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This site on the Saronic island of Aegina has been a sanctuary since 1300 BC. The Temple of Aphaia, shown here, was built in the fifth century BC. The goddess Aphaia, a protector of women, a huntress, and a nymph, was a daughter of Zeus.

For a long time, it was assumed incorrectly that this was a temple to the goddess Athena, like the Parthenon in Athens. This assumption endured because the pediments, those carved triangular adornments at the top of the structure, depicted Athena watching over the Trojan War. Then, in 1901, a German archaeologist found an inscription to Aphaia. The inner room of the temple, called a cella, once housed the image of the deity.

In the Saronic Islands, it's common to see fresh octopus awaiting its turn on the grill. At this taverna in Spetses, the grill is nearby and the restaurant seems to be using the animal as a sort of quiet wind chime or an ineffectual curtain.

On the island of Aegina, we kept walking by baskets filled with pink pebble-sized objects. They were at food stores and souvenir shops, but we couldn't figure out what they were until we saw this tree.

Aegina's pistachios are its most famous export. They grow on trees in clusters like grapes. You can see them if you look carefully at this picture.

After you pick the pink nuts from the tree, you have to remove the rubbery outer skin, which is very easy. Inside, there's a pistachio nut in its shell. The nuts, when fresh, taste just the same as the kind you buy, except without the salt. And your hands don't get all red from the dye.

Hydra, or Ydra, earned its name from the fresh water fountains once found around the island. Now, though, it suffers from the same droughts as the other islands around Greece. All motor vehicles and even bikes are banned from the island. Ferries go in and out throughout the day and night. Hauling is performed by donkeys, even up the mountainsides.