Saturday 17 August 2013

A Walk to Mandraki

On my last trip to Hydra I didn't have time to venture far from the port, but this time I've a few evenings to wander and  explore.  Last night I turned right at the harbour entrance and followed the coastal road for 30 minutes to Mandraki Bay.  I really missed Jake as I feel a bit odd strolling on my own, aimlessly stopping to take a photo or two. I wonder if there are any dog owners in Hydra with pooches  in need of exercise. 

 I arrived  puffed as the road goes up and down, to find a very small public beach with a few beach umbrellas that had seen better days and a taverna that looked like a set for Shirley Valentine.  It made me determined to find out where the "Boy on a Dolphin" with Sophia Loren was filmed. The majority of the bay is part of the Mira Mare Hotel, which is open to non-residents but was staging a kids swimming contest with belting disco music so I didn't bother to stop.  A brisk walk back clocked up a 90 minute walk and gave me license to enjoy a beer on the front.
   

The cliffs are quite steep and swimming places few, so it was sad to see this little bay littered with rubbish and people swimming and relaxing next to it.  Hydra needs a rubbish boat like Bodrum's that goes around the bays collecting litter from the seashore. 

Here's a quick blast of Sophia  She really was stunning.

9 comments:

  1. She certainly was stunning. And that chest. Blimey. They don't make 'em like that anymore. I didn't know Bodrum had a sea going dustcart.Perhaps they could lend it to cash-strapped Greeks.

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  2. Gorgeous views...worth the trek I would think, a shame Jake couldn't enjoy it with you though. Jx

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  3. It looks stunning, but quite a trek.

    Shame about the rubbish. The parts of Greece we stayed in were very clean. Perhaps we were lucky.

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  4. What better place to stroll up and down for an hour and a half? Looks wonderful - though agree, it's nice to have the company of a doggy friend on these walks. Most excellent photos.
    Axxx

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  5. Aww, I'm rubbish at wandering around places on my own, too. Fethiye has a never ending battle with rubbish. Lots of initiatives that will hopefully start to work at some point...just relies on people acting on them...

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  6. B to B, We have a real problem with trash on the beach here in Burgazada and people seem to have no problem relaxing and going in the water right next to it! A 90 minute walk is perfect exercise. But it does lose something without a dog.

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  7. Can't say I had heard of this film before so I watched the great clip and went off looking for more info. Had to chuckle about the disparity in heights between Sophia Loren and Alan Ladd resulting in him having to stand on a box or her walk in a trench to film some shots. Just like Claire Balding and little Willie Carson did much more recently!

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  8. . . plastic is something everyone can do something about when shopping - but then what does it matter, the latest climate modelling shows that by 2040 much of the globe will be untenable - it really is that serious and that close.

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  9. I also didn't know Bodrum had a rubbish boat. I am impressed. It's a shame such beautiful places are spoilt by rubbish.

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