Super excited to be going to Naxos we decided to call an Uber taxi the next morning bright and early.... we discovered another young couple in the Lobby going to the same boat....so it was share time!!! 5.50€ between us was worth every cent and we each happily paid up in cash. A day later Gary discovered that Uber had also deducted the cost of the ride from his credit card?????
So anyway we walk into the bowels of the ferry which screams "chaos" every which way you look....Business Class means nothing at this point you get yelled at like everyone else....and suddenly find you are on an escalator in a ferry?...and then another...and then someone yells at you to stow your luggage....Naxos that way...Paros in this pile here!!!! Dutifully we....toe the line again. Paros is the first stop Naxos the second.
(Taken from inside ferry so hazy)
Finding the Business Class Lounge was a trifle difficult but level 6 seemed to be it so we settled into a relatively quiet room with rows of reclining chairs.....surrounded by, of all things, large suitcases!!!! How did they get there when we were yelled at to stow ours in the hold????
We were there for 2 and a half hours sitting quite comfortably, reading, drinking coffee - although we did mention from time to time that we thought for the extra money there would be a proper lounge - when a party of Asian people approached us saying we were in their seats??? Not 100% believing them we showed them our tickets and said we were in the right seats for Business Class......but this was not Business Class at all and half the journey was spent sitting in Economy. When we finally found the correct lounge it was lovely.
Another two and a half later we disgorged onto Naxos with many, many other people and the welcoming vista was overwhelming in a good way.
Walking along the marina frontage we could pick out our apartment for the next 10 days....."perfectly located" as stated in the advertising blurb. Filippos was very clear on his instructions as to how to gain entry but it did feel a little bit like an intelligence test.....with hidden lock boxes, unique codes and keys all documented with photographic backup. Our apartment was amazing as was Naxos and it's people.
We swam in the sea, walked the ancient alleyways to the Castle at the top of Naxos, sat on our balcony watching the world happening below us, ate gyros, souvalaki and crepes accompanied by delicious Greek wine and watched the sunset from the Temple of Apollo.
From our apartment it was 5 minutes walk to the beach in one direction and 5 minutes walk to another swimming area just past the ferry port which was a little bit like an ancient Greek, open bath-house type of area......the water there was extremely cold!!!!
Across the road was a restaurant with two open windows.....one selling gyros (absolutely delicious) the other crepes (double absolutely delicious). To watch this constant action and turnover of food was captivating......everything turned like a well oiled wheel.
We watched visiting yachts coming and going - inexperienced young crew desperately trying to manoeuvre their vessels into small spaces with up to 10 point turns and trys and still getting no closer to the jetty!!!!....giving up in the end and sailing off into the sunset to find another, easier berth?
We found a restaurant that sold our most favourite lunch....white bread, salmon, cream cheese/Greek yoghurt/dill sandwich about 3inches thick....to die for but, sadly, we could only manage one between us!!!!!!
Below us was a juice and coffee bar called Little Mix....the lady there was just awesome, super helpful and friendly and made a great smoothie to boot.
The streets behind our apartment were the original old market streets....typically Greek, white and pristine, very very narrow with lots of steps, twists and turns.........very easy to get lost here but really good fun. Lots of restaurants and souvenir shops have found their way there now so, along with the waterfront, it is the hub of Naxos and we were in our element in the thick of it all. Gosh it felt soooo good to be in such a lively atmosphere!
The main waterfront street is closed each evening at 8pm to traffic and hundreds of people stream into this area each night.....increasing its vibrancy. Young kids on skateboards, bikes and online skates have great fun on this road whilst their parents dine in the cheap waterfront restaurants.
Sometimes the children and babies in pushchairs are still out and about at midnight.......it is a whole different way of life probably because of the long afternoon siesta coupled with the heat.
Above our gyros and crepe restaurant just opposite us was a nightclub which opened every night at 11pm and continued until at least 5am......the most people we ever saw in it was three, plus staff, sitting around drinking!!!! The coloured lights would flash and the music boom but it never bothered us.......it just added to the colourfulness of the place.
One evening we heard, quite late in the evening, very loud Greek music. Going out to explore there was a Greek dancing display in a square on the waterfront......very special especially when the men danced.
Another evening we were walking through the narrow streets when a Greek dancer with half his restaurant patrons in tow spilled out onto the street dancing the traditional Greek dance, plates smashing and music blaring. Memories.
From our apartment we could watch the ferries coming and going which appeared to us to be a very slick operation....reverse in (incredible to watch), anchor down, ramps down, people cars and trucks off, people cars and trucks on... .all in the space of about 5 minutes. It was pleasing to see that the amount coming off was equal to the amount going on.....a constant churning.
One day we experienced a ferry strike.......very peaceful day all round.......another day very strong winds and high seas. Some of the ferries are huge but some of the faster ones much smaller. It was quite difficult and sickening watching them rocking and rolling in the ocean but pleasing to know we were not on them.
The Castle of Hora, Kastro, and the Catholic Cathedral on the hill was a must visit.....the centre point of historic Naxos and an extraordinary insight to a Venetian past. The 13th Century castle and 16th century Cathedral were built on top of the original Naxos Parthenon from free materials plundered from Naxos city after it was destroyed by repeated pirate invasions. The castle area is a bit of a puzzle as you almost can not tell where it begins and where it ends......which incidentally sees a lot of bemused tourists going round in circles!!!! The labyrinthine alleyways leading to the castle are part and parcel of the overall experience - we just relaxed and got lost in this real life cultural immersion. (By the way it now boasts the only lift in Naxos and cost 50cents each for this travel experience).
Brilliant purple bouganvillia flourished everywhere, stunning against a backdrop of pristine white walls. Many locals still live within the castle walls in what must only be the "perfect location" (apart from our apartment that is!). Each nook and cranny presents you with new sights to pleasure your eyes. We met an old lady who had bought a small part of the castle to live in and run an antique museum from.....the beams, columns and structure were truly amazing and it left you wondering how something like this could have been built so long ago.
The church was equally inspiring and ,like the castle, very cool temperature wise. It was nice to sit a while and take in the beauty of the murals and its seemingly infinite arches out of the glare and heat of the sun.
All in all our trip to Naxos was amazing and we could/should have spent longer there in our "perfectly located" super apartment with our "view of the world" balcony. The local people got to know us, welcomed us and were always happy to try their English out on us.
We also found an amazing derelict cafe sitting all alone on a rocky outcrop overlooking the beach and thought how nice it would be to be able to restore that and make it magnificent again. If anyone is interested we are keen as.....just let us know!!!!!! Seriously.....
I took a photo saying "Welcome to Paradise" and Naxos this is just how you made us feel.....that we were in Paradise.
We will be back to collect our hearts at a later date.
X
What a fabulous trip you are having. Love the photos. X
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