As all must some day at some time do, the sixth grade team decided to part ways today – albeit temporarily. Michael and Jeff decided to stay in Athens to explore, while Becky and Dolores and Kamie headed to the island of Hydra.

Hydra (pronounced EE – drah, not HIGH – drah) is an island about a one and a half hour high-speed boat ride from Athen’s port, Piraeus. The traffic-free island (devoid of cars and motorcycles) was a sharp contrast to the hustle and bustle of Athens. Once we docked, we were able to witness donkeys waiting to transport water, luggage, and people to their various destination around the island.





Many restaurants and shops lined the harbor, but we continued to work our way along the cliffs to Kaminia, about a 20-minute walk. Once there we swam in the Saronic Gulf to cool off, then headed back to town.

We also enjoyed the following in Hydra:
• A visit to the Andreas Miaoulis Monument with a view of the sea
• The small shops of artists and local merchants

• Talking to the locals about the island

• The monastery of the Dormition, replete with arches and mosaics (a very active monastery in 1832), and
• Kodylenia’s Taverna, which sits high on the bluff and serves authentic Greek cuisine.

For Michael and Jeff's adventures, you can check out this site: http://wilsoningreece.blogspot.com/