Greek: Naxos

We arrived at 11 pm on the port of Naxos. The manager of our hostel picked us up and took us to our home for the next couple days. We found a really nice place on this island and it had a refrigerator, cook top, little balcony and private bathroom all in the same room- we didn’t have to share at all! The next morning we started off with a trip to the grocery store and a walking excursion into the winding alleys of the city. Crossing over a little breaker we arrived on a little island with the remains of a temple to Apollo. The most prominent of these remains is the gate which stands high above the rest and is iconic and unique to Naxos. From there we took a bus to one of the more popular beaches on the island, Plaka. We paid 5 euros for some chairs and an umbrella and ate our picnic while enjoying the beach scenery. The water was too cold to enjoy for long but we braved a brief dip and then returned to the warmth of the unshaded lounge chair.

Beautiful view with waves and craggy stone protrusions

The gate!

Some rad sunnies for a rad guy

The winding streets were full of picturesque views

Before dinner we watched the beginnings of the sunset from the beach nearest our hostel (only a 5 min walk). For dinner, we walked down the nearest alley to a cute little outdoor restaurant/café that was set near some sort of torn down building. The effect was fun but I doubt if the “ruins” were any older than I am. Have I mentioned how much I LOVE Greek food? This love is bordering Indian food love, which we all know is intense. I think it is not only the type of food, but also the fact that we get to sit outside, drink some wine and just be leisurely about it.

YUM

Sunset at our nearby beach

 

Our second full day in Naxos turned out to be a windy, just-about-to-rain-but-never-actually-does type day. After breakfast, I wandered into the city in search of a pedicure and instead found some new shoes. I figure it’s a fair trade off. I also wandered through the Venetian museum where I saw a flyer advertising a local music performance. The flyer described music and dance local to Naxos and the venue was to be in a courtyard in the castle. I bought us tickets and thus committed us to a new cultural experience. Before the performance we tried (and failed) to go to the beach when the sun was out, instead we ended up doing some more planning and had another delicious dinner. The show was great and the performers were extremely warm and inviting.

He was playing a goatskin pipe!

We left on a ferry the next day at 1 pm, that morning we managed to get a run in before the inevitable rush pack job prior to departure. Next stop Santorini!