Saga Continues...Naxos Island

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Day Three: Arrival into Naxos

Six am wake up and off to the ferry port to head to the Greek Island of Naxos. It was about a ten minute walk through the dark, breezy streets but we got to the port in plenty of time before departure. The ferry is much bigger than we were expecting and we suddenly felt like hey we are going on a cruise (vivid flashbacks of the bliss we experienced on our luxury cruise to the Caribbean) but were quickly shut down when we the realized that we had economy class tickets which meant that we really didn’t have seats for the 3 hour ferry (that really turned into a five hour ferry). At the time it didn’t really matter to us too much because it was only 3 hours, so we just found a place to sit inside the restaurant onboard…cold, hard, metal chairs. After a few hours went by, our butts were numb and we were freezing and we were still a good three hours outside of the island. It was extremely windy outside so the waves were really choppy and the boat was rocking like crazy! Good thing we don’t have sensitive stomachs otherwise things could have turned sour…real sour. We finally figured out that we could sneak into the comfy bi seats in the next cabin if were careful and that was just what we did. We were little rebels and crept into the next cabin and got in our big comfy seats and passed out till we got to Naxos. Our arrival into Naxos was so funny. To get off the ship, you go deep down into the belly of the ship and they literally open the huge cargo door and everyone pours out. We felt like illegal immigrants finally reaching land. We were greeted by raging winds as the island was extremely windy and renowned for its great wind surfing during this time of year. The owner of our hotel offered to pick us up for free from the port, and he was outside waiting for us…a very nice change. We didn’t even have to think or look at a map or argue over who is right or wrong, we just hopped in hand in hand and went on our merry little way. Our hotel is beyond words. A little gem tucked into the sands and cliffs of the Naxos island with its yellow walls and green doors. It is a family owned hotel and we experienced true Greek hospitality at the sister told us everywhere to go and the brother arranged a car rental for us (yes, we rented a car). The Mom and Dad were in the kitchen baking food for free breakfast feast in the morning, and the children were running around laughing and chasing each other. It was the exact experience we were hoping for. After debriefing us of where to go and what routes to follow, she led us up to our little paradise for the next 3 days. Our room was absolutely perfect. There was a big comfy double bed with a roomy bathroom and complimentary shampoo and body wash (hell yea!) and then to the best part of all…two French doors open revealing our own private little patio facing the sea and the town. It was glorious. With the doors open you could hear the waves crashing on the rocks and it made you feel like you were literally standing on the jagged cliffs watching the waves break. It was by far the best hotel we have been to yet. After our initial shock over own little Greek paradise, we went downstairs to get our car that was waiting outside. I know. Tara and Mitch tooling around the island in a car….Well here is the deal. Naxos is a pretty big island, and it is very mountainous with high cliffs and windy roads that would be impossible to see without a car. Walking just wasn’t an option on this island as it is not the typical tourist spot. Perhaps the biggest reason being my boyfriend is completely paralyzed from his incredible bike riding and walking was not an option. I mean I have dealt with aches and pains my whole life but I think it’s a new thing for Mitch and he cannot seem to get through the day without some Advil. My big baby. Anyway not that you know why a car was a necessity, this is a true Greek island where the fresh squid and octopus are hung out on a line outside the restaurant to dry and sheep and donkeys run free in the streets. It was just what we wanted, Greek culture at its finest. I know most people tend to think of the Greek islands as green and lush but that is hardly the case in the winter. The vegetation is brown and bristly and often ravaged by the high winds that come through so that the whole island from afar appears to be almost a desert. I know that does not sound very beautiful, but it is…in its own unique and incredible way. Anyway, we got our rental car which we nicknamed “The Panda” and set out map in hand to explore whatever we could for the next 6 hours. Our car was the lone car on the road as most of the Greeks were on foot or motorbikes carrying loads of vegetables and fresh fruit. There was really one major road that led through the winding and unbelievably steep mountains. There are over 40 different villages within Naxos and they are all very spread out, some consisting of only a few rundown houses. There are churches absolutely everywhere, with the classic white washed walls and blue domes, they were often tucked into the foothills or on the peak of treacherous mountains…it was amazing. Mitch and I were just stunned at the quaint beauty of this island. Sheep were everywhere and at one point we ran into an entire heard of them standing in the road and I had to run out and scare them so we could continue on. The Greek olive trees were everywhere with branches teaming full of green, brown, and black olives ready for the picking. At one point, we were so high in the air that we were literally in the clouds and all we saw was fog and the air was very moist and wet. It was surreal. I felt like Mitch was Lewis and I was Sacagawea and we had just found an ancient civilization. The towns were just ancient and poorly kept up…on the brink of a third world country. I am not even sure if some of them had power and they all seemed to live off of the fruits of the land with their big gardens and herds of sheep. It was almost like opening a history book and jumping into the pages. Very few people spoke English and although we had no idea what they were saying, the Greek dialect flowed beautifully and we often returned it with a big American smile. We drove around the island for about 4 or 5 hours exploring all the different nooks and crannies…we witnessed some incredible views from thousands of feet up as we surveyed the crashing beaches and the rolling mountains with the little white and blue towns nestled in the hillsides. It is so strange because one minute you can be 4,000 feet high in the mountains and five minutes later you are on the beaches with the sun blazing and the waves crashing. At one point, the waves were just roaring and sea foam was flying up in the air like it was snowing on Christmas morning. We headed back to our little part of Naxos around 7 and ate dinner along the bay at this cute little restaurant. When we got back to the hostel, the Greek mom had made this delicious homemade dessert and she shared it with us. We have no idea what it was, but it was delicious. It was an early night for us as the day in “The Panda” took a lot out of us. More exploration tomorrow…

Day Four: Tara, Mitch, and The Panda tackle Naxos

As I am writing, I am seated on our patio with the blue and white Greek houses to my left and the frothy blue sea in front of me. It is a writer’s paradise. I have a hot cup of tea, and a cool breeze on my face making my body the perfect temperature. The sun is shining from behind me lighting up the golden sand and extenuating the deep blues and greens of the rolling waves. As I look out, there are clusters of mountainous islands as far as the eye can sea. The clouds are puffy and dreamlike and float above this sleepy little Greek town making me feel as though is not reality. Mitch and I are in some sort of a food coma as we just experienced the greatest breakfast of all time. First off, we slept wonderfully and peacefully through the whole night and the only thing we could hear was the hiss of the wind and the crashing of the waves. It was a blessing. We awoke to a freshly made Greek breakfast that one hell of a magnificent spread: Greek delicacies like feta, olives, yogurt, and fresh honey, pastries, eggs, homemade soft bread, fresh homemade jam, squeezed orange juice, coffee, tea, pomegranates, apples, oranges, native grapes….I could on forever. The pastries were amazing, freshly made by the Mother that morning and the yogurt churned the night before. I have never tasted such amazingness at 9 am in the morning. I have quickly become addicted the fresh sour Greek yogurt complimented by the sweet, thick Greek honey…I know that has to be in heaven. Mitch was in heaven as he loaded up on every single thing on the table. I know we must have gotten some strange looks as we both took everything there was to offer…and it all as well. He adored the freshly made soft bread with the homemade raspberry jammed that was so sweet and natural. It was paradise, to be sitting there, looking out at the Greek sea, eating this homemade Greek breakfast with the love of my life. It seemed almost not fair.
We jumped into The Panda to begin our detailed excursion of every rock and grain of sand on the Naxos Island. The Panda can move with its 4-cylinder engine and manual transmission, we were cruising through these roads as we were the only car on them. We would see the occasional herd of sheep or stray donkey, lay on the horn and that was about all the traffic we ran into. The island was just so beautiful and we spent around 6 hours exploring the mountains and the beaches. There was this incredible little church up in the peak of one of the mountains. It was constructed of ancient rocks and there was an old rusty bell hung on the eaves of the rock steeple. We have no idea how old it was, but it was old. The inside of the church used to be all painted but time had destroyed it and we could barely make out portraits of Jesus and the disciples that had been beautifully painted onto the different walls. The church was in the shape of a small dome and could fit maybe 10 people inside…it was guarded by big olive trees with black, green, and brown olives. It was quite the sight. We were very high in the mountains and we could just reach up and touch the clouds, God must have been very present in this church back in the day. We started to make our way down the mountains towards the coast where the blue and green water crashed onto the yellow sandy beaches. It was a long winding drive as we weaved down the mountainside towards the little beach town. This is the kind of place that you would go to if you truly wanted to escape. There is almost nobody there and anyone who is there is a local fishermen or an old couple who have been there since the beginning of time. It was the loading site of an old mining company and there were rusty carts left on the beaches from transporting the rock down the mountainside. There was a fisherman and his wife catching octopus on the shore and then hanging it to dry. The harbor consisted of two or three boats moored to a concrete jetty that had weathered many years of waves crashing up on its walls. Mitch and I had picked up some local grapes and a bag of chips for a makeshift lunch and decided that this was the perfect place to eat it. It was just awesome, the sun was shining, the waves were crashing, and we were eating the best grapes in Naxos. Our feet dangled over the crystal blue water and we could see the little fish swimming and the coral moving to the rhythm of the current. It was hard to leave this little piece of paradise but we decided it was time to head back as we still had a long way to go. We got a little turned around on the drive home and ended off roading it in The Panda which created a very interesting ride…but we ended up making it back in time for the beautiful sunset. Mitch decided that it was high time I learned how to drive a stick shift and what better place to learn than in a deserted parking lot on the Greek islands in a rental car, right? I wasn’t about to pass the challenge up, so I sat down, threw it into first gear and…stalled. Stalled again. Stalled one more time. And then I got it. I did a couple hundred circles in my deserted little parking lot practicing switching gears until Mitch gave me an A+ and informed me that I now know how to drive stick. Finally. By this time the sun was just setting and we were able to snap a few pictures and whisper sweet nothings into each other’s ear before the hunger overwhelmed us. Here is where we went wrong. We decided to eat this restaurant on the bay that had a special on seafood: octopus, shrimp, squid, swordfish, ouzo and a salad all for 10 Euros. Sweet deal, lets do it! Wrong. When the meal arrived, everything was just so overcooked it was a joke. I mean who likes squid fried and so overcooked that it is chewier than rubber. Mitch and I sure regretted our decision, but the ouzo made things a little bit better as we washed the chewy tentacles and tubes. Not a pleasant dinner and we left extremely disappointed…so we went to the store and bought 2 bottles of wine. It was the house wine so it was only 2 Euros a bottle which is basically a steal…It will go to good use when we get to Santorini as we plan on enjoying one of them on the cliffs as we take in the most beautiful sunset in all the world. Despite the dinner go wrong, we had one heck of a successful day in Naxos. As we go to sleep tonight, I know we will both be dreaming of that amazing Greek breakfast that will be waiting for us in the morning. What can I say, we are fat kids at heart.

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Comments

[kelli beth]

wow
i don't think i've ever seen water so beautiful! thank you for so eloquently keeping us all up to date on your incredible adventure! miss you...love you...praying for you!