[Aug. 2023] After landing on the cute Greek island of Hydra and excitedly taking photos around the port, we realised that we were a little hungry and went to one of the cafes lined up around the port.
I felt restless as I wanted to look around rather than sitting at a table, so I needed something quick to eat and chose orange juice and saganaki.
I had heard that donkeys are the only means of transportation on this island, but as far as I could see from the cafe, I didn’t see anyone riding on donkeys, and the donkeys seemed to be used mostly for carrying luggage.
Does this mean that people should walk?
When my husband looked it up online, he found out that there is a service that takes you around the island on a horse rather than a donkey.
My husband and I decided to give it a try, but my friend wasn’t too keen on it, so we split up after we ate.
The starting point for horseback riding was quite far from the port, so we walked while taking photos.
This island is flat only near the port, and the rest is sloped.
We walked up a path lined with white-walled houses.
The pink bougainvillea stands out against the white walls.
There are also cats everywhere.
It was a typical Greek landscape that we imagined.
However, as we walked around, we realised that most of these houses seemed to be accommodations for tourists.
I saw some locals, so they must be living somewhere, but the area within walking distance from the port is definitely a tourist industry area.
At the beginning, we said, “we’d like to stay here for a few nights,” but seeing the touristy scenes, I was a little put off.
At the starting point of the horseback ride, while waiting for the previous tour to return, the only sounds I could hear were cicadas and chickens.
After walking up the hill in the heat, it was blissful to sit in the shade and listen to the sounds of nature.
Now, it’s our turn to ride a horse.
The service is organized by a British woman named Harriet Jarman and costs €30 for 30 minutes.
In our round, three other young bubbly girls joined us.
First, for hygiene reasons, we put on a helmet over a headgear like a shower cap.
Then, with some help, I climbed onto the horse.
My horse was Melina, who is 13 years old, and my husband’s is Louis, who is 7 years old.
Harriet led the horse for those of us who were not familiar with horse riding.
We just went up the hill, circled around, and came back down, but it was really fun.
As we climbed further up from here, the rows of houses disappeared, and the view of the natural rocky mountains spread out.
The view overlooking was amazing.
The climb up was easy, but the descent was a bit thrilling.
I was a bit nervous as we had to pass through some very narrow alleys.
Along the way, Harriet took photos and gave us some information on the island a bit.
She said she had 13 horses.
Well, it was a short but really good experience.
When I got off the horse, my knees hurt quite badly.
It soon healed though.
It was explained that it was because on the horse I kept my legs in the angles that I normally wouldn’t do.
Needless to say, the cold beer that followed was incredibly delicious.
Anyway, when we travel to Greece, we often ride horses and donkeys, don’t we.
