Athens and Naxos--Greece Through the Eyes of the Best-- Post 2

At Plaka Beach-proof picture that I was in Naxos

Although we had spent nearly seven hours on the Ferry headed towards Naxos, we had left quite early in the morning and after a quick tour of our little flat, some chats with Pat,Quail,Nic and Sylvie, we decided to walk around the area to see the beach and some of landmarks near us.

We were just off season and wind had brought unseasonably cool weather to the island.  But, the skies were clear and sun shining and the whole beach was spectacular.

The Large Greek Orthodox Church in Naxos Town

A Naxos town scene

Sylvie valiantly drove her tiny little car around narrow streets and bends, sharp curves and alleys.  She met huge lorries carrying a variety of materials to shops here and there, and rarely but occasionally a Land Rover/Cruiser met us as we headed up to the beach village in which they have their very sweet flat.

Once there, we found Quail sunning himself by the pool reading lots of Greek history, and he regaled us with tales of all that he and Pat had see in Athens and over the past two days in Naxos.  To be honest, we were eager for a beer, but managed to put it off for later in the day.  The cute flat had a small swimming pool and overlooked a spectacular beach, but the wind was cool and the water cooler.  So we put our things away and went down the steep hill to see what we could see.

The joke is always that when John takes a walk with me, he is always about 15 paces ahead.  No difference on this day.  I figured that if I were hit by one of these fast driving cars and lay dying, he wouldn't notice until he turned around to come back...very annoyed because I had not caught up with him.  In this case the road was so narrow that walking single file was a good thing.

This little market was the go to place on this part of the island.  It had everything, especially lots of liquor.  But, everything on the island closes from 3-6pm, and then opens again until quite late.  In some ways the closing of shops was not bad considering we had no idea where we were and better walking with less traffic.

A Bed and Breakfast along the road

Strange Thin House

Because Naxos is a huge tourist attraction in the summer, there are many B&B's and hotels on the beach area of Naxos.  Nic explained to us that the strange thin house had been built by a man who had very little land and who just tried to sandwich this house in the narrow space.  But, Nic had never seen anyone staying there.

Greeks love their lamb, and even tiny areas of grazing were either inhabited by sheep or goats.  Both of them were shepherded by a dog, even in one case I saw a cat herding.  But at the end of the day their owner appeared and whistled them back home.

 These little wild flours were everywhere and very pretty.  They were also bristly and seemed to be able to grow with little to no water.

Because all the little houses are nestled in the hills it is hard to actually see what they look like and they are small and narrow.  I actually did not have a better photo of "our" little house but it was directly next to Nic and Sylvie's house and had everything you needed.  One thing that detracts from the beach portion of the island is the continuous phone and electrical lines .  But there was a lovely view from the house and each small room was perfect in size.

 This little church is still functional even if we had to stoop to walk in.  Clearly someone caretakes it and leaves residuals of communion.  I believe Sylvie said that this would be built around the 13th century.

Clearly pictures are carefully dusted and there are nearly destroyed frescoes on this little church as there were on them all.

Quail looking very regal outside the church.

Beautiful beach shots.  Cool, and windy but lovely.

The highest mountain in the Greek Cyclades is Mt. Zas (Zeus)  Many people hike and camp in this area.  There are some little roads that are being cut through and Sylvie and Nic have taken their grandchildren to the top, much to the distress of their mother when she learned.  The picture underneath Zas is just a scene near Nic and Sylvie's house.

We came out of brush from our walk to find this sign (Nudism is Forbidden) and the lovely tavern where Pat, Quail, Nic and Sylvie had eaten the night before.  Sylvie says that in the height of the summer, nudism is very much a part of the tourists on the beach...and other shenanigans as well.

 Sunset in the clouds for our first night in Naxos

 A toast to a first delicious dinner and Sylvie's stamina

The not quite full moon at the end of the day.  (I must have had significant Arabic influence in my life as I continually shape my pictures from right to left opposite from what one should.  Somehow that is the way my eye sees things..flipped.  I really have to pay more attention to what I'm doing). We came to the end of a very wonderful full day.

Athens and Naxos -- Greece through the eyes of the Best -Post 1

Festival Harvest Moon Very full very big

In early October, John and I had the opportunity to start for Moshi, but take a "side" trip to Greece to visit our wonderful friends Nic and Sylvie Emmanuel and their daughter Sophia and her family in Naxos. We planned to meet other friends Pat Beaver and Bob White (Quail) for a few days of their own journey to Athens and Naxos.  Pat has been writing a memoir of Sylvie and her mother with Sylvie's immense cooperation and help, and because Sylvie is the consummate "keeper" of family diaries and pictures, the memoir has morphed into including her husband Nic, and grandmothers/grandfathers and father.  It is an exciting venture, and I feel very  fortunate to have been involved from ground "zero".

We started our journey on our typical Delta Flight, but made the dash to the flight to Athens after arriving in Amsterdam.  The flight is short relative to our usual additional 9 hours and we actually had time after arriving in Athens to walk from our hotel down to the harbor in Piraeus to scout where we would leave the following day for Naxos. 

As we passed a lovely Greek Orthodox Church in Piraeus, there was an ethereal chant over the loudspeakers, and I actually turned to John and asked, "Is this a mosque?"  Imagine the response from him!  His snarky reply, "And what country are we in?"  I was properly put down. 

We went farther along and saw the port, the ferry, and the lovely waterway.  Knowing that we could find our way, but that a taxi would be a better option, we returned to a darling hotel  the Lilia.  A gin and tonic toast to our successful arrival in Greece marked the first hours of our journey.

A toast to the Lilia Hotel

I was surprised that the weather was so cool and getting cooler, thus we quickly ventured down to the waterfront to look for a restaurant.  There were so many, that I had no idea where one ended and another began.  But we had a delicious dinner and watched the sun begin to go down.

The next morning came early and our taxi picked us up promptly to take us to the Blue Star Ferry.  what an adventure.  The sun was just peeking up, and we raced aboard the ferry to get a cherished seat outside.  The sights were glorious, but the air quite chilly.  And somehow we forgot that Greeks might smoke, and that smoking might be forbidden inside the ship but not outside.  I spent several hours quietly moving ash trays located near our little table and made noticeable coughs when more smokers sat near John and me.

The port

Spectacular view of our entrance to the harbor

Everyone carried pastries on board, but the ferry also had them.

Our Ferry

 There were enormous cruise ships entering and leaving the harbor as well as "working" boats.  I loved "Festos Palace".  I wonder what was going on in that one? There were cruise ships from everywhere, the German one being the biggest, but not as entertaining as "Festos Palace" I think.

Once we were out of the harbor, the views were chrystal clear.  I had not internalized that this ferry takes 6-7 hours to get to Naxos and had to find ways to entertain myself and not think of the smoking, so took frequent walks around the boat. These were not entertaining but good for my back.  Also, I discovered the best bathrooms (in the First Class area but not restricted apparently as no one blocked my entrance.)  John constantly found himself in the mens room with women because the economy bathrooms were either always full for women or broken.  I finally led him to the nice Mens room.  But, the best thing was snapping pictures and discarding them.  My nice Canon powershot has a great zoom, but envariably the boat would crunch as I snapped a picture.  I still had a plenty.

Seas got a bit rougher the farther out we cruised

Perfect small Greek Island

Waves hit the Portside  and the bow of the ship and covered the windows with salt

Paros

When we arrived at the first stop, John and I got all our stuff and headed down.  We got to the last steps (not easy for me) and John checked to make sure that we were getting off at Naxos.  No.  We were getting off at Paros, 2 hours away from Paros, but a day if we waited for the next ferry to take us to Naxos.  Close call averted, we trudged back up to our seat and waited for the next stop.  Huge sigh, we were in Naxos.

We were thrilled to see Sylvie and Pat waiting for us.  It had been a long trip but we were finally in Naxos.