Hydra

 

Hydra is a rocky island in the Aegean Sea, about an hour away from Athens. It has been a major seafaring community for eons, and supported the rich maritime tradition of the nation of Greece. Today Hydra is the favorite visiting spot of writers and intellectuals.

The city unveils it beauty from many angles. The climb to the top of the town is steep, but the twisting whitewashed streets reward the climb once the full view of the town reveals itself from the top of the hill.

The seas have sculpted these rocks for eons into harshness itself ; a harshness that feels sweet as the spray of the ocean disperses into thin mist and fills the air.

Where blue meets green, and where both meet rock and body... Hydra does not posses any of the golden beaches that grace the other Greek islands, but its rocky shores have their own wild charm.

Its untamed and harsh rocks provide the visitor with the perfect environment for thought collection and meditation. It does boast a healthy night life, but its quiet landscape is its best asset.

A traffic jam on the island as a result of careless parking. There are no cars anywhere on the island of Hydra (except than one sanitation vehicle)! Once you visit the island for a few days you will wonder how the rest of the world can cope with the noise, speed and pollution. The locals go about their business the old fashioned way, and the clocks on the island seem to slow down tree-fold once there.

Claiming a piece o rock squeezed between the crystal waters and the hot sun rays is a favorite activity on the island. The waters are crystal clear and cool. The coolness of the water is shocking initially, but a welcome relief from the sun's relentless rays in the summer.

To have a drink and to watch the blue tint slither as the day comes to a close is an experience to be cherished. Few times one is able to focus solely on the things that really matter: the coolness of the breeze, and the silvery-blue tint of the ocean.

The rocky shore where the sun strokes the waves invites to be explored. Although it seems overpopulated at summer days, there is a definite feeling of individuality as one becomes one with the scale.

A Bell tower reflects the overall aesthetic of the island with its simplicity and serenity

...as the sun-setting rays skip on the waves and bathe the rocks along with the souls that crawl and rest on them.

A cannon aims harmlessly into the distance. A reminder of the long scarred history of the island. Its position in the Aegean near Athens, Nayplion, and the Corinth canal has aided in the island's importance as a gateway for shipping. Hydra played a major role in the war of independence against the Ottoman empire.