Time to get out of Athens and head for an island! Ferry is the way most people get to the Greek islands. Ticket prices are fixed by the government, and the ticket agent makes a very small commission on the sale. There are “fast” and “slow” ferries, and tickets are priced accordingly. You pay extra for a seat assignment, and the cheapest tickets guarantee you only a place on the boat – but not a place to sit down.
We bought cheap seats on a slow boat from Athens to Naxos, and hustled to get to the ferry early to claim a seat. Our ferry was enormous – it probably had room for 1,500 people. We were rewarded with plastic deck chairs next to a table of chain-smoking Greeks. Fifteen minutes later all the seats were gone, and travelers sat on steps or leaned against railings for the trip. Four hours later, we pulled into Naxos’ port town, Hora.
Approaching Naxos Town (Hora) port
Mark came to Naxos nine years ago (after the dot-com crash) and found a place to stay by showing up at the port and making arrangements to stay in a “domatia”, which is often a spare room or granny flat in a local’s home. Even though we’re into high season, we decided to take our chances and try this approach again, because Naxos is a less popular island and we had seen lots of availability online.
After disembarking, we headed straight toward the crowd of locals holding signs advertising accommodation. The crowd swelled around us, each person holding a binder with pictures of their rooms and location, and loudly touting the benefits of their place. Ten minutes later we were in a car, being driven to our new home for the next five nights – all for 25 Euros a night.
Naxos is the largest island in the Cyclades, and one of the few that has a self-sustaining economy outside of tourism. Olive trees, cattle, and potatoes are all produced here, as is citron, a potent alcoholic aperitif that Mark enjoys and reminds me of paint thinner. We visited a citron distillery and learned it is made from the leaves of the citron tree, a citrus tree that produces an inedible fruit that looks like a lemon on steroids.
Smelling the Citron Fruit...Kinda Lemon-y
Our domatia was within walking distance to Agios Georgious (Saint George) beach, and we were surprised to show up and realize that we had been transported to Scandinavia. Specifically, Norway. The beach was thronged with tall and blond families, most with two or three children. We learned from two Norwegian women staying in another room at our domatia that Naxos has become a popular package tour destination spot for Norwegians. A new Little Oslo, perhaps?
After a couple of days sitting on the beach and enjoying copious quantities of feta, Alfa beer, and local red wine (very light – only 11.5 – 12% alcohol compared to our 16- 17% Zins back home), it was time to get a little exercise. We had spent a day touring the interior of the island and kept seeing this seemingly large peak above all the rest. Learning that this is Mt. Zeus, the mountain of the head god himself, and the tallest mountain in all the Cyclades, we decided we simply had to go climb it. Good training for our October travels.
Mt. Zeus beckons...
Our guidebook described the hike as a “quite a stiff hike of about 3 km”. Ha! 3 km, piece of cake. Or so we thought, until halfway up we lost the trail of rock cairns and ended up scrabbling along some dicey goat paths and scree until we found the trail again. The mountain is beautiful, with flowering agave, yellow thistle flowers and ancient stone fences. Herds of goats roam and their bells tinkle in the wind.
Wind-blown Mark nearing the summit of Mt. Zeus
It took us two hours to reach the top, and according to the log book, we were the third party to reach the summit that day. We had one scare on the way down – Mark popped his right knee while slipping on scree (say that five times fast). Luckily it wasn’t serious, and we made it back to the car without further incident.
At the top of Mt. Zeus, wind-blown and warm
On Mark’s first trip to Naxos, he found a small Greek taverna. He enjoyed dinner there the first night, so he went back the second, and third, and fourth…by the end of his stay they were giving him free glasses of ouzo and asking about his family. We found the restaurant and kept the tradition alive, eating at Scirocco’s every night. And ouzo flowed for Mark, and red wine for me. Four waiters ran the floor, and all of them were there every night. Towards the end of our stay we asked one of them when he got a day off – in September! For the four months of the busy season, which runs mid-May to mid-September, they all work every night. No nights off, unlike us.
Off we go to our next island – Santorini!
See more of our Naxos photos here…
And a gratuitous donkey shot, just because they are cute:
Donkey in the mountain village of Apiranthos