Aliki Beach

 And our second day trip. A taxi boat ride along the harbour and across to Aliki Beach on the mainland.

In days of yore when the tourist business was booming - in the 80's - there were little water taxis plying back and forth from the island to this sandy beach all day long.

Then the little British travel companies started to go bust and anyway it was much easier to book a flight straight to Crete or Rhodes or any island with an airport.  To get to Poros english visitors had to fly to Athens, wait for their travel connection to take them on an hours trip  to the harbour, wait for the boat and then it was 2 1/2 hours  to the island.  Where they waited in line for a taxi to take them to their accomodation.  A long tiring trip.  Slowly tourist numbers dwindled, bars and souvenir shops closed.   It wasn't till about 15 years ago that business picked up as the new road from Athens opened up and greek city dwellers wanting a few days of relaxation started to appear, even on sunny mid-winter weekends.  It's a 2 hour drive from Athens, onto the car ferry and then a park at your hotel.  

The water taxis to Aliki beach, and all the other beaches, stopped running.  There was no money to made sailing without passengers.

In the last few years three new routes have opened up again, subsidised,I think, by the EU.  One of our sons-in-law is captain of the good ship Socrates and he has nabbed the run to Aliki beach.  A sandy beach, shallow and children friendly.  There are two tavernas close by and now one of them has put out umbrellas and sunbeds.  The perfect place for a few hours of fun.

I used to take my kids there for a day out.  My grandchildren went not long ago to see what it's like now.  Still sandy, but too much seaweed they say.  No-one likes that creepy feeling of dark seaweed  waving under the feet and strange shadows amongst the fronds.

On the far side of the beach is a small lagoon where locals gathered salt from the rocks and looked for shellfish.  The lagoon is a bit sad now and the water that is left is dirty looking. 

We didn't go across to swim but to eat at one of the tavernas.  My english friend lives nearby and she came down to join us.  Another day of nattering in English. 

Our son in law has the Aliki Beach run this year.  

It takes about 15 minutes to go across, a nice cruise along the waterfront and then over to the mainland

First stop is Plaka beach.  No one got in or out.

You can see it's a bit choppy but not enough to be uncomfortable

Arriving at the beach dock.  I had a bit of difficulty getting in and out of that little boat.  Lucky my s-in-law was there to help.  It's the step from boat to shore that gets me.  I dither and make a very uncertain step towards land, sure I'm going to land awkwardly or suddenly the boat will drift out and I'll be left susupended, one foot on boat and one foot on land.  I managed to disembark with some sort of dignity  but I won't be taking any of these little taxi boats any time soon.

If I want to go to the mainland I use the car ferry.  Walk on walk off

Looking from the dock along to the taverna we were going to eat.

K and J waiting for kalamari, greek salad and chips

The tables along that back wall were occupied by greek men gossiping between themselves.  K listened in but was not impressed by their conversation and for once did not join in.  Men hiding from their wives and having a furtive beer or two or just moochers with nowhere else to go.  The taverna is out of the way, not so easy to get to from land.  But the locals know.  A great hideaway.