Day 74: Aegina Temple of Apollo, Ferry to Agistri

Wednesday, 31st August 2022

Early Morning Sightseeing

I planned to take the 12:40 ferry across to the neighbouring island of Agistri for the next leg of my trip, spending three nights there before returning to the mainland. This gave me a few hours to kill in the morning, and I decided to use this time to visit the nearby Temple of Apollo. The temple had been closed yesterday, so I thought I might have missed my opportunity, but I was glad I could squeeze it in today.

I had breakfast at the hotel and packed most of my belongings into my bags to be ready to check out when I returned. On the way out, I asked reception if I could keep my room until midday instead of the usual 11 am check-out time and was told it would be fine.

Temple of Apollo

The Temple of Apollo sits on elevated land west of Aegina Town on the coastline. It was just a short walk from the hotel and was already open when I arrived at 10, despite Google suggesting it didn’t open until 10:30 am. Entry costs €4, which includes access to the small museum.

Not being a history buff, I’ll admit that most Greek archaeological sites tend to look and feel pretty similar. Still, it’s always fun to walk around and imagine what it must have looked like originally. The museum had some lovely artefacts, which was a great way to spend time.

Ferry to Agistri

I returned to the hotel just before midday, quickly showered, and collected my luggage before checking out. I found shade under a tree and waited for the ferry to arrive. We boarded at about 12:50, and I was soon on my way to another new Greek island: Agistri! It’s the smaller neighbour to Aegina but I had still booked three days, which should give me plenty of time to explore and relax.

The islands are pretty close, so the ferry only took about 20 minutes – a welcome change from some of my longer journeys. It’s worth noting that most ferries go to Skala, which isn’t the island’s capital but is the main tourist resort. Megalochori, the capital, is further to the west. My hotel was just a short walk from the port and I was soon checked into a relatively large apartment with a separate lounge, kitchenette, toilet and bedroom – way too much for one person, but I wouldn’t complain about the extra space!

Exploring Skala

I hadn’t eaten lunch, so after some unpacking, I headed back out to explore to get food on the way. On the way to the resort centre, I found a nice place called Gyrokomeion and had a tasty pork gyros and a small beer.

The beach at Skala was quite disappointing, primarily coarse sand and stony in the sea. Luckily, I wasn’t planning to sunbathe much, so it didn’t bother me.

I had a quick swim and did a bit of recording with my GoPro, then headed back to the hotel once I’d dried off. On the way, I stopped at a couple of rental shops to enquire about the cost of moped hire. Both places quoted €15 per day, but one offered two days for €25 so I told them I would return later to sort it out.

Back at the apartment, I napped for a while as I hadn’t slept well for the past few days. Fortunately, the new bed seemed much more comfortable than the one on Aegina and I felt rested after an hour.

Drone Time

It’s been ages since I’ve used my drone. With some time to spare before dinner, I decided to take it out and see if I could find a quiet spot to fly – I didn’t think it would be difficult on such a small island.

I walked towards the coastal road west of the resort and found a suitable patch of ground to set the drone up. Unfortunately, the day had become slightly overcast so it wasn’t ideal weather for picturesque shots.

It was still fun to use the drone again to get a different perspective on the island. In particular, it showed just how close Skala is to Megalochori, evidence of how small the island is.

Dinner Time

I packed up the drone after 20 minutes or so and headed back to the apartment. I was starting to feel hungry after having a light lunch earlier, so I showered and headed straight out to find somewhere for dinner. I’d seen a few places on Google Maps and browsed menus as I walked through the town. I ended up at an Italian restaurant (big surprise) called Avli and enjoyed a lovely meal there: a chorizo pizza and 0.5 litres of house white wine.

Rather than head back to the apartment, I continued east towards the harbour and did a loop of the village, stopping for some ice cream at a snack bar just behind the beach. By the time I’d finished the ice cream, I was back at my room and ready for a good night’s sleep.