Advertisement
General store
which was like an Aladdin's Cave. Naxos is one of the larger islands of the Cyclades and is the capital of the province. It has good beaches and is therefore guaranteed a strong tourism interest but doesn't just rely on that, having a strong agricultural industry and a stronger government presence. The fact that it was a straightforward ferry trip from Tinos was also a major factor for us, although the 6 hour trip back to the mainland was long enough.
We had switched ferry companies for the trip from Tinos to Naxos. Fast Ferries is one of the major companies (and this ferry had an escalator – not sure if this is standard but it was the first time we had come across one). We used them simply because their timetable picked us up at Tinos and shifted us to Naxos at times that were good for us. The ferry trip was uneventful and quiet, mainly because it became almost empty at the first stop, Mykonos (of course, the opposite happened on the way back).
Our accommodation in Naxos was advertised as overlooking a beach just outside the
'Chora', the main town of Naxos. The lady who ran the studio apartments had emailed us
to let us know that her son would meet us at the port to drive us to the studio. This gave us a little concern – it sounded like we might be a bit further out of town than we had thought. Luckily, it was quite close, just a little confusing to find the first time, and the lady in charge was looking after us. As we came to know Sophia during our stay, this was par for the course.
Our studio did indeed overlook the Agios Georgios beach which, as promised, was sand rather than rock. We happened to arrive in the week prior to Orthodox Easter and, at that time, the 'season' hadn't started, so the beach was clear of deck chairs and umbrellas. The downside was that the traditional music concerts advertised in the town don't happen until after the season starts, so we missed those. We did, however, get to walk the length of that beach, and the next two. A small collection of tiny stones was collected for Lucy and Aidan. Alas, there was just one piece of sea glass and no special shells.
There were a lot more tourists in Naxos than
we found at Tinos, along with more restaurants and shops. There is also more to do. Walking along the beaches we passed a number of establishments that were getting set to hire out sailboards, wave boards, paddleboards and even surfboards. Not too sure what value a surfboard would be unless there were a few days of strong wind to whip up some waves but the sailboards could be a lot of fun. Agricultural tours are also popular and there are several interesting traditional villages/old towns that are well worth visiting throughout the island.
For the first couple of days of our stay the beach remained clear but on Easter Friday, umbrellas and deck chairs sprouted and by the next morning one end of the beach was covered in them. I am not convinced that they are a good idea but, if you want to lay in the sun then it makes reasonable sense to do so in some comfort on a deck chair, have the chance of some shade when you start to burn too much and have someone whose job it is to bring you drinks and snacks, so you don't have to carry all that with you
Remains of Temple of Apollo
This gateway is all that is left and is a symbol of Naxos. Much of the stone was used to build the castle. to the beach.
Just up from our studio was an establishment called Mike's Bikes. This business had upwards of 50 motor bikes of all sizes, numerous small cars and roughly 30 quad bikes for rental. It looked to me that this bloke was just a touch optimistic. Day 2 of our stay and the place was in uproar as men were unpacking and assembling another 40 or so quad bikes, all for rental. I was wondering what would happen to the beach with all of this going on but the next day most of them were gone – I know not where. Obviously, though Mike has another outlet somewhwere else on the island. We spotted a little, old grey haired lady on one a day later. Looked very happy.
In Naxos Chora the old town is located between the port up the hill to, and around, the castle (area called Kastro). The castle has been used for various purposes during its time. We visited a museum that looked at its time as the home of the Venetian Doge who was here during the time that Naxos was under Venetian control. It seems that the family who currently live
Old bones as well
Part of one of the castle walls in part of the castle are descendants of the Venetian owners but they bought the place in the early 20
th century (we didn't find out who they bought it from, though we did ask. Always handy to see what is being bought and sold in nice places!).
The Kastro area and down to the port is well worth time to walk around. This attractive and interesting area has many small shops and restaurants and is easy to get around: when you get lost you just head down the hill.
There are many restaurants in Naxos and, at the time we visited, it seemed far too many. But then, when the people started to arrive at the beginning of Easter it all started to make sense. A lot of the restaurants are at the port and look over the water. A high percentage of these seem to focus on food aimed at tourists – hamburgers, crepes and the like. We tend to operate on a principle that we will give preference to consuming the food and drink of the country while we are in that country, so we favour those establishments that serve local food. There is plenty of
Marble seawall Naxos Hora
We probably wouldn't have paid attention to the rock fill if we hadn't gone to the Marble Museum on Tinos. time to eat comfort food when we go home.
Two places stand out for us. First, and unusually for us, we ate twice at the Sarris. This is a restaurant that is friendly and provided us with good food. It also carries on the practice of providing a complimentary dessert or ouzo, which is always welcome. The Fotis, up in the square closer to where we were staying, seems to focus on Greek cuisine. The meal we had there was up there with the best we had found in Greece, and they also provide a complimentary course.
Because we were in a studio and had some cooking facilities and a fridge, we were able to self cater to some extent. Naxos has at least one large Cash and Carry supermarket that is well stocked. There is also an old-style general store up the hill away from the tourist area and towards the residential area that is crammed with local fresh and processed food as well as cooking utensils and everything else you might want in the kitchen - it looks great but we didn't have time to explore it thoroughly. We shopped mostly in the smaller, local supermarket
Agios Georgios Beach from our balcony
Didn't realise that first day that a ferry (probably the one we had been on) must have gone past). which sold good fresh food in amounts that we could cope with. Self catering is, of course, a lot cheaper than eating out and can be more convenient and relaxed. It is difficult at times though, to buy just enough for a meal or two and not have to dump good food.
Our second Easter of 2016 fell in Naxos. The few days beforehand, we started to hear about the parade that would occur. We weren't completely clear whether it was Friday or Saturday night and there didn't appear to be any fixed route except that it would happen around the port and would move around most other areas. It actually happened on Saturday night. We had eaten dinner in a restaurant that won't get a recommendation – didn't even rate a tip, food was OK in parts but prepared with not much care and the staff were more interested in arguing with each other than serving – but we were out and so we thought that we might as well hang around and see what happened.
Nothing did happen until well after 10pm. It all started when the bells of one of the churches started to ring
Sunset
looking towards Paros Island. This photo was taken despite an attack from a cactus plant which was standing (hiding??) in the spot from which the photo could best be taken! A pair of tweezers came in handy then. in a more or less melodic manner. Eventually, a small group of 50 or so worshippers with candles and lights and carrying an 'epitaph' – a construction that was carried by 4 people (men) that was an ornate smallish shrine intricately decorated with fresh flowers – followed by various priests. As it moved along this small group grew. By the time it had moved the length of the port area it had grown and the procession was well over 500 people and the priests now in attendance were dressed in much more ornate gear.
And it continued to increase. People kept joining in. Some were probably tourists and there were clearly a lot of locals but we had been told that many people come from other islands or even from Athens to join this particular procession. We followed along taking photos up the hill (which didn't turn out so well because of the lack of light) and came across the police holding up another parade that was coming in from a side street where there was another church. They also had an epitaph. They also had at least 1000 people. There were 4 of these epitaphs carried around the
Easter goodies
Tsoureki and white wine, courtesy of Sophia and Gianni. city that night.
We had heard stories from our Greek friends in Australia about the activities of Greeks at Easter. Some dealt with the consumption of goats – which is a pretty good idea for some – and others dealt with the use of explosives. On Kalymnos they talked about people throwing sticks of dynamite off cliffs that would explode before they hit the ground. Explosions, loud ones, are clearly part of the deal on Naxos as well, although I doubt it was dynamite.
Also as part of Easter, our hosts Sophia and Yiannis gave us a tsoureki and a bottle of white wine, both home-made. The taste of the tsoureki matched its looks, and the wine was really nice too. When we complimented Sophia the next day on the tsoureki, she promptly raced off to another room and fetched another tsoureki for us. Lovely people.
We left Naxos on Easter Sunday with a 6 hour ferry ride back to Rafina. Fortuitously, we arrived just in time, 10pm, to be offered a special traditional Easter meal at our hotel. It sounded better than a gyros at one of the few establishments still open in Rafina so we
accepted. It was an interesting and tasty meal. The soup prepared from 'the insides of the stomach of the lamb' was too much information for one of us but I have to say it was great. The lamb main course was melt-in-the-mouth and tasty. The traditional red eggs were provided and we did the thing, cracking ours against each other to see whose broke first. It looks as if I am in for a luckier than normal year. Mine was still going after demolishing the egg of my unlucky lady.
And just a final note on those quad bikes, I was interested to note on the day we left that there was a young kid driving one on the beach - par for the course, I assumed. Normal laws don't often apply to motor bikes in Greece. On this occasion, the kid was bailed up by two men who told him to get off the beach in no uncertain terms . I have a suspicion that kids on quads don't mix well with the sun bathers who are the bread and butter of these businessmen. So you don't have to worry about the 'organised' Naxos beaches. They will be
For Sarah and Leni
Our's has a long way to grow. there for you.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.763s; Tpl: 0.026s; cc: 43; qc: 127; dbt: 0.3284s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.6mb
D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley
Naxos
For whatever reason after reading your blog this location doesn't interest me as much as some. You are having a terrific trip. Eager to read more.