Spetses
A boat named Christina.
christina
We had heard to visit Spetses from a few people in my Greek community back in the States. While we did find it to be beautiful, it seemed a bit closed off and was definitely more expensive than we expected (8EUR Greek Salad?!). As a car-free island, we were expecting it to be a bit slowed down but instead came up against an onslaught of moped traffic that was difficult to digest after spending a very quiet week in Hydra. Perhaps if we had come here first we wouldn’t have been so affected, which definitely is something that we’re learning as we move from place to place. The order in which you see and experience things matters (but maybe, it’s just exactly as it should be in order to really learn the truth of it).
Archeological finds place the occupation of Spetses back to 8000 BCE. With a long history, it is currently celebrated as an outpost of the Greek Independence movement. During the Turkish occupation of the Peleponnese in the 18th century, Spetses was a center of refuge for people escaping prosecution. These refugees built up the old town on the island and subsequently established a naval power there, though this initial settlement was destroyed during the Russian-Turkish war in 1768. Less than 10 years later, new refugees arrived again and re-built the town and its maritime economy. During the Greek War of Independence in the 1820s, Spetses came to power as the first of the islands to “raise the flag of Revolution” and was also known as the home of war heroine Bouboulina - a female Greek naval commander who helped organize the war efforts with her own money and led blockades around the Peleponnese. Both Spetses and Hydra had become wealthy due to their mercantile fleets and the families there used the money they had been hiding to fund much of the war. While we were there, we were able to witness the first day of the Armata Festival that commemorates the Battle of Spetses (aka the Battle of Nauplia) where the Turkish navy was confronted by the forces of Spetses, Hydra and Psara. The festival culminates with a fictional battle re-enactment and torching of a Turkish flagship in the Harbor. We just missed this but saw them building the boat; you can see it here with a Greek historical narrative, or skip to 6:00 in for when they light the boat on fire.
Today, the island is dotted with super-yachts and fishing boats floating next to each other. It seems a far cry from the Independence movement but still is quite beautiful. On foot, we hiked past the main part of town to the old port and up to the church on the hill. There was a beautiful, peaceful overlook there that gave great views across the water. On our way back we went swimming in a wonderful spot along the road with the locals – the water was divine. Many people hire bicycles and mopeds to circle the island, we didn’t but if we were to go back I would recommend it.
The morning view from the hotel
Stunning yachts dot the coastline.
Christina makes a friend.
