Aegina: Land of the Pistachios

Wake-up call: 6:30 to load up on a bus at 7:15 bound for the Greek island of Aegina. We took a small high-speed boat to the island and headed straight for the Temple of Aphaia, which is still pretty well preserved for being built in 510 B.C.The temple was built for worship of the Greek goddess Aphaia, who is said to be the daughter of Zeus.

Erika and I enjoying the picturesque view of the Saronic Gulf from the top of the temple.

After a visit through the small museum of the temple, we were free to explore the island for the rest of the day! The majority of our group headed out in search of a beach to enjoy some swim time before meeting back up for lunch at a water-side taverna. We found the perfect spot, secluded from the usual tourist traffic on the beach. You better believe that before diving head first into the gleaming blue water, I thoroughly checked the area for sea urchins- and there were plenty of those little suckers everywhere. I carefully dodged around them for a much needed dip in the cool ocean.

Private Beach: Ospreys Only

Instead of letting the sea urchins get the best of us, we decided to search them out and see if we could crack one open. Apparently the locals enjoy eating the inside of the urchin and we thought it sounded like an adventurous idea, until we actually opened one and saw what it looked like. Ewww.

There was a Greek guy swimming near us who was just cracking them open and eating them like candy! Instead, we headed to a traditional tavern for a group lunch. We had spicy cheese dip, Greek salad, amazing meatballs, stuffed zucchini, moussaka and of course watermelon for dessert. For our last remaining hours in Aegina we walked around, exploring the local shops and buying pistachios. Aegina is known for their locally grown pistachios and although I don't usually enjoy them, I have to say they are quite tasty! I even ventured out and tried pistachio gelato. We ended up back at the beach, playing around with a volleyball and just enjoying each others company. Sometimes, it's the simple times like this when we live most like the Greeks. Nowhere to be, no rush, not worried about time or money; just enjoying the company of our friends and enjoying time well spent. Before heading back to home sweet Athens, we watched the sunset over the docked boats and darkening waters.

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