Tuesday 30 August 2022

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.






21 comments:

  1. To this day I have a scar on my leg from my fall when I tried to get off a boat onto a beach on a Greek island. Aliki? I still remember how much the Greek singer was loved here and her movies that we went to see in the sixties.

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    1. Oh boy, Yael. That's exactly what I don't want t happen. I would probably get more than a scar at my age.
      I'm surprised you know Aliki. Her movies are classic. There's at least one shown on greek tv every week. Still greatly loved

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    2. I still remember the songs. When I have more time I will watch it on YouTube.

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  2. Aliki the pictures. The taverna sounds great. I hate bars that have Sky News on the television.

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    1. The cafeterias down town have satellite tv but most of them only turn them on for football matches.

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  3. Life on islands looks good. I wonder why Sardinia offers an incentive of 15,000euro to those considering a move to it.
    I'm sure many will show interest, as Sardinia is a charming island.

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    1. I wonder why Sardinia is inviting people. The older population must be dying maybe and the younger ones leaving

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  4. I was terrified of the plank between boat and shore on a Corsican island trip. I think I should write a book.

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    1. The trouble with boats is that they rock and often unexpectedly, or drift away.
      Write the book

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  5. I don't blame you for feeling off kilter getting off the water taxi ~ I think I would feel much the same!
    Lovely photos as always...

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    1. I don't mind a bit of rocking while it's at sea but I like a calm landing

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  6. Wonderful day out, I remember feeling like I was walking the plank on some of the ferries around the Greek Islands back in the late 70's.

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    1. Yes, those boats back then we're a bit of an adventure. Didn't mind it when I was young. Naturally

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  7. Glad you got off safely! My daughter had an experience once when disembarking from a launch onto a sandy beach - the boat moved and she sustained a massive cut on her ankle. Ever since then I have been very wary of boats :)

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    1. I don't like small boats. Getting onto to them is slightly easier but getting off is fraught with unknowns

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  8. I don’t blame you being worried about disembarking. I’d definitely fall in the water or be left doing the splits Hilarious for others looking on but not so much for me

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    1. Yes, I bet everyone else would think it hilarious, and tell me about it for years to come. No, no, no!

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  9. That all brings back wonderful memories. Thank you.

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    1. Just like the old days. Little boat, old style taverna. They only had jugs of wine or beer plus chips, Greek salad, meatballs and maybe some fish. The kalamari must have been solid in the freezer. It took ages to turn up on the table

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  10. I know it’s your national colour but do the paint shops sell any other colour than blue??

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  11. It's a shame that the more people visit a tourist spot the more used it looks, the beaches in the North Island especially Takapuna, Browns Bay etc use to be pristine when I was growing up, these days they are all polluted, it's sad.

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