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It is not difficult, AT ALL, Anne. Write down a few key phrases phonetically and you'll do fine... if you need them at all. The merchants and service people speak English very well. The tourist trade on Hydra is huge. The phrases are needed more for being pleasant to them and to the locals. You can do without them altogether. You're going to love this trip and will soon realize there was no need for concern .


~ Lizzy

Thanks, Lizzy. that's reassuring.

anneporter wrote:I'm starting to worry about the language... how hard is it to find your way around without speaking/reading any Greek?

In contradiction to Tishylizz I find it very hard at first to communicate with the Hellenics. But as soon as you wave with a 5 Euro note everything goes smoothly and there is no misunderstanding at all.

There is a funny greek movie running in our theatres in June called "Mikro eglima" (small crimes). I read a review that said, it is very funny in the first part, later on it gets a bit boring. It's about policeman on a small island looking for a job in Athens, but meanwhile he has to solve some mikro eglima ....

I saw the trailor and had to laugh when I saw how he on his bike was chasing someone with a megaphone

http://www.kleine-verbrechen.de/

As Dem informed us a while ago the powers that be in their wisdom have cancelled the daily ferry from Piraeus to Hydra so now our only way of travelling to and from the island is by the over-priced flying coffins.
Here is the Piraeus to Hydra timetable for the flying coffins for the first couple of weeks in June.
For the second week in June which is the period that we shall be travelling the first sailing is 8am. with a second sailing at 8:30am followed by a 10am. sailing Tuesdays and Sundays then it's a wait until midday for the next one. Last one from Piraeus is 7pm.
However best to double check and scroll down and check your day,time and date of arrival against the sailing times.

I'm sure there's no need to book in advance. Since the cancellation of the daily ferry boat there's bound to be plenty of availabilty as most locals will not be able to afford the flying coffin prices they will now most likely be having to swim backwards and forwards to the island. Hey ho.

Last one from Piraeus is 7pm.

From the schedule we can see that on Friday they have a late last departure at 8.30 pm and on Sunday 9.30 pm!

Well spotted that man.
I didn't even look that far down the schedule
I was quite surprised to see them running as late as 7pm.
I'm sure in the past that one or two folk have arrived in the late afternoon only to have missed the last sailing.

Ta Ken

I'm sure in the past that one or two folk have arrived in the late afternoon only to have missed the last sailing.

That's true! I also got worried when I saw the schedule in your message - we will arrive on Sunday, and there is no departure at 7 but 5.15. Then I scrolled down, and was happy to see that they have one boat going much later (half past nine!), just in case our flight would be delayed and we missed the afternoun boat!

As I said before, just notice that the weekend (and Monday) June 5-8 will be busy for Hydra because of the European elections and the Holy Spirit holiday. I checked out the on-line system, there are still many tickets to Hydra on these dates but there is already no availability for 6 of the 9 routes from Hydra to Piraeus on Monday 8th!
Many Athenians prefer Hydra for this short getaway.
No need to book in advance in other dates.

Also, there is no metro train service in section Airport-Ethniki Amyna due to works for the construction of new stations, so you have to take the bus X96 from the airport to Piraeus (ticket price: 3.20 euros).

And...summer temperatures these days here

See you soon,

Sophia

Sophia wrote:Also, there is no metro train service in section Airport-Ethniki Amyna due to works for the construction of new stations, so you have to take the bus X96 from the airport to Piraeus.

Aaargh, that bus! THAT is not a pleasant memory.

Laura

We have found the bus to be very convenient, it stops right outside the airport and only takes an hour to reach the harbour. But I suppose it depends on the time of day. We will be on a very early one to catch the first boat/dolphin.

Margaret

Thanks Sophia and Jarkko for the info.

A little tip I can pass on about the airport/Piraeus bus.

When you buy your ticket at the airport for the harbour buy two. No need to ask for a return just ask for two tickets as all tickets to and from the airport are identical.
The little ticket kiosk at the harbour is not open 24 hours and sometimes the lady who usually runs it takes a break during the day.
So if the ticket kiosk is closed or if you are travelling back to the airport late in the evening you will have to join the maddening mass of fellow passengers and queue up and fight to pay the driver.
So when the bus arrives the centre doors will open as well as as the door by the driver. Seeing as you already have a ticket you can then ignore the mad scramble at the front of the bus and enter through the centre doors, drop your bag on a seat then walk to the front to validate your ticket and then sit back and watch the mayhem as the poor driver and passengers try to find change for 50 euro notes for the 3:20 fare.
The airport bus queue at the harbour can be quite long especially after a big ferry docks and it's only us English who seem to follow the etiquette of queuing.
That return trip on the airport bus can be a mad scramble at certain times of the day and with the trains being off it could be even more of a battle getting on the bus.
Of course if you arrive in Piraeus on the flying coffin between any of the the big ferries docking and the kiosk is open then
things will be more civilised, but there's still no harm buying your return ticket at the airport when you arrive.

kali tihi !

Ta Ken

thanks Ken.

(What does kali tihi mean?)

anneporter wrote: (What does kali tihi mean?)

Good luck.

Ευχαριστώ!

Ευχαριστώ!

You're going to do fine, Anne .


~ Lizzy