Scenes from a visit to Naxos, Greece (April 2023): Part I

Continuing the effort to catch-up post about my trip through Greece in spring of 2023, which started with the Athens entry, our next stop on the itinerary was Naxos. Day began with an early wake up call. Not sure what time the actual ferry was, but I remember our car picked us up around 6:30am. I also remember being the very first one in the breakfast room at the hotel. I am a morning person. But I prefer to be just awake and roll into the day vs awake and running out to a ferry.

This was my first ferry in about 25 years or so. I don't think the boats heading over to the Vineyard are quite this big. Impressive vessel to view up close.

It was also my first experience with boarding a ferry like this, where it's all aboard via the giant ramp in the back. That leads you into the warehouse-sized luggage hold, which operates on the honor system. Find a spot for your bag and come back for it later.

I might have been sleeping for some of the ride. Or just didn't take too many pictures. I did get one departing the port of Syros.

Next shots I have were outside our accommodations, the Ippokampos Beachfront Hotel. Solid stay. More pics coming later of their lovely little dining set up right on the beach.

On the agenda for the day was some island exploration. Local rental car company conveniently met us at the hotel with our white Fiat. So we dropped our bags in the room and set off.

We stopped to scout out Hawaii Beach and Alyko Beach. That's my colleague off in the distance.

From the beaches I think we aimed toward the Ancient Temple of Demeter because it seemed like something we should check out. Not particularly impressive in person. And I think it's all restored with very little remaining of the original site. Unless you have a voracious appetite for Greek antiquity in all its forms, this site is probably one you can skip.

Next target was the village of Chalki, which was cool and charming and very much worth the visit.

We did stop at a distillery / retail shop to try some of the island's famous Kitron. I still have my souvenir nip bottle of the green variety up on a shelf in my kitchen. Worth a stop.

Snapped a few more vibe shots walking around the village. Loved the older fellas hanging out for a chat and a smoke.

And this scene caught my eye as being simultaneously simple, charming, sophisticated and rustic.

Naxos has a history of weaving traditions that are still maintained today. You can find more information online, of course, but if you're interested you might check out GreekWeavers, or any number of YouTube videos, like this one.

From Chalki we aimed for Apeiranthos, which is famous for its widespread use of marble -- sidewalks, staircases, alleys. Marble everywhere. More on the village here if you're interested. On the way, however, we did encounter a flock of sheep in the road, which was a fun, authentic touch. Reminded me of scenes we've experienced in Mexico.

If we had more time I would have liked to stop and visit Filoti, too. Passing through it seemed like it would be worth a visit and I don't believe it gets the same publicity as Chalki and Apeiranthos, which leads me to believe it might be interesting to see an 'ordinary' village with no particular hook or angle for attracting visitors. Again, Naxos.net has more on Filoti if you're interested.

Another tip for another time would be to stop at Rotonda, ideally late afternoon or evening for sunset. Do check out some of the photos and reviews to get the idea. Beautiful. This snap below from the general vecinity hints at what you might see if you were seated on a terrace with a panoramic view of the whole landscape.

Eventually we got to Apeiranthos and largely meandered around, climbing staircases, checking out the alleys, etc., before sitting down for a coffee and a traditional citrus tart type thing. Very nice way to spend the afternoon.

On the return from Apeiranthos to the hotel we spotted a sign for Saint Anna Winery, so we stopped and made contact. Nice little operation. We were seeing it pre-season in late April and dropping in unannounced, so we didn't do a tasting or anything like that. Something to keep on the radar, though, as a potential partner.

Posting this two years after the events means some of the details are fuzzy. But if I had to guess I'd say there were a couple / few hours of work/napping before we grabbed dinner at this place. Warm friendly service, good food. Again, my picture-taking judgment was questionable as I focused on the beer and an appetizer that was described as 'cheese in envelope' in English (which was delicous --- local Naxian cheese, drizzle of local honey). Great, casual way to wrap up a fun day of exploring.

Scenes from a visit to Naxos, Greece (April 2023): Part II

While the first part of my visit to Naxos focused on driving around the island to check out some interior villages and whatever else caught our attention, the next day was for exploring the main town.

Day strated with breakfast in a lovely setting outside the Ippokampos hotel overlooking the calm waters of St. George beach. Early in the season and early in the morning meant the sun loungers were empty.

I kicked around town a bit and, once again, did a poor job of capturing things. Have a few assorted snaps that caught my eye though. Generally digging the outdoor seating everywhere and the on-brand whitewashed elements. Walls, chairs, stone paths.

Grabbed a daytime shot of the restaurant where we had a great little dinner experience the night before. It doesn't come up in English on my google maps, but look for Το κάτι Άλλο and stop in. You'll be happy with it.

Also snapped a shot of Capones ('meat dish restaurant' per google ... feels like a translation issue there ...). It caught my eye the night before as it was small but lively on a late April night. Looked like a fun spot.

For lunch and coffee I decided on Gemma Naxian Bistro. Was pretty quiet when I stopped in. Think they had some interesting but not overwhelming music on, which I appreciated. I see now that I stumbled upon a place with a 4.9 rating. I remember the service was good and my veggie burger was pretty decent.

Later in the afternoon we met with one of our partners and got a feel for the tour of the old town, castle, and Portara. Stopped in a couple of shops featuring a combination of local and gourmet products. Of course this is where I took some pictures because I knew Judy would be interested. First shop can be found in Google as Naxos Cheese Koufopolous.

Then it was down the street to K Tziblakis. I still regret not snagging at least one can of that donkey olive oil.

I think the next sequence was a spin through the castle area. No pics. Would probably be better as a video. Lot of stairways, passageways, etc. Very cool to stroll around and see that there are some residential units all around it. Absolutely worth exploring if you're there. We then did a pit stop at Honey & Cinnamon. I forget exactly what traditional drink we were offered. I think it was served warm. And I'm sure there was a snack of some sort that I failed to capture. Nice little respite after being on our feet for a while.

Next we were off toward the harbor. Our mission was to see the sunset from the Portara. On the way we passed a couple of places that looked well positioned for a drink at sunset. One was BACO.

And the other was Dal Profesore. We continued on as we had other plans for the sunset.

Snapped a few shots walking over ...

Snapped a few shots looking back at the town ...

And then of course snapped a number of shots awaiting the sunset ...

Glad we did it. I imagine there would be more people with the same idea if we were visiting June through September. But in late April we were three of maybe 20-ish people there. Nice and chill.