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Our first island port of call was Naxos, reached after a 6 hour ferry ride from Athens. Naxos plays an important role in Greek mythology. It is on this beautiful, green island, that Theseus, the son of King Aegean, dumped his lover, Ariadne who had helped him to kill the half-bull half-man monster on the Island of Crete. Later in his voyage, Theseus regreted this act and became very upset. In fact, he was so distraught that he forgot to raise his white (all is clear) sail as he reached the Greek mainland. When his father, King Aegean, saw the returning ship approach without the flag, he became so saddened that he committed suicide by jumping into the sea. This is how the Aegean Sea was named. So, what ever happened to Adriadne? She was saved by another Greek God and later gave birth to the infamous Zeus right there on Naxos Island.
The town of Naxos sits attractively upon a hill with the port below. While full of shops catering to tourists, everyday life still goes on. The narrow alleys of the town were a joy to wander through.
Our first day in Naxos we hit Plaka Beach--a long stretch of sandy, quiet, beach with nice water and very few others in site. Of the people that were also there, however, many did not have any clothes on, opting instead for the all-over body tan. Nude and partially nude beaches is a common phenomenon in Greece--so it is by no means unusual, but for mature Americans like us, we still giggled a bit.
Greece is remarkably picturesque. The Cycladic islands (the group of islands to which Naxos and Santorini belong) are characterized by white-washed cube type homes, whose doorways and window panes and shutters are painted gloriously bright and happy colors (blue is very common). Add to this the flowers and friendly people, with brilliant blue skies and sea for backdrop, and it becomes obvious why people return to the Greek islands again and again.
Here, in a demonstration of how much fun we are having, we pose with the Fun Car near the end of a long day of cruising the roads of Naxos.
Ariadnes Arch (named after the jilted Goddess), which is one of the trademarks of Naxos, sits at the end of a causeway near the main port.
Sunset at Naxos from the terrace of our hotel. Breakfasts and sunsets on the terrace were always a highlight.
We were very sad to leave Naxos. In fact on our way out, Rich promised Despina, as well as the baker and grocer down the alleyway, that we would be returning in about a week. Although we did not make it back this time as promised, we will return someday...with our own little Zeus.
Continue with us to Paradise...also known as Santorini...also known as Thira. |
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As
we arrived in town at roughly 11:30pm at night, having made no prior
arrangements for accommodation, finding someplace suitable was not the easiest
thing to do. We ending up settling for a room for 4 which we all
shared. Though spartan, it was clean and very cheap--though,
understandably, not quite what Lou and Andrea would have preferred for their
first, romantic, night on a Greek island. Here, Andrea brushes her teeth,
wondering what in heaven's name she has done to deserve this horrendous fate.
We
awoke the next morning to find better accommodation--which we did rather
easily. The rooms on Naxos were uniformly a good value: clean, well
furnished, terraces with sea views, and cheap. This is the proprietor of
our place, the friendly Despina (with her grandson, Nicolas). Despina was
wonderfully hospitable and a joy to talk with. She also took a shine to
sweet Lou once she found out he was Greek--however, she chided him slightly for
not keeping up better with his Greek (although he did speak it very well and
often, Mrs. Cataland).
The
next day we rented a vehicle and drove around the rather large island, taking in
the amazing scenery and stopping at the many small towns along the way to
explore, wander, shop, and eat. Here we pose inside one of the many
churches which dot the countryside with a new friend--an electrician and avid
movie fan who, to avoid working and just to be friendly, started up a
conversation with us in broken English. He then jimmied open the gate to a
nearby church and gave us a tour. Those friendly Greeks!
