Greek island hopping

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Again we used the buses which head towards Fira. Tickets bought on the bus with the conductor who collects the money. I thought the bus area in Mykonos was busy it has nothing on Fira bus station. Organised chaos. Loads of tourists looking lost and sweaty, including us standing far too close to moving buses😆 For me Fira was very pretty in parts and fairly tacky in others. Loads of very expensive designer jewellery shops and boutiques no doubt to lure in the more affluent travellers. The queue for the cable car was massive! I got a tad panicky trying to walk past the queue to get out of that area. One side was waiting in baking hot mid 30 degree heat the other was trying to pass by. An American lady stood infront of my friends path assuming she was jumping the line. Hell have no fury like a sweating menopausal woman in the heat😂 She got short shrift when she challenged my friend. I get the cable car prob has stunning views but it goes down to the awful port and I assume you get back in line to go back up. The square area was packed. Got some lovely photos of the views but I was keen to move on to Oia.

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Fira

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Another bus, longer journey from the nuts bus terminal in Fira to Oia. We followed the lines and lines of Japanese cruise ship groups up to the top. The scale of people up here has to be seen. Bearing in mind we were here late June and mid afternoon. A few very grumpy bored hot children being dragged round. The thought of going here in even hotter busier July & August would fill me with dread. The views yes it's stunning.

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The first picture above was taken when we sat and ate lunch in a fantastic cafe overlooking that view. Nice club sandwich and a drink. Spent most of that time people watching the people lazing around in the pools below wondering what on earth it cost to stay there.
I'm so glad we went and it's definitely one to tick off my list. Just for anyone who hasn't been just be aware you are here with a lot of other people😬

[Guest]

Fabulous pictures!

Talking of the crowds of people it reminds me of that picture a few weeks ago of people queuing to get to the top of mount Everest.

We all want to go and experience these things and see them. Just don't want to be surrounded by other people trying to do the same thing. How very dare they !

Talking of how dare they, I am afraid I get grumpy in the heat and American lady would have got short shrift from me too. That said if I had been her in the queue and I thought some cheeky so and so was trying one on, I would stand in thier way too !

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We got chatting to a lovely couple from New Jersey at the bus stop. They got married in Turks & Cacos in October and Greece was their late honeymoon. They were staying in Oia and said it had been in their bucket list for years. While they loved it they had chosen to leave Oia most day times or stay in their pool then head back after sunset. They both said after the sun goes down the masses leave and it's really peaceful. They also had been to Hydra and had that down as their favourite place. That's also been on my list for a while😆

[Guest]

Hydra is lovely they yachts / harbour are impressive and tiny respectively. You can island hop really easily around the Saronics, one of our favourite routes - perhaps one for you next year 😁

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Originally Posted by FamilyGWales

Hydra is lovely they yachts / harbour are impressive and tiny respectively. You can island hop really easily around the Saronics, one of our favourite routes - perhaps one for you next year 😁

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I've already said I want to do it again. What route did you go?

[Guest]

Fly to pireaus, bus via Corinth canal to napflion / Tolon (squeeze in a day trip to monemvasia) / Tolon and ferry hop to poros via spetses, and hydra. Then base ourselves for a few days in Poros and go and see epidavros, and use the rearby ferries to day hop to Aegina and agistri (but could spend a day or two on Agistri v quiet indeed) and then either use flying dolphin to do a couple of day trips to Athens, or stay in Athens for a day or so to go round the plaka and the acropolis etc. Have done both of these.

Poros ( the saronic island) is a very cosmopolitan and quite busy island given its proximity to Athens. Quite green and non white cube houses. But it is my favourite island of all.

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We left Oia before the sunset, I know what a travesty but we really wanted to leave before everyone else did. On the bus back we went thro Pyrogos and really liked the look of it. So after a lazy day by the pool and a wander to the beach we decided to spend our last night there. Jumped on a bus near teatime and 20 mins later we were there. I loved it here. Central area with nice cafes restaurants shops and some poor donkeys. Walked up to the top through cobbled streets and sugar cube buildings to catch the beautiful sunset.