Would you like a smile with your souvlaki?

---

Dad and Caitie left me on Naxos Island three days ago to make their journey back to Montreal. As the Naxians sympathetically noted, "the holiday, it is over, ne." Sadly for them, it is, though I'm sure they had many happy reunions once back on Canadian soil.

For my part, I took my last two solo days to do things Caitie didn't like - hiking Mt. Zeus, the highest peak in the Cyclades (at 1001m this is only impressive if you leave out the height) and vainly trying to rid myself of tan lines on a nude beach. And of course I thought about how much I missed them and the wacky inside jokes we had.

In the end I think we were all a little surprised at how much we liked Egypt, and each other while we were there. I can admit now that I was slightly dreading the kind of conflicts we might have on the road. But with a good mix of reliance on Dad and expecting the worst, we found Egypt both welcoming and exotic. All these positive feelings seemed to permeate our relationship and we escaped with just a few minor disagreements.

If it's a testament to the country that we didn't fight, I'm not sure what to say about Greece. Perhaps we had just had enough of each other and trying to be nice, but our tempers became much more volatile upon landing in Athens. Our theory is that the Greeks are to blame...compared to Egyptians, who smile even as they swindle your money, the people here seemed snobbish and unfriendly (and didn't care about our money at all). Smiley Canadians that we are, we found Athens and Santorini to be rather cranky.

Of course, there is always the exception to the rule, and we found it in Naxos, the largest island of the Cyclades (the set of small Greek islands between Athens and Crete). With fewer tourists than Santorini and a less cosmopolitan feel than Athens, the people of Naxos are relaxed and quite obliging when you choose to patronize their establishments. Thus, we spent our last 4 days together in relative harmony thanks to this great island.

For me, it was a blessing to be left alone there of all places as we had discovered a wonderful cafe with a mom-like waitress who ensured that I was well-fed and had at least some daily conversation during my two days alone. Now that I'm back in Athens, preparing to fly to Dublin tonight, I can't help but pine for the homeliness of Naxos.

---

Photos

Beautiful Beach
Plaka (nude) beach on Naxos

Oh God
There are churches like this EVERYWHERE on Naxos (even on top of mountains!)

Beach Babes
Caitie and Dad enjoying a Naxos beach

Cactus-Dwelling Snails
On Naxos

Mmmmmmoooo
Providers of delicious Naxian yogurt!

Happy Trails
Nature on the trail up Mt. Zeus

Puppy Friend
A friendly puppy who greeted me for a patting session after my climb on Zeus

Filoti Under Zeus
Filoti Village with Mt. Zeus looming in the background

Ye Olde Windmill
Crumbling and abandoned and overlooking the valley near Filoti village

Village Setting
Alleyway in the confusing maze of "streets" in Filoti village

Comments

[kelly H]

Me again
hey Emilie: Again amazing photos! It's funny but I think places have energy and perhaps the energy in Egypt is much more positive than that in Athens - I do think it impacts us humans more than we know. I know that sounds strange but I think some of us our more in tune with it than others. Anyway had to say hi - have a great time and continue to be safe :-) Luv, Kelly H

[Chris]

Hello
Hello, I'm a Greek tourist agent, my name's Chris and I'm currently working on a project that has to do with what tourists think of holidays in Greece. As I've already read your previous blog entries, I've noticed that you are more of a cultrural type of tourist, Egypt has more important(?) / unspoilt cultural heritage, its likely to be more "traditional", "exotic" and has its own unique taste and historic importance, while Greece, with its numerous beach resorts, picturesque islands, natural beauty, great scenery and 9 k. miles of coastline can offer a relaxing vacation, some crazy nightlife , or some nice sightseeing. They are two totally diferrent countries so that's why you cant really compare Greece with Egypt, like you cannot do the same with the Pyramids and Acropolis (which by the way, may be a "crumbling, plain - no colour, just white marble (ho hum!) installation like you said, but it symbolizes the glory of ancient Greece, and Athens, which has been inhabited for 7,000 years and is considered the birthplace of Western civilization. I'm quite surprised to hear that you find Greece "fast-paced, impersonal, cranky" and Greeks "snobbish, unfriendly and "to blame", but I hope someday you'll come back, choose some more interesting and pleasant islands/places to visit but this time, with a bit more.. relaxing point of view, and here's a little secret, maybe you'll find out the reason why Greece gets way more tourists than Egypt. Take care! :)

[Dana]

Awesome pics, and great write-up - as usual ;-) Hope you'll enjoy Dublin!!!

[Emilie International]

Can't please everyone
I regret that my sarcasm sometimes sounds too critical. I try to write my blogs light-heartedly and didn't mean to offend the Greeks! Surely the monuments are important and there are plenty of reasons to visit Greece rather than Egypt (cleanliness being a major one). This blog is my personal opinion, meant to convey my personal impressions about the places I visit and not to advise other travelers, which is why it's a blog and not a newspaper article! I will say, Naxos was one of my favourite places in either Egypt or Greece...good, relaxing and friendly. Definitely a place I would revisit.