Agistri 2016 (Saronic Gulf):

The domed church of Agioi Anargyroi on Agistri

As mentioned in my previous  post about Athens a city break there also affords the opportunity to make day trips to a number of islands. Whilst there in May 2016 I was in no doubt where I would go - back to the little island of Agistri (Angistri) which lies less than an hour away from Piraeus port via high speed hydrofoil (slightly longer by ferry). As I wrote in my earlier post about Agistri this island has the distinction of being the very first Greek island I ever visited (back in 2002). An experience that has led to a life long love of the small islands of Greece.

Boarding the Hellenic Seaways hydrofoil Flying Dolphin XX1X I was full of anticipation about what changes (if any) I would find on Agistri after fourteen years. The first, and pretty much only change, was that the hydrofoil docked at a new marina area at Milos whereas last time it came into Skala -the main village on the island. For those that didn't want to walk the fifteen minutes or so to Skala the hydrofoil was met by the local bus (handily labelled Local Bus). I certainly wasn't going to miss the chance of the short seafront walk to Skala and set out on foot.

Arriving at Skala it all seemed pretty familiar but smaller than I had remembered. Now as this was primarily a

The former home of German artist Gerti Brauner on Agistri

photographic expedition (I wasn't taking photographs in a serious way the back in 2002) it was a bit disappointing to find a sea mist hanging in the air.  I struggled with the light all day but, all the same, managed to get a set of images good enough to upload to my various agents.

After exploring Skala and enjoying a snack on the beach I decided to head up along the coast road through a dense covering of pine trees. This was one of my favourite walks last time and as a bonus I had the nostalgia of passing the apartments where I had stayed. Returning from this walk I then diverted uphill to Metochi which has commanding views down to Skala and onto Aegina island just a short distance away. I was interested to see a plaque on a whitewashed house marking the former home of the late German artist Gerti Brauner. I must admit that I haven't been able to find out much about her on the internet other than a website of her work set up by her family and, inevitably, some stock photographs taken by photographers like me who felt this was something that needed to be photographed.

Flying Dolphin XX1X arrives at Milos on Agistri

Back down to Skala and it was time for a late lunch of cheese balls with chips complimented nicely by a couple of Mythos beers -all at a charming taverna overlooking the beach. This pleasant scene was ended by the sudden thought that I might be about to miss my last hydrofoil home to Piraeus. Because Aegina is so close you can hear the hydrofoils power up and then watch them make the ten minute crossing to Milos. Though my watch said I had an hour until my transport home I have had a previous bad experience with my
watch strangely losing an hour (see my post on Lipsi). Even checking the time on my phone didn't really reassure me that all was well (maybe that was wrong as well?). I needn't have worried as arriving at Milos after a speedy walk I found that the hydrofoil I had seen was the rival service to Hellenic which runs an hour earlier. This did provide a lesson though as I had only taken enough cash for the day and no cards so if I had had to stay on Agistri overnight I would have had no means of paying for it! That said, I know Greek hospitality well enough to be sure that someone would have helped me out.

The final part of my day trip was spent photographing the boats in the Milos marina in the, by now improved, afternoon light before boarding the Dolphin home.

It was good to see Agistri again, nothing much had changed and it was rewarding to see where my Greek island adventures had all begun. Regards, David.

Athens 2016:

The Acropolis of Athens - full of history

Smart readers of this blog will have already realised that Athens is neither small nor an island. Nevertheless it deserves a place here because of its pivotal role as a key departure point for ferry and cruise ships to the many islands of Greece.

As a lover of small un-touristy islands I resisted the City of Athens for a long time -thinking that it would all be too un island like for me to enjoy. Strange really because I enjoyed living and working in London for many years and have had regular great trips to Paris in my time so it's not as if I dislike cities in general. Against that background I realised last year that there really was no reason to ignore the Capital of Greece any longer. I also factored in that, as a gateway to so many islands, I might be able to combine a city break with an island day trip.

So in May 2016 I found myself booking a last minute hotel/flight package to Athens. Last minute as in booked on Sunday and travelled on Tuesday! I'd be lying if I said I hadn't previously done some extensive research on this trip. Possible hotels, transport to and from the airport, ferry schedules to various islands had all been looked at. What I settled on was the Faros1 hotel conveniently situated by Piraeus port but, equally, not too far from central Athens.

I'd decided that the X96 express bus was going to be the best solution for getting to and from the airport as

Adamantios Korais - non stop nautical action at Piraeus

this goes right to the heart of Piraeus (other buses are available for different destinations in Athens). You'll find the ticket kiosk for the bus handily situated outside the doors of the arrivals area. Should this be closed for any reason you can always pay when boarding the bus. At the time of writing the fare is currently a modest six euros (each way). After boarding the bus don't forget to validate your ticket by inserting it into one of the little machines you'll find throughout the long, two sectioned bus. Travel time to Piraeus will vary depending on traffic but expect between 60 -90 minutes. My big concern was that, unfamiliar with Athens, I wouldn't have a clue when it was my stop to get off. However, on boarding I soon saw that the bus has screens displaying a graphic of its current location and the name of the next stops (in both Greek and English) so this wasn't the problem I thought it might be.

The hotel proved to be barely a five minute walk to the harbour front and I spent a happy few days watching and photographing all the comings and goings of numerous vessels. All the various shipping lines have offices along the harbour front with timetables and fares detailed so this is a good place to book an island trip. My hotel actually had an in house travel agency which I used to book a trip to Agistri island (a post on that will follow later) but you could just pitch up to the harbour front if you wanted.

Panagia Tinou - listing badly at Piraeus

One of the more interesting boats to photograph in the harbour was the ferry boat Panagia Tinou. This wasn't going anywhere, however, as having taken on water it was listing badly to one side. At one point the list had been more pronounced and my picture shows the "after" result of stabilising things. Some internet research threw up the interesting information that I knew this ferry from the past. In a previous life it had been the Folkestone to Boulogne ferry Hengist which famously became beached near Folkestone during the Great Storm of 1987 in the UK. Photographs and film of the unlucky vessel featured heavily in the British media at the time. Now here it was, 29 years later, again not doing so well.

Of course, no first visit to Athens would be complete without seeing the legendary Acropolis. I must admit that initially I had my doubts about this -mainly because of many people insisting that I just had to go while in Athens. I was concerned that it would be overrun with tourists and perhaps be something of an anti climax in reality. Common sense prevailed however and I did go. From Piraeus it was just a 30 minute or so ride on the metro to get there. Yes, there were plenty of tourists but not so many as to spoil the experience and the sense of history I felt in this spectacular hill top location standing high over the city was unmissable. It truly deserves its place as one of the top tourist attractions in the World.

So my first (but certainly not my last) visit to Athens was a mix of ancient history, fascinating busy port, cheese pies, and a trip out to the islands. Of course, my main holidays will continue to be to small tranquil islands but vibrant Athens is certainly a great city break and one that I can really recommend. Regards, David.

Agistri (Saronic Islands):

Milos harbour on Agistri

Little Agistri (or Angistri) was where it all began way back in 2002 -my first ever visit to a Greek island. At around 14sqkm and with a population of some 1100 or so, this island lies only an hour from Piraeus harbour on the mainland. Calling first at the larger island of Aegina, the Flying Dolphin hydrofoil only took a few more minutes to reach Agistri.

Staying at Skala, where most of the tourist accomodation is, my week there was mainly spent on the pleasant but busy beach. Busy, because it's close proximity to Athens makes it a popular day or weekend trip out. The harbour area of Skala is well served with a plethora of tavernas and cafes but during my week I tended to make full use of the excellent taverna attached to my hotel. It was here I was introduced to Greek staples such as stuffed vine leaves and skordalia dip.

I didn't do much walking on this trip but did walk the couple of kilometres up to the village of Mylos. From

The church of Agioi Anargyroi at Skala on Agistri

there you can continue on a further 6km or so to the third centre of population Liminaria. One walk that really demanded to be made though was a visit to the "Rubbish". As many will know most island tavernas generally use paper tablecloths. These invariably come decorated with one of two things - either a map of the island or something involving dolphins. I have known some establishments get really glitzy and have a map of the island surrounded by dolphins*. However, my hotel was a map (no dolphin) establishment. What intrigued me every time I had a meal was the part of the map boldly marked "Rubbish". Villages, mountains etc you rather expect  on a map but this was certainly a first. To be fair, this was clearly a reprint from the local island map which also drew attention to this attraction. It really had to be done so setting out late one afternoon I went in search. This was actually a lovely road walk out of Skala through dense pine trees and certainly a steep climb (that's Agistri essentially -hills with pine forests). Do take note of the many signs warning against smoking whilst in the pines -in Summer it would take very little to set them off. In fact, at one point I was met with a fire engine stationed there to keep watch. The two firemen sitting in deckchairs there were, inevitably,  both enjoying a cigarette. And the rubbish? Well I did eventually reach it and it was exactly as advertised on the map -the islands rubbish dump. Curiosity satisfied.

The beach at Skala on Agistri island

I also took an afternoon trip back to Aegina, which suddenly felt very big and busy compared to Agistri (but, of course, isn't really either of those). What is big there though is pistachio nuts. Trees of them and bags of nuts for sale at every vendor. Obviously some had to be purchased.

I cannot give a cockerel count or goatiness rating for Agistri as, certainly where I was in Skala, there didn't seem to be any -but that may well be different if you venture further across the island.

So little Agistri, my introduction to Greek islands, Greek food, Greek ferries and lots more. That's where it all started. Regards, David.

Dolphin pedalo at Lakka, Paxos

* Dolphins: they are everywhere in the Greek islands. On postcards, fridge magnets, paintings in your apartment, on boats, and even on the aforementioned table covers. You might imagine that it would be hard  to get in the sea for the sheer mass of them. So have I seen one single dolphin? Ever? After numerous ferry  crossings and excursion boat trips? No.  I did, however, see one at Sandgate on the Kent coast in England. The local  media named it Dave (up until the point it turned out to be a female and became Davina). As ever, feel free  to add your comments -including the vast numbers of dolphins you have probaly all seen - by clicking below.