Aegina Through the Back Door

Aegina is pronounced AY-gah-nah. Not ah-JYE-nah, like I had been saying it. The correct way of saying isn't nearly as funny.

Aegina is a forty minute boat ride from Piraeus Harbor. It takes the same amount of time as a ride from Long Beach to Catalina. My friend Nate recommended the island, suggesting I rent a scooter and wander the roads. When he told me he crashed twice, I thanked him for his suggestion, but yeah, I'm gonna walk this.

We walked to a nearby beach and did nothing. M and J took a dip in the sea. I crashed on a lounge chair for two hours straight. The weather wasn't beach-friendly. Clouds built in the distance. The sun came out, hid for a few minutes, then appeared again. The humidity that plagued us all day in Athens failed to show up.



With two hours to kill before boarding the ferry back to Athens, M, J and I wandered. Our Guru Rick Steves emphasizes Back Door Travel; Ditching the guide book, veer off the beaten path and explore. There isn't much to see in Aegina at dusk on a Sunday evening. Shops have closed. Families are preparing dinner. The streets are deserted, except for the occasional moped passing through.



We were heading back to the dock when we passed a church. It was like any Greek Orthodox church we've come across. Two brick-red domes on each side of the roof, flanking a bigger dome in the middle. There was a red carpet leading to the church's entrance. A small crowd had gathered. I stopped and nodded at M and J. "I think something's happening here." I thought.

And then they came. A rush of people, looking their best, coming from the other side of the street. Men in designer shirts. Young women in fancy dresses. Old men and women ambling. Children dragged by their parents. All headed toward the entrance.

The groom arrived in a black sedan. He was dressed in gray tuxedo. He entered the church to applause. An old man, also in a gray suit, stood by the outer gate. M approached him "Is this a wedding?" "Yes, yes, wedding..." The old man replied. He bolted for the church.

Thirty minutes till the ferry was to leave, and the bride had yet to show. We didn't want to leave. "Can we just wait a few more minutes?" M pleaded. The sun had long since disappeared. It was getting late.

The three of us headed for the dock. We never saw the bride. As the boat took us to Pireaus, questions ran through my mind. How did her wedding dress look? Was she young? Did she look like the woman in My Big Fat Greek Wedding?

Was our back door tour of Aegina a success? Hard to say. It was a quiet back door, with a little glimpse of everyday life on a Greek isle. I count that as success. I was satisfied.