The Hora in Andros

 

The Hora is built on a peninsula reaching all the way to its point. This post is about a small part of the Hora



 

 

starting from the main square to the point by the sea. This fountain is in the square and it would have been one of few, if not the only, sources of water for the whole place.

 



 

 

Through the arch, on to the narrow streets and alleyways.

The Hora is a very busy, thriving place with very few tourists even at the height of the season. You consequently get a real feel of what life is like on an island and the kafeneions are full of locals.

It is a thriving town and a prosperous one. I don't know this for sure but my impression is that a lot of people who have left the island have prospered and they come back and invest in it. I know for instance, that a lot of shipowners originally came from Andros.

A lof of these people come back for the summer holidays and this is very obvious if you sit in the kafeneions for a while. Visitors from Athens, London, New York and other places come back home and this boosts the economy of the island. I have never seen so many Philipino nannies with their charges in such a small space, and I don't think the people employing them live on the island or Athens - they come from the industrial/commercial centres of the Western world for their holidays in order to see their families.

So, the visitors are relatives of the locals who come to re-live their earlier years and consequently, the island is totally unspoilt as these people do not want to change the island, but want it the way it was when they were growing up.

They also don't need hotels as they stay with relatives. As far as I am aware, there are only two hotels in the centre of the Hora, the rest being 'Rooms' (what the English would call B+Bs) which are near the sea on the edge of the Hora.

A lot of the houses are grand (more of those in the next post) and all have been renovated - you don't find many wrecks the way you do on other islands.

The town has a rich cultural life: the Museum of Contemporary Art which could grace any European capital, an excellent Archaeological Museum, the Kydonieos Institute and a flourishing theatre. All of these have been made possible by donations from rich benefactors - the Museums of Contemporary Art and the Kydonieos Institute have been built and are funded by ship owning families and bear their names.

I don't know how the economic crisis has hit Andros but the feel you get is of a prosperous, comfortable town that has no ostentation whatsoever.

You get a  feel of the life of the town by walking about or sitting in the kafeneions. On our last day for instance, the whole place was buzzing, everyone out, wearing their best. It was the first day of school, the day where the priest joins the first assembly and blesses the school, the children and the new year.

The kids were then sent home, which in this case meant meeting their parents and relatives at the kafenion and cafeterias: the kids were wearing their best and so were the parents. The community feeling you got was very strong.

 

It is the same on a Sunday when everyone goes to the kafenions or cafeterias after the service. Everyone knows everyone else and the most common words are 'hello, how are you' as everyone greets everyone else.

 

 

 

 

 

One thing that puzzled me was this: as I said there are hardly any tourists, the Hora is a small place and yet the Museum of Contemporary Art is always full of people. The temporary exhibitions last all summer so, where do all these people come from?

  

 

 

 

Most of the architecture is what we call Greek neo-classical, and before apartment blocks took over, Athens looked like this, except on a grander scale 

 

  

 

 

with the exception of the balconies with columns which as far as I can tell is an Andros feature.

 

  

 

 

It is lovely walking around the narrow streets and at every turn there are narrow alleyways with views to the sea 

 

  

 

 

I always think the veranda of the house on the right looks inviting - so close to the street and one could talk to passers by while sitting there

  

 

 

I also wonder what is behind this gate on the right

 

 

 

 

This type of balcony is to be found all over Greece

 

  

 

 

The smudge on the wall under the balcony is the drain and flowers have been planted inside it

 

  

 

 

The only blot is all the electrical wires which are all over the place

 

  

 

 

Distressed but inviting

 

 

 

 

It must be so nice sitting in these balconies with the columns 

 

 

 

 

Outside staircases are very common, denoting that this is a two household house

 

  

 

 

Another veranda which is just off the street

 

 

 

 

The views from this house must be so fantastic 

 

  

 

 

A small church just before we reach the sea

 

  

 

 

We have now reached the end of the peninsula

 

  

 

  

and to the left of the point is an elevation with wonderful views of the second beach which during our stay was deserted as it was so windy.

 

 

 

 

 

A way forward

My spirits lifted last night while watching the news - a rare occurence these days in the land of austerity.

People with three or more children were demonstrating outside the Ministry of Finance, protesting against cuts in their benefits. Members of the neo-Nazi party went to join them but the protesters were not having it. 'Out, out, fascists out. We don't want fascism here. We fought a long battle against fascism'  were some of the slogans the demonstrators were shouting. They were joined by Manolis Glezos, SY.RIZ.A MP and hero of the resistance against the Germans who, at the age of 19 climbed the Acropolis, took down the Swastika and replaced it with the Greek flag.

A neo-Nazi MP turned to the media and started giving an interview, but no-one could hear a thing, as all the demonstrators started blowing whistles. The sound of the whistles drowned the words of the thug, who had to give up.

A perfect example of peaceful resistance that works and a way forward....

 

For daily updates on Greece and lots more on current affairs to go to  http://99getsmart.com/ 

 



Three reasons...

This short trip to Andros was my third and will by no means be the last. There are three reasons that make me want to go back to the Hora (the island's capital).

The first is the excellent Museum of Contemporary Art which consists of two wings

the one that houses the permanent collection

and the new wing where the temporary exhibitions are held, always exciting and interesting ones. This year's exhibition was 'Approaching Surrealism' and there will be a post on that at some stage

This wing is built into the rock and looks deceptively small on this level which is the ground floor. There are another four floors below this one

and these are the steps that lead down to the sea where the fourth floor (below ground level) is

and going up the steps - and believe me, it is quite a climb

this is the Museum seen from the bay

and now that you have seen the motif on the Museum wall in the previous picture, you should be able to pick it out amongst these buildings

inside the Museum, as you go down the stairs to the next level, you can feast your eyes on views like this

There is a wonderful cafe on the roof  but we were not able to sit there it as it was extremely windy that day

which was a pity

still on the terrace - the wall, a typical example of what they do with the local slate

as for the views - they speak for themselves

zooming in.

The second reason is this place: Hermes kafeneion. I am not one for sitting in cafes - after about ten minutes I want to get up and go, but this place is the exception

 

this large seating area is across from the cafe itself

 

 

 

 

and as you can see from this photograph the shade from the mulberry trees is divine

 

 

 

 

I can sit here for hours watching people going by. Only locals use this place and they come here to sit, meet up with friends and acquaintances, watch the world go by and gossip. The cafe is on the main street so everyone eventually passes by. It is a great place and I never tire of it.

 

 

 

 

The third reason is this place. The Hora is built at the end of a peninsula and in this photograph I am standing on the outer point of the peninsula - across is a small rock/island which is connected with the island by this arch/bridge

 

 

 

 

During our first trip to Andros we swam here and it is to this day, the best place I have ever swam in. On both subsequent visits I was sorely disappointed as we could not swim here due to the strong winds and the rough sea. There are currents that could throw you on the rocks and smash your head. At no point during our two subsequent stays did we see anyone swimming here - the disappointment was massive, and I will have to go back to Andros and hope that the weather is more condusive to swimming

 

 

 

 

The first time we swam here there were lots of people doing the same, including a woman and her seven year old daughter. The first time the little girl walked down these steps to get to the sea she asked her mother: 'mum, is this the place where the pirates live?' And this is how I think of this place: the place where the pirates live - such an apt description.

 

 

 

 

The sea is never calm here - there are too many currents that move around the rocks, but it is possible to swim when it is not so windy, and it is very exciting to do so, precisely because of the currents.

 

 

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These are the three primary reasons why I like coming to Andros, but there is lots more.

 

 

 

 

There is this taverna, I Parea, for instance, the place where we always have lunch, not just because the food and service are excellent 

 

 

 

 

but the views are also fantastic

 

 

 

 

This beach is just below where we sit. I have never been able to understand why it is always deserted, it looks so beautiful to me, but people tend to favour the one at the other side of the peninsula

 

 

 

 

there is so much to feast your eyes on,

 

 

 

 

from this exoklisi

 

 

 

 

to this narrow river that doesn't quite reach the sea

 

 

 

 

zooming in.

 

 

 

 

Finally, there is Hotel Aigli, a mansion from the turn of the last century

 

 

 

 

which has been meticulously and lovingly restored by Mrs Hariklia

 

 

 

 

retaining all the original features

 

 

 

 

with careful attention to every detail.

 

 

 

 

Our room was the one with the double balcony

 

 

 

 

with two balcony doors, one for the sleeping area and one for the sitting area. It is the cleanest hotel I have ever stayed in, and at 60 euros per night, a real bargain. Mrs Harikleia, your bijoux hotel is perfect - you could not have done anything to make it better.