Naxos



The last stop on our island tour was Naxos. Everything that was magical about Santorini was wild and natural in Naxos. There was still a small town, laid back atmosphere, but unlike Santorini, Naxos isn't an really an island of romance- Lys and I were glad. On the ferry over, we met some young ladies who were studying abroad for the year and joined forces. One day we rented ATV's and drove around the whole island. We stopped in little towns, at ruins in local markets for snacks and picnic lunches. The locals were friendly and glad to see tourists. We blew through one town as passed a lady who jumped up, waved her hat around and shouted greetings as we passed. We stopped at an artichoke farm and a generous farmer gave us all fresh artichokes. We made a fantastic lunch out of them the next day.


One morning, Alyssa and I went to a local museum and saw pottery and figures from the Cycladic period--all found on the island. As we left the museum, an amazing smell of bread yeast wafted through the air and we went in search of the person responsible for such deliciousness. We stumbled upon this fire-oven bakery.

We watched the sunset. We ate mezes. We saw churches on cliffs and fallen statues. We met George, our villa owner, who was the self-proclaimed best "washer and ironer" in all of Greece. We chatted with locals. We walked along the beach. We saw fishermen and ate fresh fish. At the end of it all, we were immensely sad to leave our island haven.