before they die.  It's not something you need to travel to Greece to see (like the Acropolis!)  However, as it says in 1000 Places, this museum "holds more masterpieces of ancient Greek art and sculpture than any other museum in the world."  It's collection of Cycladic, Mnoan, Mycenaean and Classical Greek art is "unrivaled."  So, if you ever find yourself in Athens, go out of your way to make time to see this magnificent museum (cost 10 euros/person).  But otherwise, just enjoy these pictures from the comfort of your own home ;)