Paradise in Poros
Tuesday 23 May – we disembarked the Viking Mars in Piraeus in Greece and headed straight around the other side of the port to get on the ferry taking us out to Poros, a small Greek island in the southern part of the Saronic Gulf.
Poros is actually made up of two islands, the southern part where the city is located called Sphaeria, and the northern, largest part, Kalaureia – meaning ‘gentle breeze’ - and is separated from the Peloponnese by a 200 metre sea channel with the town of Galatas on the mainland across the narrow strait. In just over an hour we were pulling alongside the quay into its quaint town centre. Bags offloaded, we made our way along the waterfront to meet up with Roland and Consie, good friends of Geoff’s, who have family connections to Poros and are here on their yacht “Restless”. They were easy to find and after having said our hellos and arranging to meet them for lunch, we made our way to the Dimitri Hotel, a lovely little boutique hotel that we could easily spot from their yacht. Dragging all our heavy bags up an awful lot of steps (classic Greek village-style – whitewashed, and sometimes very steep) we finally made it into the Reception and checked in. What a beautiful view from our room – the whole bay with the sparkling blue Mediterranean opened up in front of us – just gorgeous. A quick change and we made our way back and had a lovely catch-up lunch by the waterside, followed by a walk around the little town and then a well-earned rest!
Lovely to be relaxing – sitting on the balcony listening to the sounds of the village, bells from the church and the odd motorcyclist buzzing around, and watching the water taxis heading back and forth to the main island. Cocktail time saw us just one floor up on the rooftop bar with a margherita in hand watching a spectacular sunset. What a life! We walked along tiny alleys full of bright coloured bougainvillea and whitewashed houses with blue shutters to The Old Platanus Restaurant, which was located in a typically Greek cobblestoned square with wooden tables and chairs under a huge plane tree. Perfect Greek cuisine….dolmades a must for me (I was addicted to these when I lived in Cyprus for five years), followed by moussaka, briam, taramsalata and a luscious Greek salad which we all dipped into and went very nicely with our carafes of red and white local wines.
Wednesday 24 May – up early and back up to the rooftop bar, no longer a cocktail bar and now a beautiful breakfast spot with a delightful selection of local and European breakfast treats. We decided to rent some bikes today and have a bit of a tour of the island. Map in hand and new caps purchased to keep sun out of our eyes, off we went. We had a great ride, very hilly in parts, (thank you Geoff for insisting on electric bikes!) and it was fabulous, beautiful views of the sparkling Med, groves of olive and eucalyptus trees, and a lovely smell of pine trees wafting around us. One circuit of Kalaureia and time for a swim. We stopped in Askeli beach just next to Panagitsa Chapel – a beautiful little chapel with the most exquisite interior and panoramic views of the sea.
Into our swimsuits and a very refreshing swim in the very clear waters to work up an appetite for another gourmet Greek feast – and we weren’t disappointed, Colona restaurant was perfect, on the beachfront surrounded by colourful flowers, with more tasty authentic Greek dishes – I wasn’t intending to eat much but once again, was tempted by the delicious sight of all the aubergines, tomatoes, onions, peppers and Greek salads, and Geoff was delighted with his plate of anchovies, lightly dipped in batter and quickly fried.
Another ride around and it was back to the hotel for a quick rest, a change of clothes and a walk into the village to see the beautiful clock tower, one of the landmarks of the island. It was built in 1927 and is on its highest point – and we certainly climbed a few stairs to reach it, but it was worth the effort as the views were stunning over Poros Bay especially as the sun was beginning to set and the colours were beautiful. A cocktail at the Sunset Bar followed and then we walked back down into the town and found a nice table on the waterside at “The Sailor Taverna” which seemed very appropriate! We weren’t going to eat much after our delicious lunch …..famous last words…another Greek feast followed, irresistible!!!!
Thursday 25 May – we’re up early this morning as we have a ferry back to Piraeus at lunchtime and wanted to make the most of our last few hours here. Roland and Consie met us on the waterfront and we had a lovely walk with them, so peaceful and such a great time to be out – sunny, warm, (too early in the season for tourists), the fishermen motoring in to the quayside in their wooden boats with the morning’s catch, it was the quintessential Greek island scene – a perfect finale to our stay here. Morning coffee on the marina and then time to say goodbye to Roland and Consie and this beautiful island they are calling their second home.
