Leto Hotel Hydra

Hi everybody,

As you all know, we are back in the states! I haven't had time to finish writing the last three blog entries but I will as soon as I am able. I just wanted to let you guys know so you can check back over the next few days.

I hope everyone is excited to read about Athens because that was our last city and it was epic. Check back soon!

-Michelle

... while we at the theater, there was an archaeological dig going on just a few feet away. I don’t know if they had found anything at that point in the dig but it looked like an area where they could have come across some interesting artifacts.

Epidavros is most famously known for its theater but there are also remains of an ancient healing sanctuary. All you see today is rubble all over ...

... are and how perfect the acoustics are. Standing at the center focal point of the theater, just the sound of your feet scuffing against the dirt rushes back against you from the empty rock seats amplified several times over. No problems hearing the actors during a play. If anything, you have to be careful what you do say.

Mostly all original rock, only a few upper edges where the ...

... Then it is down, and down, past more tiny villages and then on to the pit stop at the Corinth Canal. As this is supposed to be a travel journal, I recommend the 'Aetion' opposite Goodys for excellent souvlaki and a prime position right by the canal.

I also managed some Athenian sightseeing disguised as work with three boat trips to the Greek capital. This happens when enough guests on the right flight decide they'd also like a look at Athens ...

... with a fridge!) and after some ************ the cleaning and sweeping front it got to be very habitable indeed.

The last guest week was also good - we got to run the last Spetses night (note to self to do some real research on Boubolina for next year...) and also the last frog racing extravaganza. Finally we did the last transfer, a bumpy hydrofoil ride for me and a bus run for Andy, before the no-mates transfer home after which the driver stopped for all of ...

... pirate raids and twisting streets are harder to raid. There is also no fresh water so all the food and water is shipped in each day. But the weather is beautiful as always. We're staying at a hotel near the harbor. It was a captain's mansion before it was converted to a hotel and its beautiful with carved ceilings and furniture. Another group from the states is here. They're from Walla Walla College in Washington and they are studying Ancient ...

... trips, the friendships made and the plans for meeting up in London. I arranged an overnight ticket to dreaded Thessaloniki in the general direction of Turkey, it left very late and I was the last of the group to leave to hotel, filling in the time chatting about trips and jobs in London with Lisa, a South African living in the UK who had gone on a different tour. Finally I was back at the train station, luggage in hand, amazingly bronzed, heading the direction whence I had come.

... meal off with some yogurt and honey for 600 drachma. It was a surprising find, but the food and service were excellent at the Café Politi.

We wondered the streets of Hydra Town doing some window shopping, and some actual grocery shopping. We also stopped at a bakery on Miaouli, right next to Strofilia, for some cookies and pastries. With our purchases, we started off to the hotel to hunker down for the rest of the day. However, we thought we’d make one more stop ...

... with the monk were conducted in a very broken form of Greek, with a little English interjected. While it is possible that we misinterpreted the statements, I think that we understood the heart of the conversation. Thank God we brought our phrasebooks!)

After a twenty-minute walk, we arrived at the convent. It looked as deserted as the monastery initially did. We were about to walk away when the front door opened. A small, elderly woman dressed almost completely in black emerged ...

... We were looking for a Minoan Lines Flying Dolphin. He left us at a Minoan Lines ferry. Once again, Lonely Planet had an excellent map that detailed the different docks and where the ships leaving those docks were going. After a few minutes of study, we determined that we needed to be about five docks (or about a half mile) to the south. The only problem was that we had about 20 minutes to make that jaunt while carrying our luggage.

We did a brisk walk to the dock where ...