30 Hours in a Greek Paradise & Asses on the Island of Hydra

                                                Welcome to Hydra

I had the opportunity recently to visit 3 Greek islands.  All 3 islands were within a 2 hour high speed ferry ride from Athens.  Hydra was my favorite island that I visited.  The other two (Poros, and Aegina) were beautiful as well.  However, Hydra just really stood out for me.  It has friendly locals, beautiful scenery.... where mountains and the sea meet to form a sublime landscape.  The island has plenty of sun, low humidity, some of the most pristine, secluded, and gorgeous beaches that I've ever seen.  Throw in a quaint harbor, views of Sparta in the distance, amazing fresh Greek food, and you have something fairly close to paradise.  There is plenty of great hiking and areas to explore on the island, and there are 0 cars on the island.  To get around, people use their feet, or their asses!  Quite literally, this is true.  With no cars on the island, donkeys are the main way of transporting things and people on the island.   It took me about 10 minutes on the island to realize that if ever given the chance again, I'll be back.  During my 30 hours on the island, (yes I left one day and then went right back the next day), I swam in the Aegean Sea, hiked high into the mountains, shared conversation with locals, ate lots of fresh Greek food, and generally just fell in love with this amazing island.

As I mentioned above, one of the unique aspects of Hydra is the fact that there are no automobiles of any kind allowed on the island.  Basically, if you want to get somewhere, you must walk, or find a reliable ass to get you there.  The donkeys, or asses as I will refer to them in this bit, are lined up all along the port entrance as you arrive.  Upon arriving on the island, I was immediately intrigued by the notion of using an ass instead of a car to get around.  Forgive me for a moment, while I indulge in the contemplation of how this might work out.  (Readers note:  Every time you see the symbols **, just substitute the word ass.)

So as I arrived at the port of Hydra just a few short weeks ago, I wandered over to one of the ** caretakers.  I asked him about the benefits of using your ** to get around.  For one thing, he said, we don’t have any crazy ** drivers on this island.  Good point, I thought.  Next, I inquired about the procedure for renting a good, strong **.  He suggested that I pick my own **.  I asked him about finding a smart **, and he said there were plenty to choose from.  I thought there could be nothing worse than relying on a lazy ** or hard ** who doesn’t want to listen to anybody.  I also wanted to avoid the possibility of choosing a dumb ** who might end up getting me lost.  Next, I wanted some advice on how I might deal with a stubborn **.  He admitted that it could be a problem if I couldn’t get my ** moving.  When dealing with a difficult pain in the **, he suggested that I consider a good ** whoopin.  I assured him that I didn’t want to beat his **, but I realized it might be a consideration if I was unable to get my ** in gear.  Ultimately, I chose a simple **, and as I prepared to straighten my ** out, the young man handed me a bottle of water.  He said this would help to cool my ** down if it got overheated.  We both agreed that a hot ** could present all kinds of problems.  Eventually, I paid the man, climbed on, and shifted my ** in the saddle.  It ended up being a great day.  Even though my ** is still a little sore today, I would certainly recommend the ** whole experience.

ATTENTION READERS:  PLEASE KEEP THE WISE ** COMMENTS TO A MINIMUM!!!

                                                            Lights out.