Here is something for those who want to return to Hydra, or who missed the 2002 Event or 2005/2007/2009 Meetups there, or have severe withdrawal symptoms while waiting for the Summer 2012 Event in Madison, Wisconsin!

The dates for the meetup on Hydra next summer have tentatively been fixed to the weekend June 11-12, plus extra days before and/or after according to everybody's own schedules. (Looks like many will take extra days before the weekend). The final dates will be confirmed by the end of 2010.

We have to underline that this will not be any official gathering, just a meetup for people who want to spend some time on the beautiful island with like-minded Cohenites. This will mean that we do not have any pre-scheduled program nor registration. We will give some advice about the connections from Athens/Piraeus to Hydra and some addresses for booking your accommodation, but all arrangements are up to the travellers themselves.

Early June has been chosen again for several reasons. First of all, the tourist season has not yet begun - there are rooms available at all hotels, and the prices are lower than two weeks later. The weather is ideal, not yet hot but warm enough. The restaurants are not full, and serve the most delicious food.

One more time: this unofficial gathering is only for people who want to spend some time together on the beautiful island. There will be no registration, no participation fee, no program, no venue, no concerts. We will choose a good restaurant for every day for dinner, we take some Mythoses at Roloi Bar in the harbour, maybe do some walks in the Hydra city and into the country side, probably have a night of videos & music -- it will be more like a holiday! We hope that those who play guitar will take their instruments with them!

Connect with the www.leonardcohenforum.com to talk about the Event (select the Hydra section of the Forum). Here is a direct link to the main 2011 thread

Some Travel Hints

Book your flight to El.Venizelos, the Athens International Airport

You may use either train or bus to get from the airport to Piraeus.

- If you choose the train: At the airport, go out and follow signs "To Trains". Buy a metro ticket to Piraeus (recently 5 euros per person) Take Line 3 (Blue Line) to the terminal station MONASTIRAKI. At that station, take Line 1 (Green Line), go to the terminal station PIRAEUS. In Piraeus, use the main exit, and turn to left. Go some hundred meters until you are in the front of a very tall house, covered by a huge advertisement. Go over the street and you have found the Dolphins.

- If you are arriving in the small hours or for other reasons prefer the bus, then the Piraeus bus (X96) stop is right outside the arrivals entrance at the airport. This bus runs right through the night at about half hour intervals Buy your ~3 euro ticket at the kiosk and then validate it in the machine on the bus. This bus will take you straight to the harbour in an hour or an hour and a half depending on the time of day.

Take a Dolphin hydrofoil from Piraeus to Hydra. The Dolphin schedule for Summer 2011 is not yet available. Book your tickets on-line at www.hellenicseaways.gr, if you want; however, no advance bookings necessary in the beginning of June. The route is Piraeus - Hydra and it takes about 90 minutes. Online reservations with credit card.

This news website operated by Kelsey Edwards has links to most of the hotels and other Hydra sites: www.greekislandsrealestate.com. Hotel info is also available on the following sites (and many others, you may google to find them!): www.hydradirect.com and HYDRA-island.com

You may also contact the hotels directly (after finding the info on these or other Hydra travel sites). In early June it will not be difficult to find a room, also in the budget category.



The Hydra Meetup (June 12-14, 2009)

Photo Gallery of the 2009 Meet-Up - 150 photos by Eija
Hydra photo show - by Willy & Wijbe

The 2009 meetup on Hydra (June 12-14, 2009) Participants: Arjatsalo, Eija & Jarkko - Finland Avadani, Iona & Voinea, Stefan - Romania Benedict, Paula & Vincent - UK Bennett, Carole - UK Bromfield, Michael Cohen, Doron - Japan Costello, Joe - Ireland Curran, Tony - Ireland Dolfino, Andrea & Marco - Italy Egle, Ute - Germany Everatt, Dave - UK Farebrother, Sue - UK Forsyth, Ken - UK Franz, Christoph - Germany Franz, Henning & Elke - Germany Goeschel, Frauke & Nathalie - Germany Harvey, Russel - UK Hendrickx, Marc - Belgium Hiljanen, Sinikka - Finland Hillyard, Pat & Nigel - UK Humphries, Margaret & John - UK Jaensch, Jurgen - Greece Janavara, Loukia & Mitropoulos, Dimitris - Greece Kler, Nick - USA Kolbl, Christian - Austria Koutselini, Sophia - Greece Lageveen, Willy & Wijbe - Holland Landuyt, Dirk - Belgium Laulan, Dominique - Switzerland Madder, Lizzie & Dawson, Peter - UK McCann, Paula - Ireland McGlynn, Mary-Ann & McClorey, Mary - Ireland Meijer, Miriam & Piepenbrock, Nellie - Holland Morris, Linda & John - UK Nedbalek, Dolores - Germany Nicolaescu, Laura - Romania O'Mahony, Sheila & McSweeney, Helen & Hutchinson, Marian - Ireland Olszewska, Anna - Poland/Italy Parry, Carys & Roberts, Bet - UK Pigozzi, Paola - Italy Pietrasz, Lech & Marta - Tennessee Porter, Anne & Lane, Ann Marie - Canada Porter, Kathy & O'Toole, Cynthia - Canada Pulverich, Kerstin - Germany Remy, Judy & Harrison, Ella - France van Ruth, Liesbeth - Holland Sebban, Sam - France Smale, Christine & Clements, Amber & O'Reilly, Kieran - UK Stapleton, Eric - Ireland Thomas, Sue - UK Tsimperis, Demetris - Greece (80)

The 2007 meetup on Hydra (June 8-10, 2007) See photos from the Meetup!!! Photos © 2007 Eija Arjatsalo, Wijbe & Willy Lageveen, Tom Bohan, Elizabeth Bacon-Smith, Martti M�ller, Margaret Humphries Meetup 2007 participants: Arjatsalo, Eija & Jarkko - Finland Bacon-Smith, Elizabeth - Florida Bohan, Tom - Maine Costello, Joe - Ireland Darbyshire, Andrew & Tim - Australia Egle, Ute - Germany Forsyth, Ken - UK Franz, Christoph - Germany Franz, Henning & Elke - Germany Gansbeke, Antoine & De Wispelaere, Monique - Belgium Goeschel, Frauke & Nathalie - Germany Hiljanen, Sinikka - Finland Humphries, Margaret & John - UK Jaensch, Juergen - Greece/Germany Koutselini, Sofia & friend Maria - Greece Lageveen, Willy & Wijbe - Holland Meijer, Miriam & Piepenbrock, Nellie - Holland Mitchell, Anne - Canada M�ller, Pirkko & Martti - Finland Nedbalek, Dolores - Germany Nicolaescu, Laura - Romania O�Mahony, Sheila & McSweeney, Helen & Hutchinson, Marian - Ireland Peter & family - Germany Pulverich, Kerstin - Germany Rekunen, Sirpa & friend Annemari - Finland Sak, Alicja, Anna & Kazimierz - Poland Sakic, Tom - Croatia Sebban, Sam - France Smith, Sherry - Switzerland Triesch, Sylvia & Volkmar - Germany Tsimperis, Demetris - Greece de Windt, Gerry & Henk; Baudoin, Monique & van der Steen, Henri - Holland (54)

The 2005 meetup on Hydra (June 10-12, 2005) See the 2005 photos! Participants of the 2005 meetup: Arjatsalo, Eija & Jarkko - Finland Bacon-Smith, Elizabeth - Florida Dolfino, Andrea & Marco - Italy Fagerstr�m, Mia - Finland Forsyth, Ken - UK Franz, Elke & Henning - Germany Harvey, Russell - UK Hiljanen, Sinikka - Finland Humphries, Margaret & John - UK Jenkins, Paula & Megan - UK Lageveen, Wybe & Willie - Holland McSweeney, Sheila & Helen - Ireland Meijer, Miriam & Piepenbrock, Nellie - Holland Mitchell, Anne - Canada Morris, Linda & John - UK M�ller, Pirkko & Martti - Finland Nedbalek, Dolores - Germany (27)

First photo © 2007 Jarkko Arjatsalo
Night view © 2000 Rauli Arjatsalo

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Last revised on July 19, 2010