Editor’s note: today is November 7, 2024. The U.S. presidential election was two days ago, and I am still both sad and angry. And both of those emotions make articles like this one about a Greek island, written back in August, seem meaningless and out of place in the context of my current existence. But it isn’t. Beauty, wonder, and curiosity are always positives, even when times seem so dark. Especially when times seem so dark. I don’t know who will read this today, or at another equally terrible time in a world that has become increasingly filled with them, but I hope it gives you a few minutes of something a little better.

The blue of the Aegean is like something out of a color wheel, an alternating deep and light azure depending on sunlight and depth. The sun is shining, and the sound of eager island-goers splashing in the warm shallows off a small beach compliments the calls of the sea birds. I have some good food, a cold drink, and through my sunglasses I switch between views of distant islands and the ruins of a nearby ancient temple. Greek island life is certainly enviable. And this one, Aegina, is only seventeen short miles from Athens!

There are a few islands to choose from in Greece’s Saronic Gulf, the inlet of the Aegean that lies between Athens and the Peloponnesian Peninsula. But Aegina is the largest and closest, offering regular ferry service via multiple companies, so it was my easy pick. I ended up on the “slow” ferry, which takes just over an hour each way from the port of Piraeus, and is operated by Saronic Ferries. For €12 each way on foot – there are also options for vehicles – I’m treated to a comfortable series of indoor or outdoor seating areas to watch the blue go by. (The faster ferry saves about twenty minutes each way, and is €19 or so rather than €12. It also only has indoor seating.)

The ferry itself was a lovely ride, watching the water passing and enjoying – and being a little freaked out by – the dozens of seagulls floating alongside hoping for handouts. They got them from a bunch of passengers, which was both fun to see and a bit disturbing. (PSA: please don’t feed seabirds chocolate croissants.)

The boat docked in the main port, also called Aegina, before heading off to another stop, but it seemed most passengers disembarked here with me. And rightly so, as Aegina is incredible. I knew very little about it when making my plans to come, my only deciding factor being its proximity to Athens. But if I told you that you could visit a place known for having both the best pistachios in the world (no joke) and awesome Bronze Age ruins, you’d no doubt be on that ferry, too!

While pistachios would form the core of my culinary adventures on Aegina, most of the offerings are solidly in the snacks/sweets category, so lunch meant veering slightly – but only slightly – off that path. I found a place, Le Cafe Aegina, that offered both seating right on the water (just north of the port) and some pistachio-adjacent savory dishes. The quinoa salad with grated pistachio was awesome, but the more interesting thing was the brunch platter and one of its sides.

The platter itself was great, but it came with a thing called “submersible pistachio spoon sweet.” It comes, quite literally, on a spoon submerged in water, and tastes like a combination between nougat and taffy. Sweet, salty, and a nice acidic kick… it was fascinating and I’m glad to have tried it.

Properly sated, it was time to explore some Greek ruins. After all, it seems one cannot go anywhere in this country without running into something old. Well, Aegina makes Athens’ ruins seem downright modern. Just north of the port sits the Kolona Architectural Site and the remains of a Temple of Apollo. The temple is from the 6th century BCE – predating the Parthenon by a century or so – and while only a single column still stands (and this has been the case since at least the mid-nineteenth century when French archaeologists first drew photos of the site), it’s still cool. But what is more impressive, by far, is the ruins around it.

Kolona was a Neolithic settlement, which reached its pinnacle in the Bronze Age, and continued to be inhabited until Byzantine times. That’s a lot of eras, and remains of all of them still exist. But the highlight is the Bronze Age, roughly 2000-1200 BCE, which makes up more than 75% of the site as best as I can tell.

And that includes some of the best preserved Bronze Age defensive walls in existence. In all, the site takes about a half hour to walk, with another fifteen or so minutes for the small museum next door.

I walk back to town, hot from the sun, eager to taste some pistachio treats. Aegina is literally lined with pistachio shops and kiosks. Most seem to offer many of the same staples: pistachios of varying flavors, pistachio spread (one with white chocolate was insane), pistachio liqueur, pistachio pesto, and some packaged sweets. There are samples, but as I’m down to my last few days in Athens, I know I won’t have time to finish anything or have room to pack it, so I am more in search of things to consume now.

Fortunately, there are a number of bakeries, and the first amazing-looking one gets my order of one each of a few different sweets. They are sticky and delicious, but now I’m thirsty.

Panta Rei has reviews online that mention a pistachio mojito, so I head over to find out if it’s real. It is, and at €12 it’s a bit pricey, but hey, I’m here! The addition of slushee ice is a good touch, and the booze soaked fresh (not dried) pistachios are awesome.

My afternoon ferry back to Athens is coming up, so it’s time for ice cream. Eakion comes recommended to me, and I get a cone of their gourmet pistachio flavor, which has pistachio ice cream swirled with salted caramel covered pistachio pieces. It is easily the best pistachio ice cream I’ve ever had, and the best thing I’ll eat on Aegina.

With a few minutes to spare, it is a quick stop to put feet into the warm water of the Aegean at the small sandy beach in town, and then back to the ferry and the smooth ride back into Piraeus.

It’s a really wonderful experience to have a Greek island getaway just an hour from Athens. If you find yourself with a spare day here, and an island with great ruins and the best pistachios sounds like a good time, give a ferry to Aegina a try!

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