Daily Archives: May 14, 2025

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May 14, 2025

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Europe, Greece

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3 Greek Islands in 1 Day-Hydra, Poros, & Aegina

Our cruise ship in Hydra
Entering the ship

If you are in Greece & only have limited time & you want to visit the islands, then you can take a one day cruise that goes to 3 islands- Hydra, Poros, & Aegina- in the Saronic Gulf. Since it is only a one day cruise, time is limited on each island which you can choose to see on your own, or take a tour to experience it.

We took this cruise on our first trip to Greece in 1985. It was nice to revisit each place.

Hydra

Hydra is known as one of the most beautiful Greek Islands where starting in the 1950s, various movies have been filmed. This exposure led to many celebrities living here.

Today, the island is more for day tourists & those looking for a quiet place to go on holiday since no cars are allowed there.

With no cars allowed, these horses & mules are among the only transportation on Hydra
Holy Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin built in 1623- Chandeliers were taken from Versailles during the French Revolution & are still lit only by candles
Church museum has a cross with a fragment said to have been taken from the “True Cross” upon which Jesus was crucified. The True Cross was said to have been found by Constantine the Great’s mother Helena in Jerusalem in 320 AD,

Poros

Our next stop was Poros where something unusual happened… IT RAINED. We rarely experience precipitation in Greece. However, Poros is a small island with not too much to see, so the rain did not put a damper on missing too much.

The Clock Tower in Poros Town
Rainy Poros
Poros Town harbor

Aegina

Aegina is the biggest island on the cruise. According to myth, Zeus fell in love with Aegina who was a daughter of the River God Asopos. Zeus took her to this island which was named after her.

Aegina has been inhabited since 3000 BC.

We took a tour to see the Temple of Aphaia which was built in 480 BC & is called “The First Parthenon” It is dedicated to Aphaia who was the goddess of fertility & agriculture. This is the only temple ever dedicated to her.

This temple along with the Parthenon on the Acropolis in Athens & the Temple of Poseidon in Sounion geographically form an isosceles triangle which has two equal length sides. On clear days, each temple can be seen from each other which is interpreted as a possible feature for defensiveignaling.

25 ea. columns from the original 32 ea. columns have been restored.
The external columns incline slightly inward & the columns located at corners are slightly thicker than the rest. These design features were used decades later to build the Parthenon.
The temple’s pediments were decorated with marble statues depicting Aeginean warriors fighting in the Trojan War. They are now displayed in Munich, Germany.

Aegina is also known for its pistachio trees. Pistachio cultivation started in Greece on Aegina in 1860. We had a chance to buy some roasted pistachios from this man. He also gave us some unripe pistachios to try. The shells have not yet hardened so they are soft & still have a “nutty” texture; but, they tasted like a sour grape.

Pistachio Trees
Note the green, unripened pistachios on the branch
Friendly Neighborhood Pistachio Vendor

We were entertained by Greek music and dancing during our last hour on the ship.