Relaxing Hydra

There aren’t a lot of things to do on Hydra. You need only spend a night or two on Hydra if it’s sights your after. However, if you want to get away from the madness and get a little rest and relaxation, Hydra is your place.

We took a stroll along the water down a path that led to more restaurants that hugged the coastline. There were places to just grab a drink and watch the sunset from the rocks, an even smaller marina, and places to just hang out. Some decent hikes up and out of the town give you a chance to explore a bit. There are a number of churches, convents and monasteries to visit scattered over the island, some closer to the cove than others, if you feel the need to get in some exercise. Or you can always rent a boat and explore many of the nearly deserted beaches that dot the coastline.

Hydra is more of a place to just chill out and do little or nothing. But it’s nice to know that if you want to mix in a day of activity, you can go beach hopping on a boat, or strap on the walking shoes and explore without the risk of being run over (except maybe by the trash truck).

Crossing the Corinth Canal

On leaving Hydra, we hopped back on the Goldwing in Ermioni and headed for Athens. After a stop at Epidavros, we crossed the Corinth Canal. It’s a perfectly straight, made made canal that effectively makes an island out of the Peloponnese Peninsula. Where the Isthmus of Corinth use to physically connect to the Peloponnese, I guess someone felt it was more advantageous to have a quick route between the Gulf of Corinth and the Aegean Sea than a land route to the peninsula. Of course the canal is crossed by a few bridges, so I guess we can have it all.

Finished in the late 1800s, because of its narrow width, navigational challenges, and periodic landslides from its steep walls, it never really did gain much popularity for commercial traffic. It now mostly sees tourist traffic.