are you sure this is the ferry?

Note to self: when Kate says we are taking a ferry to an island with no cars, realize that said ferry is one step up from a row boat. But again, as Martín always says, "it's not an adventure until something goes wrong." Luckily, the only thing that went overboard during our ferry ride were a few oranges. Although the man with the fanny pack almost went for a swim.

Upon, arriving on Hyrda, I was quite happy to be on solid ground. We made our way up the cobblestone streets to our hotel, the Cotommatae. The hotel had just reopened for the season and was an old mansion turned into a hotel. Pretty picturesque, especially with the kitties running around the estate. First thing was first: Martín checked for more ice skating (not ice dancing as Kate and I had to keep reminding him). After a failed attempt at watching tv and using the wifi, we made our way back town where we shared a pizza, assyrtiko, and coffees. There were stray cats all around us, who really wanted a bite of the pizza. As I was sipping my coffee, one of them jumped into my lap and curled up between me and Kate. It was comical. 

Hydra, Greece

After lunch, we set out on a hike, to the top of the island, or so we thought. We had our sights on the monastery at the top of the island; the problem was there were a number of different monasteries that seemed like they were at the top. Long story short, we didn't end up where we intended, but the hike was beautiful nonetheless. Another Martín-ism came out during this time - always wear socks on vacation. I hiked in tennis shoes, sans socks, and near the end of our 11 mile hike, Kate had to give me her sweaty socks because I had blisters that developed probably around mile 5. What are sisters for. 

After our hike and a dinner out, where a cat let himself into the restaurant during our meal, we headed home for an early night. The next day we experienced what the Cotommatae calls breakfast - I would call it more brunch with a side of lunch. The food was amazing, but there's was so much, but it was so good that you couldn't stop eating. Needless to say, we didn't eat lunch. We set off on another hike, this time to the other towns on the island. Because there are no cars on the island, it is so peaceful. As we looked out toward the mainland, we could see what looked like a storm approaching. 

After our hike, we napped and tried to watch some more ice skating. For dinner, we ventured to Manna Cook House, where we had amazing chicken shawarma. It was probably my favorite meal in Hydra, aside from the plentiful brunch at the hotel. The next day we had to head to Athens. So we bid adieu to the ponies and kitties of Hydra and boarded the ferry back with the Hydra soccer team, I kid you not.