Posted on by Mitch&Katy

Last day in Naxos & ferry to Mykonos

Another week, another island complete.

We’re fast approaching the end of our Greek island hopping. We have exactly a week left in Greece; then we start our month travelling Italy.

Friday 26th July

We were up early today (at least in Greek time) to return our quad bike and while we were out decided to grab a bite to eat. We stopped at one of the waterfront restaurants which were dead at this time on the morning (this is 9am btw). I had a fresh orange juice, tea and some toast and jam. Mitch had a freddo cappuccino (iced cap) and a fruit salad.

Breakfast is more of a tourist thing over here; or so I’ve been told. Greeks will typically have coffee and a cigarette for breakfast so most of the places serving breakfast are doing it for our sakes. Saying that, it’s not uncommon to see Greek people in the restaurants but most of the time they’ll just stick to coffee – day or night. They’ll drink coffee.

We headed back to the room to get ready for the beach. We decided to head to Agios Georgios beach as it was walking distance to the town. The beach is really nice, lots of restaurants and bars nearby and plenty of shady spots to sit on the wall. We had already decided to rent sun beds today since we were having a full beach day and laying in the sand while it’s windy isn’t my idea of a good time. What we didn’t realise is that the sun beds would be 3 times the price we normally pay at €30! Reluctantly I paid it since we were already set up and I didn’t want to have to hunt for another spot.

Safe to say we stayed there all day. It was one of the best beach days we’ve had. The water was really warm and we splashed about in the waves for an hour. Mitch is trying to teach me how to fight out past the waves since the ones in Australia are bigger and stronger. I’ve resigned myself to going on a surf safety course and maybe even some surf swimming lessons since I’ve realised I’m not the best in the ocean.

We picked up a cheap dinner on the way home since we were starving. So salads and desserts in hand we had a nice chilled night. I finished my book I was fighting through and Mitch watched some confessions tape detective show on Netflix. After that all we had left to do was pack our bags and set our alarms for the next morning.

Saturday 27th July

We were up and ready in 15 mins and ready to leave for the ferry on time. We were a short 10 minute walk from the port (which is good because my pack weighs 1/3 of what I do). We got a text yesterday about our ferry being changed so you can imagine our confusion when neither of the boats matched the name we were given. Thankfully when we asked one of the port staff he directed us onto a boat. It said it’s going to Mykonos and it was due to leave at the correct time so we assumed we’d make it there one way or another.

Once we got into the port we looked around for the best way to make it to the “old port” which is where we were staying. We decided to go with the water bus which was 2€ and took us right into the main square if Mykonos with our hotel being just around the corner.

Here’s a boat we stopped next to with a man in his home gym! How the other half live.

Our room wasn’t ready yet so we got some lunch at the bakery next door. Mykonos is the most metropolitan island and because of that, the most expensive so we wandered around and got some groceries for the mini fridge again. Since it was Saturday we decided to go out to one if the beachfront clubs at Paradise beach. We had some drinks in the room and left to catch the 23:15 bus.

Club Tropicana is the free club on the beach as opposed to the 70€ you might pay at some of the others (this amount depends on if a famous DJ is playing). The club is really fun, there’s lots of people dancing on the raised platforms, the music is super loud and everyone’s having a good time. Saying that it’s nice that they leave the loungers out near the water so if you want a breather and to be able to hear whoever you’re with – you can go sit on them.

We stayed until 2 when the club closed and got the 2:30 bus home. The buses are manic to get on because everyone’s s pushing to try and not miss it. We thankfully bought our returns when we bought our ticket going out so we got on the bus quickly and actually got a seat.

In bed just before 4.

Sunday 28th July

Happy birthday to my sister!

On another note, Mitch wasn’t feeling too bright after last night so we left the room only to get lunch which he didn’t manage to hold down. I felt pretty splendid in comparison and acted as nurse all day.

Until the next beach day – Katy xxx

Posted on by Mitch&Katy

You guessed it! Naxos Beach Hopping

If you’re getting sick of our beach blogs now is probably the time to look away. We spent yet another day of sunlight exploring the east coast where the majority of the organised beaches are. My thoughts on Naxos very much reflect the things I had read about it before we arrived. It is a very large mountainous island that is utilised for various types of farming and growing. Because we have driven basically everywhere on this island, we have seen (and smelt) each and every one of these. We had passed tobacco farms, vineyards, vegetable and fruit farms along with animal farms such as goat and cows (lovely scent driving by 🤮). We could even smell a certain popular illicit green plant as we drove through the most deserted parts of the island but that particular plantation was obviously out of the public eye. This might seem weird but some parts of these islands remind me of outback Australia when it comes to the look of things. See picture below.

The eucalyptus trees (whose presence surprised me) combined with very dry brown flora just seemed a little country Australia but that’s just my opinion.

First stop today was the furthest beach on the east coast Aliko Beach, which was approx 30min drive on our beastly quad bike. There were two beaches as we arrived, one on each side of a very large peninsula, we had been told by the locals that you pick which side depending on which way the winds blowing. As this island is known for being very windy you have to pick your beaches wisely. We picked the beach sheltered from the wind and parked up to set up camp. This was an unorganised beach meaning no bars, restaurants or shade umbrellas. We didn’t mind but couldn’t stay too long as we were exposed directly under the Aegean sun and Katy and I don’t particularly have the strongest melanin of all. The water here was an amazing colour and we wish we could’ve stayed all day, it was honestly like swimming in a backyard pool it was sooo clear.

Next we drove through a few more unorganised beaches that were a little windy so we only stopped for a few pictures. There was only about 5min drive between them all so it was nice to zip around the dirt tracks and check them all out.

Finally we decided on a beach the other side of Mikri Vilgla that we visited yesterday. It shares the same name so I suppose it’s the same beach on the other side of the breakwater/cliff face. Once again the side we attended was the sheltered side and had a small restaurant with sun beds so we had a small lunch and spent the next few hours laying in the sun chilling out with the occasional swim to cool us down.

We stayed here until about 6pm. We were very comfortable and would’ve stayed longer if the North-westerly wind hadn’t picked up and forced us off the beach. We rode our quad home, this time beating the sunset (learnt that lesson yesterday 😂). We showered and Katy did some of her washing and then headed into the old town for dinner. We are on a bit of a money saving period so went to a chain that does healthy salads on the cheap. We bought some salads and some baguette rolls- total price: €8.60. On the way home we stopped at a bakery as Katy wanted something sweet for desert. We took everything back to our room and enjoyed it on our balcony in the warm summer breeze whilst watching Netflix and sharing a cheap bottle of red we bought a few days earlier. Tonight was very relaxing and we were in bed nice and early which is unusual for Greece as everything here happens so late.

Tomorrow is our last full day on Naxos which we are both sad about as well have thoroughly enjoyed our time here. Next on the agenda is Mykonos for a second visit, we’re hoping it doesn’t hurt the wallet too much.

Kalispera

M 🤘🏼

Posted on by Mitch&Katy · 4 Comments

Central and East Naxos

Right everyone, let’s get straight into since this was a very long day.

We got up, ate and got ready. We walked into town to a rental shop we’d been in yesterday. Quads are are between €5-15 cheaper than a car so it’s personal preference what you choose to drive. We like the quad because it’s easy enough to zip about on and the main attraction is you can park it almost anywhere. After being on a 50cc quad on the other islands we knew we wanted something with more power. Our options were 150 or 300 and the price difference was negligible so we opted for the 300 considering Naxos is the biggest island and has a lot of hills. Unfortunately they were out of the 300cc so they offered us 400 for the same price! This seemed like a great idea until the woman behind the desk put the fear of god into me about not going too fast in case we tip it or get caught by the police and fined €2000.

So thoroughly quaking in my Birkenstock’s we set off to some of the villages in the center of the island.

Moni

We drove half an hour to get to this village specifically to see Panagia Drosiani Church. It’s the oldest church on Naxos and is a recommended must see while on the island. The church is very old (about 6th century) and still has some of the original artwork. You’re not allowed to take photos inside the church. Outside there was a lady who was selling her textile work that she hand crafts on a loom. She didn’t speak any English so her granddaughter translated for her; we bought some as gifts.

After this we drove onwards towards a village called Chalkio. On the way we passed an open cut mine. We think they’re mining stone or marble judging by the shape.

Chalkio

Chalkio is tiny. Pretty much just restaurants and cafes interspersed with pottery and textile shops. It’s pretty much just for tourists.

We stayed long enough to wander and see Church of Agios Georgios Diasoritis. It takes about 10 minutes to walk on a little stone path that passes hundreds of olive trees and surprisingly eucalyptus trees. The church dates back to the 11th century and still has many of its original frescos intact. Bonus: we were allowed to take pictures.

Filoti

A quick 5 minute drive to Filoti is where we stopped for lunch. It’s another tiny village nestled in the mountains. The views from the drive are spectacular and make up for the lack of things to do in the villages. We had a club sandwich for lunch and Greek bruschetta which is brown bread, olive paste, olive oil, garlic, feta and tomatoes. So tasty, will be on the search for olive paste when I get home.

Although we had been told by the rental agency that there not much point in going to the East of the island. We ignored this and powered on 45 minutes down some very winding roads to reach Psili Ammos beach. Psili ammos translates as “fine sand” so this beach didn’t disappoint. We swam in the warm water to cool off from the bike and it was bliss! The water is crystal clear it doesn’t even look like sea water.

We were sufficiently topped up with our dose of “vitamin sea” so we started the drive back up the mountains towards home. It’s an hour to go from the very east to the very west for those curious. We ended up stopping at Mikri Vigla purely because we spotted lots of kite sails and I was curious.

Mikri Vigla

This is the beach for windsurfing and kite surfing on the island. We were both a bit transfixed watching all the surfers passing each other at amazing speeds and still manage not to collide or get tangled up. I would love to be able to do it but also think I’d be terrified; although there did seem to be a few beginners wearing helmets so who knows. There does seem to be benefits being harnessed into a parachute as you don’t really fall in the water since the parachute (kite) just pulls you straight back up again.

We finished our day with Mexican food at a place called Picasso. It’s down the coast from us where all of the beaches are. The food was really good and came; no word of a lie; 5 minutes after we ordered. The fun part of this evening came when we went to drive back only to realise that our headlights gave us about a foot of light in front of us and the entire drive back to the city has absolutely no streetlight. So Mitch being the passenger had to pull out his iPhone torch and we used that as headlights. We had a few passing cars which helped a lot but once they passed we were back to 10km/h and only iPhone light.

Lesson learned to be back in the city before sundown – Katy xxx

Posted on by Mitch&Katy

Naxos!

According to Greek mythology, Naxos is the place where Zeus, the father of the 12 gods of Olympus, was raised. It is the largest and most imposing of the Cyclades, so when you visit, it is easy to understand this myth.

In Paros our boat was scheduled for 10am this morning so we arrived on time at 09:45 to be herded into gates like cattle on a farm.

The ferry arrived at 10:35 which is technically early running on Greek time (they’re not very reliable). Our speedboat was a little smaller this time but still had all the necessary comforts as the others did.

Katy and I both felt sea sick on the journey which was strange because neither of us were sick or hungover in any way. Maybe it was the smaller sized boat? It was only a 40min boat ride so we survived with our breakfast still in our stomach and minimal fuss. As we came into Naxos port it was obvious that this place is much bigger as a town. The Chora (main town) extended as far as the eye could see along the coast and everyone is greeted by the sight of the famous Apollo’s Temple as the boat pulled in.

We weaved our way through the old town which is deceptively hilly and full of stairs to arrive at our accommodation. We were fully expecting our room to not be ready as we were very early. By some stroke of luck our room was ready and it was only 11:30am. We checked in and unpacked before heading into the town for a walk around and to grab a bite to eat.

Our room is so Greek and quite modern and clean. My favourite of the rooms we have had in the Cyclades. We are staying at Hotel Anixis in the old town. The room is small, all white with a decent sized balcony of blue trimming and an ocean view which we will be utilising for breakfast tomorrow for sure.

We wove down to the waterfront and found a semi-cheap place for lunch. We had the usual salad and a club sandwich and very much enjoyed them.

I was interrupted mid meal by a very burly Greek man at the table beside us. He was smiling at me and saying words I didn’t understand. Eventually I figured out he was asking where I was from, “Innglund??” he muttered several times. To which I replied no I’m from Australia and she’s from Scotland. He gave a confused look but his 12 year old daughter explained to him my response. He then gestured that his daughter was learning English and wanted me to speak to her in English. The daughter wasn’t very forthcoming (probably due to her embarrassing father) but I asked a few questions and her English was excellent. They were from Athens and holidaying on Naxos for a week in the summer.

After lunch we set about to get Katy’s phone screen fixed which she had shattered previously. We found a place on google and went to hand it in to be repaired. €155 and 45min later her phone was as good as new, although Katy was sprouting a new sharp pain extending from the right side of her body- her wallet!!

We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering and asked around for a few prices for car/quad bike rentals for tomorrow. We bought a few things at the grocery store and wandered back to our hotel for a rest and to line up a few things for our night time.

After our rest we walked across towards the Temple of Apollo. The sun was setting and we were a little early so we ever so slowly strolled down the 10min walk to wait for the sun to descend further. The Temple of Apollo is more of a door-like ruin rather than a Temple. Apparently it was an unfinished temple originally and now all that’s left is the gate.

The “Portara” or “great door” stands proudly as the jewel of Naxos. It is believed that this temple was built in the honor of Apollo, the Greek God who protected music and poets and other things. Proof of this lies in the fact that the temple faces in the direction of Delos, an island in the near distance, which is believed to be Apollo’s birthplace. It’s worth noting also that Apollo is the son of Zeus, a commonly known Greek God, one of the 12 Olympians. Enough Greek mythology, this place was super cool and we stayed for the most spectacular sunset. Possibly only Pathos sunset could trump this one from all our Greek sunsets.

After the sun had set which took about 20min more we headed back to a decent priced restaurant we saw earlier. We sampled more traditional Greek food surrounded by a lovely garden and accompanied by many stray cats. 😂

We weren’t ready for bed so went for a cocktail on a rooftop bar overlooking the port. I did try to take photos of the view but it was a dimly lit speak-easy bar so the pictures didn’t turn out very well. We headed home after midnight and crashed in our very comfortable bed.

I hope you all still read these occasionally because this blogging does take up a lot of time. At the very worst we will have some great stories to read to ourselves or the grandkids when we are 70 😊

🤜🏼 M