Three Summers: An apology to Idra (Hydra)

I feel I owe you an apology, Idra. I'm sincerely sorry that I judged you over the years and that I was never particularly interested in visiting you. I mistakenly thought you were a 'tourist' island with little remaining authentic Greek life or culture. I'd only ever seen pictures of mules, donkeys lining the pavements of the port and cruise ships crowding your blue waters. I thought you were merely an easy tick on the travel list of day-trippers from Athens and those that pull-in for just a few hours of Greek Island life.

I thought your proximity to Athens, just a 2 hour ferry ride, made you too accessible to tourists and we couldn't possibly find anything other than trinket shops selling cheap souvenirs and tavernas lacking the wholesome and genuine Greek hospitality that we have found in so many more out of the way places.

So, I hope you accept my humble apology and now I will try to do descriptive justice to this little jewel of an island nestled just off the Peloponnese mainland. Hydra, or Idra to the Greeks, is totally car-free which makes it, without the noise of engines and horns, a little earthly paradise. In fact, it's almost wheel-free. No bikes, no scooters, no means of transport other than one's legs, and those of the island's resident donkeys and mules (the Greek government has made a slight exception to the zero-wheel policy and approved a small number of hand-pushed wheelbarrow carts to enable goods to be delivered from the port to businesses).

In recent years I have read a number of books set in Hydra including Peel me a Cactus by Charmian Clift, A Theatre for Dreamers by Polly Samson, and Travels with Epicurus by Daniel Klein, and my mind was completed absorbed with the beautiful descriptions of life around Idra's beautiful crescent-shaped harbour, its maze of cobbled alleys, its coastal paths, impossibly blue bays and secluded coves. There was only one thing to do - add a visit to Idra to our itinerary, and in the weeks prior to our trip I said repeatedly, "I actually think we're going to love Idra"!

After our morning at the Ancient theatre at the Asclepieion of Epidaurus we drove an hour and a half south, to the end of the Argolis peninsula, and parked our car in a dusty carpark at the tiny settlement of Metochi. Outside the carpark is a tiny ticket box where we purchased our €7.50 tickets. We walked a few minutes to a small ferry landing, and here the Hydra-Metochi ferry took us the 25 minutes to Hydra.

Hydra's crescent shaped port is a classic beauty, paved in marble curving around the bay, lined with cafes and restaurants babbling with life, and elegant old stone mansions standing watchfully over the harbour. Beyond the port is the knot of picturesque alleyways that at first seemed like a maze, but in just a few days of exploring we'd learned the shortcuts and many of the alley names.

We stayed in an old stone mansion, now a family-owned hotel, set behind a cool, shady flower courtyard with a view over Hydra town and down to the blue, blue water.

Hydra really is a great beauty. The sea is beautiful. The food is beautiful. The sunshine is beautiful. The architecture is beautiful. The Hydriots we met were beautiful, welcoming and hospitable people full of information about their island. And in the very name Hydra (Greek for water) there is a beautiful contrast between this dry summer landscape, where not a drop of rain falls for months, and the pure turquoise sea that surrounds us.

Hydra has been inspiring artists and musicians forever, and it retains a rich cultural scene that is easy accessible to us visitors. We visited art exhibitions (Michael Lawrence; George Condo; Constantine Byzantios; and Periklis); the Lazaros Kountouriotis Mansion, which has stood for 200 years and is now a stunning museum that operates as a branch of the National Historical Museum; The House and Studio of Hydra artist Panagiotis Tetsis; the Historical Archives Museum of Hydra; the summer Open Air Cinema where movies start at 11pm! The alleys of Hydra took on an quiet, other-worldly feel as I walked back home at 1.30am after the cinema. We visited Jeff Koons's Apollo Wind Spinner installation - a mesmerizing 9m wide gold reflective spinning face of Apollo the sun god. What a landmark! And went to Hydrama - Hydra's outdoor live performance space where international dance and theatre groups perform and we sat in the amphitheatre on a hot summer's night and were totally entertained by "Echoes" a performance based on Aesop's fables. At the end of the performance, around 11pm, a little boat arrives and transports us back to the main port. The cost of Hydrama's night of entertainment and transport - totally free!

One of our favourite taverna was the one where Leonard Cohen used to sing and play his guitar when he lived on Hydra in the 60s. I climbed the steps and wandered past the house where Leonard lived, and in the cafes and restaurants you can see old black and white photos on the walls of Leonard and friends around the harbour.

We walked and swam, took boats to bays and tavernas, and completley fell in love with yet another Greek Island. I left a bit of myself on Hydra and I'm definitely coming back one day!

Idra's 'cars' waiting patiently at the port to transport luggage, water, food, supplies, and, yes people, up the alleys and thousands of stairs to all parts of this walking-only island.

The slopes of Idra town curving around the port

The smooth marble stone
pavements of Hydra town

Draped in bougainvillea

Bougainvillea around every
corner, literally.

Dreamy sunsets after long hot days

We walked the coastal path and stopped for a swim at most every beach and bay.

I love that many homes and businesses keep their May day wreaths all through summer.

Kamaroti, the old stone bridge on the coastal path to Vlychos, Hydra

This is the small ampitheatre of Hydrama Theatre and Arts, Centre. During summer, evening performances are held. It's a 40min
walk from Hydra town, then at 11pm jump on a little boat that takes everyone back to town.