Idhra/Hydra However you spell it, it spells chaos.

Sometimes when we are approaching a harbor, it feels like you are sailing right into a postcard. You want time to just stop so you can soak in all the beauty of the place. Everything seems placed by some grand design to lure you into a sense of peace and beauty. Idhra is one of those places. We came in to the port in the late morning. The port is small and it didn’t take long for the marina to fill up completely. Then the harbor theater began. It turns out, this is a very popular place for Atheans to spend the weekend. Just when you thought you could not possibly squeeze in another boat, two more would come. And they wouldn’t take “no room at the inn” for an answer. When there was not enough room between the boats to slip a razor blade between them, the boats started tying up to the bow of boats that were docked on the quay. So another row of boats managed to slip into the harbor. And then the big boys started to arrive. I am talking the mega yachts that would pretty much take out the entire port if they were to come into the harbor. They dock on the outside of the harbor breakwater toward the sea where the ocean floor was very deep and the spots completely exposed to the ocean elements. I guess if you have a big enough yacht, you don’t worry about possible weather conditions.

Evidently Idhra is the place to see and be seen on the weekends. The town was teaming with wealth and shops that cater to that cliental. In the morning you had to coordinate with the boat that was parked in front of you to get out. And the anchors were tangled in the middle of the harbor like a plate of spaghetti. Each anchor had to be pulled up in just the precise order to avoid too much of a mess. We loved the town but were glad to make our escape to somewhere sane.