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Recommended Reading 
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POROS: The Athens Alternative"The island revolves in cubistic planes, one of walls and windows, one of rocks and goats, one of stiff blown trees and shrubs and so on. Yonder, where the mainland curves like a whip, lie the wild lemon groves and there in the spring young and old go mad from the fragrance of sap and blossom. You enter the harbor of Poros swaying and swirling, a gentle idiot tossed about amidst masts and nets in a world which only the painter knows. To sail slowly through the streets of Poros is to recapture the joy of passing through the neck of the womb. It is a joy too deep almost to be remembered."Henry Miller - The Collossus of Marousi Imagine staying on an island so close to Athens that you could wake up in the morning and in a little more than an hour, be walking around the Acropolis, shopping in the flea-market or wandering around the Plaka looking for gifts or a nice place for lunch. Imagine an island that is a three minute boat ride to the Peloponnese and places like Nafplion, Mycenae, Epidaurus. Imagine an island that is less then an hour from Pireaus, where you can make ferry connections to Mykonos, Ios, Santorini, Crete, poros, Naxos, Lesvos, Rhodes and almost every island in the Aegean sea. And if this island was blessed with beautiful forests that came right down to the beach, quality and inexpensive accommodations, great restaurants, water sports and cafe life on par with the best Greek islands, then why would you bother staying in Athens? 
Poros does not have the incredible long sandy beaches of the Cyclades, but neither does downtown Athens. The beaches of Poros are small, shaded and calm, even on the windiest days. The island hugs the shore of the Peloponessos so that sailing through the channel is like going down a river. Its the perfect island for a day trip but in my opinion Poros is more than that. It is the most sensible place to base yourself if you are planning to see Athens, the Peloponessos and the Aegean islands. Think about it. You are in Athens and you want to visit the Peloponnese. You leave your hotel for the car rental agency and then have to make your way through the Athens traffic to the National road. In two hours you have reached the isthmus of Corinth and cross over into the Peloponessos. If you are in Poros you leave your hotel, pay 100 drachma to the little old guy who runs the water taxi between Poros and the town of Galatia, hop into your rental car (or get on the bus) and you are ready to explore the ruins of Ancient Trizina and the spectacular sites of the Argolis and beyond. 
The word Poros means a strip of sea, narrower then a strait, uniting two minor bays. The closest distance between the two bodies of land is 300 meters and during ancient times, according to the author Pausanias, you could walk across it. What about if you want to go to see the sights of Athens? Walk to the port of Poros, get on a Flying Dolphin Hydrofoil and be in Pireaus in about 45 minutes. Then hop on the metro and get off in the Monastiraki flea market, a two minute walk from the Plaka and ten minutes from the entrance to the Acropolis. Spend the day in Athens and then after a quick trip by dolphin or a leisurely ferryboat trip be home in time for a swim at sunset, and dinner at a nice taverna. 
To visit islands in the other chains its even easier. Find the departure time for your ferry to poros, Naxos, Ios, Santorini or whatever island you want to go to, check the Flying Dolphin schedule for the boat that will give you enough time to make your connection (at least half an hour), and before you know it you will be steaming off into the Aegean. When you return from the islands you can go back to Poros to spend the rest of your holidays until it is time for your flight and be secure in knowing that even on the rare occasion that the ferries are not running due to bad weather you can still get across to the mainland and be back in Athens in two and a half hours. What this means is that if you are one of these people who wants to visit Greece, see the islands and the major archeological sites, but have no interest in being in a big city like Athens, then you are in luck. Poros should suit your holiday needs very well.
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