Naxos

August 1st, 2010

We woke up early in Mykonos and finalised packing. The hotel was nice enough to serve us some breakfast before our driver arrived to take us to the port for the Flying Cat3 ferry. The driver took the lower road across the island with a nice water view that avoided the buses and traffic through town. I wished I had seen that road because it was much better to run on. Anyways, we quickly arrived at the port where several hundred young, bleary eyed partiers wer lined up to take the ferry to their next destination on the Naxos, Ios, Santorini run. The twin catamaran passenger ferry arrived almost silently and we all paraded in line to get on, pulling our wheeled suitcases. Now compared to the old slow ferries of the past where you sprawled anywhere on deck or a bench, this was more like an airplane cabin with assigned airplane-style seats with our baggage stowed away in racks. The cabin was enclosed with TV monitors and a snack bar. The cat took off and I don't think we felt a wave for the hour it took to get to Naxos. It skimmed the waves and made the trip effortless. However, the big car/passenger ferries still exist and traverse the islands numerous times per day, albeit at a slower ship-like pace.

We docked in Naxos Town harbour and disembarked in orderly fashion. We had to walk only 20 metres when we were greeted by our tour operator, a young Greek guy who spoke like he was from the US. He put us in a taxi to our hotel which was less than 10 minutes away. The town looked different than Mykonos as white and blue were no longer the dominant colours. There was variety and some "real" streets as well as much more greenery and trees. The mountains behind the town were also visible. We arrived at the hotel Galaxy just south of the town and were quickly checked in without formalities. Even at 10 AM, we had the rooom and our bags inside in a flash. Cute little room with a sofa bed and two singles pushed together for te master. There were exposed stone walls and a modern bathroom with a glassed in jacuzzi shower. Also a flat screen TV with CNN available and a tiny balcony with two chairs. (Only half the size of the previous room but quite nice and modern with a Naxos touch.) We even had a chance to grab a second breakfast there. On the other hand the swimming pool area was beautiful with a large pool, edgeless, and blue. There is a bar area that stays open all day. Even  better was the 1 minute walk to the long stretch of St. George Beach- Aghios Georgios which is lined with restaurants, umbrellas and chairs as well as hotels and apartments at its northern end. The sand runs south for a kilometre or so, so walking is more interesting compared to the small beaches in Mykonos. We took possession of a few comfotable lounge chairs and discovered quickly that Naxos is a lot cheaper than Mykonos. The water was warm, shallow out for 150 metres and calm. The crowd was bothe Greek and tourist with many Scandinavian and German blonds visible. The waitresses at our bar/taverna were Lithuanian and the table service at our umbrella included an ice bucket and a chilled glass for my Amstel beer as well as veggies for snacking- also offered at a low price. We played , swam and walked along the beach exploring. At lunch we sat down in the shaded restaurant area where ther were also couches, internet access and backgammon boards available. Inge took our light lunch order and transmitted it to the kitchen is done in many restaurants here (saves walking and improves efficiency)- a simple example of high tech European advances...The salads and omelet were great, Kate enjoyed her lunch and we were well filled for the afternoon.  The rest of the afternoon passed quickly in the sun, We finished with a long swim and laps of the hotel pool where there were quite a few people.I changed for a run and went through the whole of Naxos town from South to North and back again in twenty minutes time.It looked like a pleasnat town with lots of restaurants.

Back at the hotel, we learned how to connect to the internet and check/send  our emails. We had the pleasure to Skype with the boys and Martha and Shura. The internet connection was weak which kept down the video to only a few minutes.It was good to be so close with skype.[Sounds like a product placement!] We caught a beutiful red sunset over the beach looking west- photo op extraordinaire.Then we wandered the 10 minutes down the beach and into the town where things had woken up and there was a bustle of action everywhere.Stores open selling beachware, souvenirs, handicrafts, jewelry, tickets, tours, desserts.Restaurants in the main drag along the port, on rooftops and down little side streets. The town is built partly on a hill so what looks like a rooftop restaurant from one level becomes a street level entrance a few streets up the hill.. We ate in a busy little grill in the port - lamb chops and good chicken gyros- and then were surprised by the little maze of streets and restaurants up the hills. Some of these open air courtyards were beautifully decorated with live musicians entertaining (Naxos is well known for its musical heritage). We promised to head back there tomorrow. Kate was spoiled with a special Ferrero-Rocher chocolate ice cream from a crowded ice cream shop. Lots of activity even at 11:30PM as wandered back to our hotel. All in all another special day. Naxos surprised us with how different it is from Mykonos just an hour and a few degrees of hedonism away. More tomorrow.

Naxos sunset