We already knew that Leonard Cohen lived in Greece for a while - now we know exactly where. One of the most beautiful Greek islands is Hydra in the Saronic Gulf. It may be barren and not very fertile, but the inhabitants have managed to keep mass tourism away. The houses climb picturesquely up the hill from the harbour, the main town and the harbour look like a high amphitheatre.
In 1960, Leonard Cohen bought a house in Kamini, a small village next to the main town, and lived there until 1970, there he fell in love with his muse, the Norwegian Marianne. World hits like "Suzanne", "Stranger Song" and, of course, "So long, Marianne" probably originated here. His favourite pub in town was the Douskus, for whose landlord he even wrote his own song.
The island is pristine, of course there are many tourists, but there are no cars, only mules for transport - and that's how the inhabitants want it to stay.
Coming from Porto Heli, we briefly put our bow into the small harbour of Hydra. It is supposed to be very crowded most of the time. When we arrive, there are already two rows of boats nested inside each other. Anchor salad is inevitable when we cast off. We sail one nautical mile further and anchor in the quiet bay of Mandraki. From here, the next day, we take a beautiful panoramic path to the main town and also to Leonard Cohen's favourite places.
We say "So long, Marianne!"
