Hydra.

After declaring Hydra my favorite island, extolling its virtues and gushing over its magnificence at length, it was safe to say that this weekend trip was most eagerly anticipated. But I realized--belatedly--that perhaps I had hyped it up too much for my traveling companions; Hydra is not hit-you-over-the-head beautiful, and there's no shock-and-awe to the experience. It's hard to explain to someone why this is not my favorite island:

(Santorini, taken from the last time I was here)

But to me, it's about the accessibility to beauty. Santorini is like The Grand Canyon: a stunning, picture-perfect vista--to see for ten seconds, and that's it. It's not as memorable, and does not leave a lasting emotional impression in the same way that Hydra does because Hydra invites--even requires--interactivity and full immersion in the island. Without any cars, there is no barrier between the visitor and the land, and just stepping foot off the boat again I felt the magic in the air, which only grew stronger on our walks along the cliffs and the coastline.

My companions did not share quite the level of enthusiasm I did on the ferry ride there:

(really they had all just had late nights)

But much to my relief, I had not overhyped Hydra (to them or to myself), and all could appreciate the magic tranquility and beauty of the island.

Many parts of this trip were incredibly similar to my previous trip: it was the same weekend (two years later), we stayed in the same room I stayed in last time (at a darling little hostel):

We ate at the same (mouthwateringly delicious) restaurant

The light was too poor to do justice to any food pictures, but this picture does a better job conveying the quality of the meal than anything else:

(nothing remained of the flavorful meatballs in a heavenly lemon sauce, the grape leaves stuffed with rice and ground lamb,  the delicate and light zucchini keftethes, the carmelized eggplant with tomato, onions, and feta, the crispy yet tender calamari fried to a perfect golden brown, and the similarly fried saganaki, filled with ooey gooey cheesy happiness)

This time, however, we lucked into an international Rembetiko festival (Greek folk music of a sort)--which we were informed of when, walking down the main cobblestone street by the port, we bumped into none other than the Director of the Fulbright Greece program, who was in Hydra with her husband for the festival (the "festival" was, in actuality, a single restaurant with an outdoor seating area, but the music was indeed lovely).

The other, somewhat regrettable, difference was in the weather, which was not quite the stunning sunshine of my last visit, and therefore did not cast the island in the light that sets off the rich orange color of the hills and rooftops contrasting with the blue of the water and sky brilliantly:

(pictures taken from my last trip)

But even without perfect weather, it was pretty darn pretty:

(the clouds gave it a dramatic look)

(and the sun came out on Sunday briefly)

After Southern California and Athens, it's really something to have a moment in which you feel like you're one of the only people in the world

And rain or shine, the tiny villages are too cute 

A wonderful, peaceful weekend.