Hydra island
Going to Hydra can be quite addictive - I know what I'm talking about - I sort of came here by accident in the autumn of 2016, and have found myself returning more and more often since.
There are no long sandy beaches or white houses with blue shutters, but you can find there lots of small beaches, tavernas, hilltop monasteries, churches and chapels (there are about three hundred of them), unique architecture, plenty of hills to climb, paths to walk, and places to sit quietly and just look out to sea... and it's kind of nice! There was a big art community on Hydra in the 1960s, and I guess some of the bohemian and cosmopolitan atmosphere of the time remains. It's a lovely, laid-back vibe!
Also, cars are not allowed to drive here, with a few exceptions. So the island's fleet consists of a garbage truck, a fire truck, a vehicle to haul construction materials (but there aren't so many passable roads, so use is really limited), and I believe an ambulance. Thanks to a 1950s presidential decree, Hydra is one of the few places where you can still enjoy this kind of comfort. The ban extends to scooters, bicycles (kids on bicycles are exempt and only outside the harbour), and other "wheeled" vehicles.
This, along with preserving the original architecture, helps keep the
island's wonderful 18th-century atmosphere alive.
History
The island's name comes from the Greek ὕδρα (hydra), which means water. This refers to the fact that there used to be many natural springs on the island, but these were lost due to an earthquake in the 16th century. The last wells gave their name to the area of Kala Pigadia (good wells). Most of the older houses then had a rainwater cistern, and some still use it today. Others have converted it, like I have a kitchen in it. Until a few years ago, water was also delivered in an ancient tanker from the mainland, but now the desalination plant provides most of the water supply.
The island's history goes back to around 2600-3000 BC, but it it was not a place of any significance during that period. Herodotus says Hydra was home to fishermen and farmers. There aren't many records from the classical period, but the excavations at Episkopi show it was inhabited.
At the beginning of the 15th century, Hydra was settled by a
few families of shepherds. From 1460 onwards, Arvanites arrived – refugees from
the area of present-day Albania who fought alongside the Venetians against the
Turks – and fishing began to develop on the island. This was also the time when
Kiafa (Arvanite for 'top'), the first town, grew up, high above the present-day
harbour. In the 16th, 17th and 18th
centuries, the island's population continued to grow as many Greek families arrived,
whose names are still to be found on the island today (Lazarou, Tompazi,
Oikonomou, Gini, Tsamados, Gouma).
In the 18th century, Hydra's trade really took off and it became the most important Greek naval power with a fleet of 150 ships. In 1749, the first Naval Academy in Greece was founded here. At the beginning of the Greek War of Independence, the island had more than 28,000 inhabitants.
During the War of Independence, Hydra, Spetses and Psara played a really important role. Hydra earned the name Little England (Mikra Agglia) at the time, referring specifically to its strong naval fleet.
Interestingly, the island's economic decline followed Greece's liberation from Turkish rule. There was a bit of a recovery in the early 20th century, but most of the people left for the mainland, especially to Piraeus, where they formed their own community.
In the 50s and 60s, Hydra was discovered by filmmakers, an artistic community settled there, Leonard Cohen moved to Hydra and is still one of the island's most famous residents, and in 1957 the film "Boy on Dolphin" with Sophia Loren was filmed there and the island became famous again. In the 60s and 70s, it was practically impossible to find a celebrity who hadn't visited the island.
Today, Hydra is home to around 2,000 people, and the locals are rightly proud of both the island and the fact that five Greek prime ministers have come from Hydra. The island also still attracts plenty of famous visitors, but somehow they aren't really talked about as something special. But if you go to the Blue Dolphin shop and look at the pictures on the wall, you'll find a lot of famous faces.
Books and Movies
Written and filmed about Hydra and on Hydra
Books
- Polly Samson, A Theatre for Dreamers
- Henry Miller -
- Lawrence Durrell -in his book Greek Islands he writes about fifty-three Greek islands, Hydra has its own chapter
There are many more books, I will add them - you can find more at Hydradirect.com
Movies and documents
- Boy on Dolphin, filmed in 1957, starring Sophia Loren - this film was shot in several locations in Greece, but is mainly associated with Hydra and is somewhat responsible for the "rediscovery" of Hydra to the world. The statue commemorating the film can be found above the viewpoint at the Sunset Restaurant.
- Girl with Black, 1956
- Phaedra with Melina Merkouri and Anthony Perkins, 1962
- Island of love, 1963
- So Long Marianne - Based on the life of Leonard Cohen, who is remembered by many Hydra locals. The final scenes were filmed in the spring of 2023, and I remember the owner of several local guesthouses boasting that he had "a house full of models"... :-)
- To the Rythm of Bouzouki, Greece: Athens & the Islands: a 2016 document about Athens, Aegina, Hydra and other places
There are a lot of other films as well as books - you can find out more at Movies filmed in Greece or at Hydradirect.com
Others
- David Gilmour, Yes I have Ghosts -after years of not being heard from, the Pink Floyd guitarist managed to film the video in March 2020, just before Greece fell into a coronavirus quarantine. The lyrics were written by David's wife's daughter Rommy and his wife Polly - inspired by her book A Theatre for Dreamers