Poros – First Time Back in 24 Years!
Shortly after saying our goodbye’s to Magnus, the bus continues past the Psifta wetlands where we get a glimpse of the lake full of pink flamingos. What a shame I didn’t have my camera to hand but a magnificent sight all the same. We finally arrive at Galatas. We only have a short time to wait before the small ferry arrives to take us the short journey over to Poros.
Close to the port is the taxi service. The taxi fares are fixed prices. Normally we would haul our suitcases around the streets until we find our hotel but because our accommodation is “up” we opt for a taxi. I know that the hotel is close to Rania Apartments where I stayed all that time ago and I remember those 100+ steps! I suspect we’ll be getting the taxi up to the hotel quite frequently!
Even though the taxi drops us at the hotel we can see that there are still masses of steps to climb to get to the reception. One step at a time we heave the suitcases upwards.
We are staying at the Panorama. It was a really good price and got pretty good reviews. The room overlooks the bay and is very spacious – just perfect for our short stay.
Now it is 24 years almost to the month since I was on Poros last. I won’t recap on that visit but all I can say is that it was a very memorable trip and actually my first solo trip to Greece and my first ever Greek island. All is explained in my Blast from the Past post called Poros, the Octopus Man and Inspirational People – just follow the link below.
Poros and the Octopus Man
I feel that sometimes it is risky going back to places that you have been before after such a long spell away – especially when you have such fond memories of the place. However, I was curious and as I was passing ………
The following day my first mission is to get my bearings and to try and see if my memory is jogged. A set of steps (at least 100) takes us down to the road and I note that the benches will become very useful during our stay. Another set of steps takes us onto Askeli Beach. The first thing that I notice is the rock on the beach and I’m pretty sure that 24 years ago this is where the Octopus Man grabbed by attention by slapping his octopus on the rock! I wonder where he is now!
Our little recce then takes us to Kanali Beach, around to the port where the mermaid statue sits gazing out towards Kimomeni – a small mountain range in the distance that takes the form of a reclining goddess. We then head into one of the alleyways which leads us up above the harbour. We follow the alleyways until we reach the clock tower. From here we have fantastic views over to Galatas.
If you time it right i.e. you are there on the hour, you will get to see the clock mechanisms in operation as the bell strikes the hour.
One of the most striking features of Poros is it’s neoclassical architecture. As you wander the labyrinthine streets you will see glimpses of the islands glory days which gives the town a lot of character. It is also worth visiting the Folklore Museum with displays of cultural artefacts, including furniture, traditional costumes, embroidery, table china, weaving and handwritten recipes.
Later that evening we cross the canal, past the naval base (no photographs allowed) and go to Theano for dinner.
Tomorrow we will get out about to explore further.
I love your photos and stories Stephanie, just the kind of photos I like to take too. We loved Napflio and Epidaurus but like you stayed too short a time… the whole Peloponnese is such a rich area. You could spend weeks or months there and not enjoy it all.
Aww thank you Kathy and also thank you so much for your guest blog – I really appreciate it. You are absolutely right about the Peloponnese – definitely a place I will continue to return to! xx