Hydra - the calderimia

 

 

Hydra, a crescent shaped town around the harbour is full of calderimia, stone-cobbled narrow pathways leading up outwards towards the rocky hills

walking, the only means of transport, unless one wants to ride a donkey or take a water-taxi, can be hard work but a delight.

A little church we would pass every day to and from our hotel

These old ceramic olive oil containers are to be found everywhere, serving as flower pots

 

narrow alleyways, a perfect way to shelter from the merciless sun in summer - and I mean merciless, Hydra can be very very hot

 

 

 



 

lots of plants everywhere to compensate for the dryness of the land

the Olive Tree tavern, a very popular place

lots of white and blue.

This is the Hippocampus hotel

we came across this mule several times a day - I'm glad its life was not too hard

this taverna was always packed at night

like this one

it's been a hard day

bougainvillea everywhere

so very narrow

all of the streets are paved with stone from the local hills/mountains

lots of stone buildings too

a hotel, I forget what it's called

This pharmacy was owned and run by one of the first women pharmacists in Greece - she took over the running of the place in 1947 and used to make her own creams, perfumes and lotions using local herbs that she collected from the mountains

today it is run by her son and the interior is as it was then

it is lovely walking around at night, as it gets cooler

it's a magical place

rows of blue plant pots in this dead-end alleyway

one more photograph

 

lots of small churches



 

 

 

same church, different view

Ken demonstrating how narrow some of these alleyways are

the hospital

one of the old mansions

up on the hill - I think it's a monastery

a nice little square

beautiful stone house with a wonderful terrace

stone steps leading up - as I said, walking around can be quite strenuous

we didn't eat here, but it looks very inviting.

The view from our hotel bedroom window - Hydra has its own flag dating from the Greek War of Independence against the Turks. On it, it says: 'I tan i epi tas'.  In ancient Greek times a Spartan mother said to her son who was going off to war, 'bring your shield back, or die on it', meaning, never, ever quit. This was the motto of the Hydriots when they were fighting for Greek independence.