Greece - Korina Miller [296]
Entertainment
Several lively music bars command the inner corner of the harbour front. They include Nameless, Aqua and Kimbo, all of which play mainstream disco with modern Greek music when the local crowd is in.
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HORA (ANDROS) ΧΩΡΑ (ΑΝΔΡΟΣ)
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Hora unfolds its charms along a narrow, rocky peninsula between two bays on the east coast of Andros, 35km southeast of Gavrio. The town’s numerous neoclassical buildings reflect Venetian origins underscored by Byzantine and Ottoman accents. Hora’s cultural pedigree is even more distinguished by its Museum of Modern Art and an impressive archaeological museum.
Orientation & Information
The bus station is on Plateia Goulandri, from where a narrow lane leads past a taxi rank, beside the spacious town square, to a T-junction. The post office is to the left. The marble-paved and notionally pedestrianised main street leads down to the right.
Several banks with ATMs are found on the main street. Occasional steps lead down left to the old harbour area of Plakoura, and to Nimborio Beach.
Further down the main street is the pretty central square, Plateia Kaïri, with tree-shaded tavernas and cafes watched over by the Andros Archaeological Museum. Steps again descend from here, north to Plakoura and Nimborio Beach and south to Paraporti Beach. The street passes beneath a short arcade and then continues along the promontory, bends left, then right and ends at Plateia Riva – a big, airy square with crumbling balustrades and a giant bronze statue of a sailor.
Sights & Activities
Hora has two outstanding museums; both were donated to the state by Basil and Elise Goulandris, of the wealthy ship-owning Andriot family. The Andros Archaeological Museum ( 22820 23664; Plateia Kaïri; adult/child/student €3/2/free; 8.30am-3pm Tue-Sun) contains impressive finds from the settlements of Zagora and Paleopolis (9th to 8th century BC) on Andros’ east coast, as well as items of the Roman, Byzantine and early Christian periods. They include a spellbinding marble copy of the 4th-century bronze Hermes of Andros by Praxiteles.
The Museum of Contemporary Art ( 22820 22444; www.moca-andros.gr; adult/student €6/3 Jun-Sep, €3/1.50 Oct-May; 10am-2pm & 6-8pm Wed-Sat & Mon, 10am-2pm Sun Jun-Sep, 10am-2pm Sat-Mon Oct-May) has earned Andros a reputation in the international art world. The main gallery features the work of prominent Greek artists, but each year during the summer months the gallery stages an exhibition of works by one of the world’s great artists. To date there have been exhibitions featuring original works by Picasso, Matisse, Braque, Toulouse-Lautrec and Miro, a remarkable achievement for a modest Greek island. To reach the gallery, head down the steps from Plateia Kaïri towards the old harbour.
The huge bronze statue of a sailor that stands in Plateia Riva celebrates Hora’s great seagoing traditions, although it looks more Russian triumphalist than Andriot in its scale and style. The ruins of a Venetian fortress stand on an island that is linked to the tip of the headland by the worn remnants of a steeply arched bridge.
A great option is to hire a self-drive boat and head out to some of the west and north coasts’ glorious beaches, most of which are difficult to reach by road. Riva Boats ( 22820 24412, 6974460330; Nimborio) has superb 4.5m Norwegian-built open boats with 20HP outboards, life raft and anchor, and even a mobile phone. Hire per boat for a minimum of one day is about €90 and no licence is necessary. Riva can also arrange by phone for boats to be hired from Batsi.
Scooters and motorbikes can be hired from Riva Boats and through Karaoulanis Rooms (see below) for €15 to €18 per day.
Sleeping & Eating
Karaoulanis Rooms ( 22820 24412, 6974460330; www.androsrooms.gr;