Beautiful beaches and rekindling a friendship in Naxos

September 12, 2024
Up way before my alarm went off. Headed off to the Piraeus, the Port of Athens via the Metro. It was relatively easy and fast. Boarded the ferry (called Jumbo Jet) at 8:00 am. The loading process is not like what I am used to…..everyone just walks up the ramp, store your luggage on the car deck (and hope it doesn’t walk away without you), then you go up to your assigned seat.

What was a 4.5 hour trip turned into a 8.5 hour trip!

Jumbo Jet made two stops, Serifos and Sifnos to drop amd pick up passengers and vehicles.

Serifos

Sifnos

As we approached Mykonos, I decided to head out to the deck to get some pictures of Mykonos as the boat was pulling away. The Odyssey, Princess cruise ship was tied up at the dock.

The ramp goes down and the passengers start walking off with their luggage.

Then the ramp starts to pull away from the dock as people are still walking down! The ship’s officer notices it and start to run back on the ramp yelling at everyone to get back! Pandemonium begins…..three ladies are starting to slide off the ramp as the ramp is going into the water, suitcases are falling into the water. The officer manages to get the three ladies up to the safe part of the ramp. We all see a stroller roll into the water! Didn’t know if a baby was in it!

Then we all notice we are moving closer to the cruise ship….

They staff on the dock finally get control of the boat, they secure it and the ramp comes down. All the passengers are running down the ramp to disembark! The parents of the stroller come down the ramp with their baby, but mom is just irate yelling at everyone!

We were told that the boat was going to be delayed because the Port Authority had to do inspections. 3:5 hours later we left Mykonos! Next stop Paros, then Naxos. All passengers were given a full refund for the trip as a courtesy and appreciation.

Unloaded, I walked to my hotel, Hotel Katama, about 10 minutes. Checked in, got changed and headed to the beach and stayed for the sunset.

September 13, 2024
A former colleague reached out to me while I was in Athens. We are in Naxos at the same time and will be getting together! Tegan and Joe (her husband) met me at my hotel for breakfast. We then hopped into their car and went to see the Temple of Apollo.

Naxos’ Temple of Apollo – Portara is a huge marble gate is the island’s emblem and main landmark. Standing on the islet of Palatia, at the entrance to Naxos harbour and is connected with the Naxos mainland via a paved footpath. The spot offers one of the amazing places to see the sunset.

Walked around Naxos town

A huge basil plant….just wanted to climb into the plant it smelt so good.

The Castle of Naxos Town is actually the old Venetian town, is a Naxos sightseeing. It is a labyrinth of narrow backstreets and vaulted alleys.

Q

There we was a monastery within the castle that hosted two separate schools - for boys and girls.
The kitchen

There is a restaurant at the top of the castle, we stopped for a drink.

Next stop was Filoti, a semi-mountainous village of central Naxos. Filoti is located at the foot of Mt. Zas (Zeus). People hike to Mount Zas for two reasons; 1. Mount Zas is the highest peak in the Cyclades region and 2. Mount Zas also referred to as Mount Zeus is the childhood home of the Greek God himself. What makes this hike even more special is that you can visit the cave Zeus is said to have grown up in. I did not do the hike!

Sights around Filoti.

Thank you Teagan and Joe for inviting me along today. Very special memories were made.

I headed out for a light dinner and the sunset!

September 14, 2024
Today is my last full day in Naxos. I had thought I wanted to rent a scooter to explore the island, but I decided against it. I decided to get on the local bus and explore some of the top beaches.

After breakfast, I bought my tickets at the bus station. I don’t think it was a great day to go because of the heavy winds.

First beach, Agios Prokopios Beach, ranks as the island’s most acclaimed.

In this area, you will find a salt lake with a distinctive pink colour that is home to birds and other wildlife. The pink- red colour of the water is very salty due only to the growth of microorganisms.

Agios Anna Beach was a disappointment! It’s not only a beach but it’s a port. So there are boats tied up in the bay. Last one was Plaka Beach. This is a long stetch of beach. I walked for a bit to look for a good spot to set up but I decided to leave instead. There were so many nude European men…. I am not a prude busy any means! Also strong winds pushed the water line very high up on the beach.

I boarded the bus back and came back to St. George’s beach. it was still blowing but I managed to find a dry spot on the beach. Had an early dinner and caught the sunset.