Aegina Island Off The Beaten Path

The temple’s pediments were adorned with magnificent sculptures representing the Battle of Troy, which can not be seen there anymore since they have been taken by the Turks during the 19th century, as many of Greece’s marbles, and got sold to Ludwig of Bavaria, the father of King Othon.

They are now exposed in the Munich Glyptothek Museum. They were restored by the Danish neoclassic sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen. These works exerted a formative influence on the local character of Neoclassicism in Munich, as exhibited in the architecture of Leo von Klenze.

I enjoyed watching pediments in 2004 not knowing that three years later I would find myself in Aegina at the Aphaia Temple.

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The Temple of Aphaia stands on the top of a pine-clad hill above Aghia Marina from where you have a marvelous view to the mainland.
Built on top of a wooded hill, it offers the most magnificent view over the island, the Saronic Gulf.

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Mount Oros is an extinct volcano and Aegina's highest point at 532 meters (1745 feet).
According to my free Aegina map there is a remote archeological site on Mount Oros called "Naos Ellaniou Dia" but the dirt road that leads to it was deemed impassable by my taxi driver. The highway that passes the mountain is quite scenic and goes by the villages of Lazarides, Portes, and Anitseo.
If you want to do this trip then it might be possible by renting a motorcycle from Aghia Marina. Otherwise the opportunity to go near Mount Oros by taxi is on the way from Aghia Marina to the fishing village of Perdika.

Located just off the southwest corner of Aegina Island opposite Perdika fishing village, Moni Island is uninhabited except for animals including deer, antelope, rabbits, and peacocks. There is ferry service from Perdika and it takes about 10-15 minutes to reach the north shore of this small island.

You can hike on a path that goes to the highest point on the island. During World War II the Germans actually used Moni Island in defense of the port of Piraeus, and an old bunker can still be seen for military history buffs who enjoy searching for remnants of the brief occupation.

It is about 20 minutes from Aegina town, a very nice place to be. They do great work and heal injured animals or help abandoned young ones to grow up. there are mostly birds. You can help them by buying something from their shop or you can even do arrangements and offer there your voluntary work.

Aegina has magnificent beaches all with wonderful golden sand.
Agia Marina, Souvala, Marathona, and Perdika are some of the wonderful beaches on the island.

At the picture we have a rest on Klima beach after delicious lunch :-)

Angistri is a small island near Aegina with beautiful sandy beaches and nice tavernas. Angistri is famous for being one of the first places in Greece to experiment with nudist beaches. The beautiful, unspoilt island of Agistri (or Angistri) is just over one hour from the Athens port of Piraeus.

More pictures are in my travelogue.

Perdika is situated 3 km from Aegina town. There is a fine beach on the way to Perdika. The charming fishing harbour lined by fish tavernas, affords a good view of Moni island.

We had a delisious lunch in Perdika village and it was the first time I've tried the octopus (grilled)!!!