As the ferry eased into the much-loved island of the Saronic Gulf, it felt like stepping onto a new set. Aegina’s familiar hospitality drew us straight into a morning stroll along the seafront, lively Leoforos Dimokratias, where classic and contemporary café-bars line one side and sailboats trade places with fishing boats on the other.

We walked the length of it, attuned to the hum of the fish market where restaurateurs and locals rush in early for the day’s catch. We paused at the outdoor fruit and vegetable stalls, bright with fresh produce, then chose our first coffee of the day directly across the street, at the traditional coffeehouses along the promenade.

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