Monday
It's a 45 minute ferry ride from Mykonos to Naxos. We arrive at the port in plenty of time, but at the old port, only to find our ferry is leaving from the new port. There is a bus service that runs between the ports, but we just miss it. This little old man offers to take us. What an experience! Doing very well for himself picking up stragglers getting from one port to other. In the end we were there in heaps of time. It was an hour late. We saw him do 2 other trips while we were there 7 euros a pop. Not a bad hourly rate!
So cute! It was pretty tight in the front he was almost sitting on my knee!
Naxos is one of the biggest of the Islands. It's a bit greener than Mykonos on first appearances. It is well known for its marble. It supplies most of the marble in the area.
View from the boat. Really windy as we arrive
This is the temple of Apollo, which stands on the hill overlooking the town .
As soon as we got off the boat we rented another Suzuki Jimny. Driving to our hotel was enough. It was a heap of ...... Several things wrong with it, rattled and clanged, so took it back and got full refund.
Later in the day we sorted another car a cute little Chevrolet 900cc with a soft top! No more Jimnys available. Only 28 euro a day.
Our hotel is on St George's beach a 10 minute walk along the beach to town. It is a popular spot for kite surfing and windsurfing. Our room has a lovely balcony overlooking the beach.
We took a quick trip out to a couple of the beaches before dinner - a Greek Night - buffet and dancing at our hotel. There is 8km of sandy beach on this coast and they are the most popular spots on the island. About 3kms from our hotel.
Agia Ana
Will definitely be back here tomorrow!
Head back to the hotel for our Greek Night. A buffet of all the traditional Greek dishes a real feast
Then a bit of dancing. Fun!
A great night!
Tuesday
Georgia from Zorba's car rental drew a bit of a tour on our map ,so that's the plan for today.
A couple of archaeological sites and a visit to some of the beaches.
First stop is a little village, Melanesia, right up in the hills. There is a bit more green here. Olive trees and grapes growing in the valley.
This ancient aqueduct was also discovered way up in the hills that provided the water supply for Naxos. Water is not such a problem here as it is on Mykonos .
There is marble all around in the hills. It is incredible to see the big blocks squared of in the quarry all set to go. Few nice benches in there!
We are pretty high up in the hills and have views either side of the island.
We head down a very winding, narrow road to a little old port called Moutsounas. This was the main export port for emery. The old aerial is still on the hillside. It is also a fishing village, so a good stop for lunch. A gorgeous spot.
FWe wind our way back up the hill and pass the only working windmill on the island. You can stop at the cafe and have spinach and feta pies made with the freshly ground flour - bit full though!
Like the other Islands there are churches everywhere. Some perched right on top of the mountains!
Kastraki Beach - very quiet, a little bit rocky. Beautiful clear water and the white pebbles on the bottom glow.
Mikri Vigla- popular spot for kite surfers today. Beautiful sandy beach
Tonight the wind has dropped heaps and the beach out from us is like glass. We walk into town along the beach for dinner. Find a lovely Greek tavern settle in for a lovely meal and a few too many ouzos as it turns out ! Had to help celebrate Greece's win against the Ivory Coast in the soccer!
Naxos is a lovely island, really laid back and quiet. Great beaches! Think it will become more of a destination in the future.
