Hydra

            The last full day is here already, and I can’t believe it. The time has gone by way too fast! Yesterday may have been the one that flew by the most quickly. We spent the day in Hydra, an island that is a one and a half hour bus ride and a twenty minute ferry ride away. On the bus there, I tried to sleep as much as I could, but it was a little hard when every five minutes the bus driver gave a little honk and then swerved around other cars. The ferry was fine, since I sat in the front where things weren’t too shaky or wavy.

            When we arrived in Hydra, I was amazed at my surroundings. Donkeys covered in colorful fabrics lined the streets. A variety of shops and restaurants took up the left and side of the main road, and it is a harbor city so all kinds of boats, from sailboats to yachts, were docked to the right. If you looked up, mountains spanning the horizon were scattered with typical white stucco Greek houses. It was a beautiful scene.

Almost immediately after arriving, we were given an assignment by our National Geographic leaders. We had to take portraits of people and include in them an element that represented the person or showed something unique about them. I enjoyed the assignment a lot and really liked getting to know the people I was taking pictures of. I met couples of every age, seamen, and shopkeepers.

Once we all finished the assignment, we all went to lunch together. Then we went to the “beach,” which was really just boulders on a cliff above the water. I think some people were disappointed, but I was honestly excited because sand isn’t my cup of tea. While we were there, some of us jumped off of a cliff into the water. The ledge wasn’t terribly high but it was still a lot of fun diving into the freezing, clear blue water.

That night, we caught the ferry back home to Nafpleo, and it didn’t sail as smoothly as our trip there. In fact, it was miserable. Nearly everyone sitting around me began to get seasick. When we finally got off of the boat, matters only got worse. We boarded the bus. On the bus, winding roads came way too frequently, and about five of us took turns passing around a barf bag. No one actually got sick, but there were countless close calls. Luckily, a simple dinner of plain pasta and coke got me to feeling better.

After dinner, we went back to the hotel to organize our final projects. It seems so weird that after so many days of taking photo after photo it is finally time to choose our favorites, etc. I am looking forward to showing my family and friends what I’ve got!