It’s no secret that Hydra is not a big place so, when you visit often, and talk/write about it, you will unavoidably start to repeat yourself. I tried to focus on new things that shaped this year’s experience, but when I revisited older texts, I found similar information here and there. If you’re here to…
Tag: hydra
Ever Changing, Ever the Same- Another September in Hydra
As we arrived on the island. A sentence which is, likely, the most commonplace way to start a piece about Hydra. So, as we arrived on the island, the sky was very blue, the sea was very smooth, and the sun was very high above the horizon, steadily beaming salty, furnace-like heat. It was very…
Through the Storm, In Search of Light- Another September on Hydra
You go to Greece for the sunlight, you take it for granted, not just any light, any sunlight, but Greek light, Greek sunlight, the one which is purest, strongest, and immutable. There is an expression in French, probably invented for the Mediterranean weather of the French riviera, but I only ever associated it with Greek…
(Almost) Stuck in Paradise- A Spring Visit to Hydra
I’ve recently given in to the demons, and I spend an inordinate amount of time on Instagram reels. The AI has learned, and it now knows the kind of little videos I’ll enjoy. Cats jumping and miscalculating the landing. Italians having breakdowns over incorrect pizza. Anything poking fun at Harry Maguire, the poor sod. And…
A Vacation from Myself- Memories of Hydra
The English word vacation comes from the Latin vacans, the present active participle of vaco, which can mean, depending on the context, to be free, to be at leisure, or to be empty. Since Hungarian straightforwardly uses the same word, ‘szabadság’ both for freedom and vacation, and in Romanian you will say ‘îmi iau liber’,…
Greek Cats and Pandemic Travel Musings
There’s no running from the truth. This post, as most of the Internet, was born from cat pictures. I nevertheless felt that the Zakynthian bestiary could not be topped. Perhaps I could go for a more serious topic. Like that moment when you extricate yourself from a ’50 pictures that prove cats are liquid’ collection…
All Them Lovely Beaches- Where to Swim and be Reborn on Hydra
At seven in the morning in early September, the light over Hydra is more of an impression than reality, a fluid veil of burnt orange sneaking over the hills. The port is hidden from the rising sun, like a pearl inside its shell, by the barren, burnished cliffs that run across the island, like the…
Looking for Leonard-A Pilgrimage to Hydra
Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah is one of the most misunderstood and misused songs ever written. Just recently, it was played during a rally by Donald Trump’s campaign team. It has a special charm with purportedly religious people, because they misinterpret the hallelujah. Understandably, Cohen’s estate put out a few words making it clear that they had…
Pocket Diary Budapest 