This blog post is LONG overdue… but here we go!
Back in the end of May, I took a weekend trip to Hydra with my friends. Hydra is a nearby island, about an hour and a half ferry ride from Athens.
Right away, I was taken aback by the beautiful views. I thought to myself, “how is this beautiful place so close to where I live?!”. Hydra is the first Greek Island I have ever seen in my life, and man, was it a great place to see!
After arriving by ferry early Friday evening after the work week, my friends and I made our way to the Airbnb we had rented.
After settling in, we decided to venture out for a relaxing dinner and drinks. It’s a great feeling to find places along the way to give a try. It was a nice and enjoyable evening well spent with my fellow teacher friends.
The next morning we did not waste any time… we were ready to get into the crystal clear waters!
Hydra isn’t known for having sandy beaches, but rather rocky beaches, but that didn’t stop us! We searched for a good place to have a dip, and finally decided on a concrete rock structure to jump off of.
I didn’t plan on getting in at all, as I have never jumped into the sea before. To be honest, I was quite terrified! The waters weren’t the calmest, and I (to my memory) haven’t ever swam in a big body of water, underwater and all. I’m NOT a fan of having fish around me or feeling the bottom of the squishy ground.
I took quite a bit of persuading. Lucky for me, my friends are great, and they somehow talked me into it. Next thing I know, I’m facing my fears and jumping into the water! After my big initial jump I automatically, and without thinking, screamed “I’M ALIVE”. I meant it in the sense that I feel alive and inviroriaged, and was so present in the moment; however my friends got quite the kick out of it! I’m proud to share that I didn’t let my anxiety get the best of me this day. I made some forever memories that afternoon, jumping into the sea.
After making the big jump that day, we decided to slowly walk back and enjoy the sights along the way. Hydra is beautiful at every angle; everywhere you look, it’s simply breathtaking.
We chose to end the day at a nice authentic restaurant. The place we chose is actually the family restaurant of a fellow ACS Athens teacher. It was great to go and meet the brother (owner) and mother (chef) of one of the PE teachers at school.
The next morning, and our final day on the island, we decided to venture out once again to the port, in search of a beach to explore.
There are various beaches throughout the island of Hydra, but most you can only get to by a small boat. We decided which beach we wanted to try out, and hopped on one of those small boats to transport our group there.
Once we arrived at the rocky beach, our group of six started exploring the island life around us. There was so much character all around this beach. I was still mind-boggled at this point that all of this beauty that I was surrounded by was so close to the Athens city that I had been living in all school year.
After a bit of exploring, and heating up from the sun, I was ready to try once again to get in the water. We had found a nice spot on the rocky beach, overlooking some small nearby rocks around us.
This day I was once again, very apprehensive to enter the water. I was so anxious about the fish, and my feet touching the bottom (yes, I know I’m an adult, but these things still scare me!).
It took some guts, but I decided not to pass up this opportunity, and I once again got in the water! One of my friends had brought an underwater camera, and we had some fun with that. I’m so glad we had the opportunity to capture some of these moments that have become forever memories.
I am, to this day, so grateful that I had the chance to take this weekend trip with my dear friends. They pushed me in the best way possible, and I learned a lot about myself from these 3 quick days spent in Hydra. I made beautiful memories that I hope to remember forever.
Overall, I had an absolutely amazing time in Hydra during this weekend in May. I hope to bring some of my summer visitors back to experience its beauty sometime too.
Here’s to a summer filled with excitement and memories!
❤️
Anna
Anna Abroad 