Holy Crap.

Hydra is, by far, the most beautiful place that I have ever laid eyes on. Crete was pretty close to perfect but Hydra is a whole new level. Just standing on this island is such an experience. The water is more clear and more blue that I ever though I’d see. They don’t have any cars on the island here, they get around only by foot and by donkey. Seeing the donkeys everywhere gives me mixed feelings. I’m really impressed that they can go entirely without cars but those poor animals. They’re forced to carry tourists and all of their things around and they stand for hours on end in the sun on cobblestones. I grew up with my family owning mules and they always had lots of room to run around and enjoy life so it saddens me to see these poor donkeys having to sit through this.

We get to go swimming while we’re here on Hydra. Our TA told us that there was cliff jumping which I was super excited for but when we got there, it was much more of just a ledge than I was picturing. It was still really fun, even though the water was freezing. There’s so much salt in the water here that when you’re in it, you don’t even have to try to stay afloat, you just do! It was incredibly relaxing. We have a lot of free time during our two days on Hydra, which is really refreshing because we haven’t really had any free time since we’ve been in Greece. Hydra is pretty much the epitome of what I imagined Greece to be like before I got here. The buildings are white and throughout the hillside, the water is clear and blue, and everything just feels right.

The food here is outstanding. Since we got to Greece, we’ve only been able to eat out because we stay in hotels so we don’t have access to kitchens. The only time we get home cooked meals is when we visit small villages and eat dinner with families there. Eating out has been nice but I’ve been getting tired of having the same things every time I got out to eat. On Hydra, they have a lot of seafood options which has been delicious. Our rooming here is much nicer than when we’re in Athens as well. In Athens, all 39 of us stay in one hotel so it’s impossible to not run into your classmates all the time. In Hydra, we are spread out in 4 different hotels so there’s at least some distance. It’s a small island so it’s not much but it’s more than usual.

I don’t think I ever want to leave Hydra. This will be the place that I come back to when I eventually get back to Greece. I feel connected and at peace here and I think it’s my favorite place thus far.