Dawn to Dusk on Homer's High Seas

As Homer might say, today we awoke when “Dawn with her rose red fingers” illuminated the Athenian horizon. This early wake up call had good reason; we were off to the docks to catch a touring ship from Athens to the neighboring islands! As we neared the ferry we would board, our tour guide Adam pointed out a nearby recreation of an actual Greek trireme ship, adding to our running list of impressive Greek contributions to modern civilization. Bearing this in mind, we boarded the boat.  

Once underway, the brisk sea breeze and vast blue panorama ahead invigorated even the most stubborn snoozers.  A band on our deck played traditional Greek bouzouki music, and several lively members of our crew participated in the traditional Greek dance lesson!

Our first stop was the island of Hydra, a picturesque fishing village encircled by Corinthian-tiled roofs, cool teal doorways, and white stairways climbing into blue oblivion. Here, the girls rode donkeys through the narrow winding streets and submerged themselves in salty cerulean waters beneath the shadow of staggering crags. Eventually this reverie was interrupted by the inevitable call of the ship’s foghorn, signaling it was time for lunch en route to our next location.

When we arrived at stop two, the island of Poros, the wonderment continued. We found an island dotted with pastel houses, wrought iron balconies, and brightly colored doors bearing fanciful door-knockers. No sooner had we discovered a fisherman surveying the day’s haul in the square and learned the word “Megaro”—huge--than the foghorn sounded, yet again.

 Then it was off again to our final stop, the island of Aegina, where the first coins in the Greek world were minted. There, colorfully adorned horses pull passenger carriages at the speed of Helios, and pistachio everything—pistachio gelato, pistachio cream, pistachio bark—lines the market shelves.  Of course, from Aegina’s sandy beach, the siren song of the sea beckoned again, and the group enjoyed a second swim in those clear waters before it was time to return to the ship.

After all the sun-drenched excitement, the group was ready to partake in the Greek practice of “Siesta” naptime, just as we observed one languid carriage operator doing in Aegina. We spent the golden hours of the day returning to Athens and soaking in the view. As we neared the city by water, we took in the expansive vista, noting as we passed Island of Salamis how we could almost imagine what it would have been like to watch the Persian wars unfold from this vantage point and just how majestic the Parthenon looks sitting atop the Acropolis.

To finish out this divine day, we headed to dinner again at God’s Restaurant, a traditional Greek restaurant in our neighborhood, where we feasted on traditional dishes of Souvlaki with baklava for dessert. Tonight, we rest our weary sea legs at last and sleep the sleep of true voyagers.

Kaliniechta, Ms. Rhett