A

Today, we took our first ever island trip. We got up very early and took the bus to Piraeus and there caught the 7:50 ferry to Aegina. It was freezing cold in the early morning but we nonetheless ended up out on deck watching the sun rise. Gerry was there because he just loves to be outdoors with his camera and all. I was there escaping from the smoke-filled interior of the boat. Greece is one of the worst places we have been in a long while for non-smokers. There are just about no no-smoking areas anywhere. Luckily, we found a sheltered part of the upper deck where we got to watch the island come into view.

A Mock-up of the Aphaea Temple on Aegina from the Museum

Once on the island, we bought bus tickets and then wandered through the town for half an hour or so until it came time to take the bus.

We took the bus at 9:50 to the temple of Aphaia and absolutely loved it. The temple is smaller than the Parthenon but in better shape and we had it all to ourselves once a small group of Japanese had finished their tour. We spent maybe an hour and then another half hour in the small museum, which was so bone-chillingly cold that Jan escaped into the sunshine as soon as she had taken at least a glance at everything.

Our first glimpse of the Aphaea Temple

Approach to the Aphaea Temple

We had intended to walk down into the small town of Santa Maria along the road and so were delighted to find signs to a walking path that was also a shortcut. In 20 minutes we were down the steep path (it looked like a fire break) and in the town. We wanted to eat lunch there but absolutely everything was closed. In the end we found the bus stop and sat down to wait for the return bus to Aegina which came around 1:15.

Aphaea Temple

Aphaea Temple

Back in Aegina town we wandered along the waterfront looking for a meal and picked a small restaurant that was pretty filled and Gerry simplified the ordering process by asking for just what the people at the next table were having: a bowl of cabbage/carrot salad, a spciy appetizer dip, a plate of grilled octopus in olive oil, a plate of grilled shrimp in tomato and feta cheese sauce, and the usual bread and water. It was delicious, we ate too much, but came away very contented, in spite of the very cold temperatures in the shade.

Aphaea Temple

Aphaea Temple

After lunch we wanted to visit the small archeological site that overlooked the harbor, but by the time we got there it was closed. Because of that we changed plans a bit and decided to head back to Athens in daylight rather than waiting for the 6:30 ferry. The journey back was most pleasant as we sat outdoors but in a covered deck where I read while Gerry wandered around taking photos.

Aphaea Temple Museum

Aphaea Temple Museum