Greek Islands

Today was a dream. We left the hostel at 7 to get picked up for our day cruise! It took about 15 minutes to get to the port and once we left, we had nothing but an awesome time. The water was so unbelievably navy blue. So beautiful. 

We rode for 3 hours before reaching Hydra and during that time, I learned and preformed a Greek dance with about 10 others, got a delicious spiked slushie, and soaked in the rays. Once we got to the port in Hydra, Aaron, Olivia, and I went straight to the water. Aaron spotted an area of rocks that people were jumping off of and swimming around. I climbed via a ladder into water that was probably 8 feet deep and gradually got deeper. It was the clearest, most comfortable water I've ever seen. We could see the bottom perfectly even when we went out probably 40 feet. I wasn't too afraid of sharks because I looked up which kinds were in the Mediterranean. The attack rate per year is just .47% so I was feeling pretty good. After treading water, floating on our backs, and riding the waves, we went into another area that had rocks we could dive off of. It wasn't too much of a jump but it was still really fun to literally be diving into the Aegean Sea. 

After Hydra, we boarded the boat where we were met with a buffet lunch. It was incredible and satisfyingly filling. I had a roll, green bean and red pepper dish, cucumbers with feta and tomatoes, roasted potatoes, pork with much rooms, roasted chicken, rice, and mass amounts of walnut bread soaked in honey. I'm still dreaming of it. 

Our next island was Poros, a beach less but one rich in charm. We climbed up a massive hill to an old clock tower. The view was awesome. 

Sarah and me

Departing Poros

On our way to the next island of Egina, a little kid entertained Sara and I but eventually stole my seat!

Egina was a lot of fun. We went to a beach and waded into the sandy bottomed water. Again, it was insanely clear. The salt water must do something for floating because I could have laid on my back there for hours. 

We stayed there for 2 hours until we had to leave for Athens. We're currently looking at the coast of Athens as I write this. Overall, I had an amazing day with wonderful food, fun company, and now have what could be a painful sunburn. Totally worth it, though. We're talking about staying up most of the night and going to the hill with the amazing view overlooking the sea for tomorrow's sunrise. Update as we pull into port: we just saw 4 dolphins jumping next to the boat. Day complete.