The Final Chapter - Kirkenes, Tromso, Train to Stockholm

Naxos

Wednesday, October 18, 2017 – continued

It was a short two hour ferry ride from Mykonos to Naxos. This time we were on what is considered a ‘fast ferry’, a catamaran that glides across the water almost riding on air. It was still a very substantial ship, a car ferry as well as pedestrian transport. We travelled in Platinum Class with comfortable leather seats at a window. And our ride was smooth in spite of the multitude of whitecaps on the water.

The ferry was running a bit behind schedule and wasted no time disembarking passengers going to Naxos. We had barely stepped off the ramp when the ferry left the dock. Naxos town is very compact, especially around the dock area. It took only a few minutes to pick up our rental car and head out of town en route to Alyko Beach where we were staying.

Naxos Town is a blend of seaside town and regular village. Along the seaside near the ferry port is a long line of restaurants, bakeries and cafes. There is a pedestrian walkway all along the way which makes this line of shops very accessible for those just disembarking or waiting board a ferry. Many ferries, large and small, frequent this port every day.

Once off the seacoast, the town looks like a regular Greek village. Shops line the main street and alleyways lead to residences. As expected, everything is painted in white and accented in either blue or red. Other colours are sneaking into the palette but not on a regular basis, yet. Because of the contour of the landscape – it rises sharply just outside town – Naxos Town is built in a long line, just a few streets wide, a mix of businesses and housing all along the main road.

At the edge of town there are two gas stations. The pumps are only a car width from the thoroughfare. It feels like you are pulling into a parking space when you stop for gas. At most gas stations, the proprietor pumps the gas and it is necessary to go into the building to pay. Remember those days? They do not, however, clean the windshields. Shell stations are very common here and they look similar to those we find in Canada, similar yet much smaller. It is possible to buy a beverage, get a snack, use the washroom and get a newspaper when you stop for gas. They are impressively clean and I can attest to the fact that the bathrooms are well equipped (and have locks that open!). The part about gas stations here that we do not enjoy is the price. Remember we are travelling on islands where everything needs to be imported, including fuel. On Naxos, diesel fuel was 2.90 Euros per litre! An eighth of a tank cost about $35.00 Cdn!!! Good thing that the cars we are driving are fuel efficient.

We took a wrong turn on our way to Alyko Beach and ended up going a long way out of our way. All roads in Greece are narrow and winding. It was an interesting route, largely through agricultural landscape (more about that in the next post). Vegetation included eucalyptus trees, bamboo stands used as windbreaks to protect crops, enormous sisal in flower that towered many metres above our heads, and jacaranda in vivid bloom, primarily fushia and blue.

Once we knew our way, we easily found Alyko Beach and settled into Faros Villa. We were upgraded to a two bedroom/two bathroom suite overlooking the gardens of the Villa and the sea. Across a channel was another island, Paros, where the ferry  had landed on our way to Naxos. We enjoyed views of water before indulging in a homemade dinner prepared by Grandma (lamb shank for Jim and swordfish for me). The weather has to date been unseasonably warm and it was a pleasant evening to sit outside lovely landscape – eucalypts, Norway pine, various cactus and palm trees. Bats galore were flying high above our heads and the stars were glorious.

When we finally came inside, we discovered that Faros Villa offers great internet service. It is a good place to post our blog from Mikonos and work on our photo book as well.

Thursday, October 19, 2017

This was our day to tour the island of Naxos. Following a lovely breakfast served by our hosts, we set out to explore this island. It is quite different in topography and vegetation from Mykonos. High mountains dominate the interior of the island with roads that twist and turn as cars climb steep slopes only to reach the top and begin the descent along equally circuitous routes. The maximum speed on any road it 50 kilometers per hour and even that seemed very fast at times. In towns, the maximum is 30.

In the valleys and on the sides of many mountains, there is widespread evidence of agriculture as a mainstay of Naxos’ economy. Vast areas of land have been intensely terraced to preserve the thin soil from erosion. In the narrow strips of cultivatable land, a wide array of crops were being grown. Potatoes is by far the most prevalent crop, but we also found corn, farrow, grapes, lemons, olives, pomegranates, apples as well as market garden crops in household gardens. We were also delighted at the array of animals we saw in various fields and hillsides – cattle in rudimentary fenced fields; chickens running loose; sheep, mostly small herds on fields that looked barren of food; goats clinging to hillsides and cliff face

Our first stop was at a nearby historic church ruins called Sagri. A wild and winding road with decreasing quality led us there even though the brown road signs suggested it was a national thoroughfare to a historic site. When we finally arrived there was no sign, brown or otherwise, at all, simply a crumbling church of ancient origin. Navigating the road itself brought a greater degree of satisfaction and adventure than finding the church, especially when we met car head on. In playing the game of chicken, he finally backed up and found a small space to pull over so we could pass.

We travelled high into the interior of Naxos. An impressive mountain range runs through the middle of this island. There is one main road the travels over the top and a few secondary roads that more closely follow the coast. We chose the main road which led past many beautiful lookout and through several villages.

The first village was Chalki, the main interior town. It is a lovely village with clean streets and cobbled walkways. It offers a variety of interesting shops (pottery, weaving, jam and honey), numerous cafes with welcoming staff and an historic church which was all locked up. There is also a distillery which has been producing ……. Since 1896. It comes in three alcoholic strengths, coloured to separate them visually one from the other – pink, blue and clear. Of course, we sampled all three and selected the middle strength as our preference. It was the clear one. And, yes, we bought a bottle to share with our Aussie friends when we meet them in Crete in a couple of weeks.

The next town was Filoti. It was a town that clearly provided services to residents of the area. Its narrow main street held many busy shops such as a hardware, two grocery stores and a much needed ATM. Now we could relax a bit as we had enough money to buy lunch and coffee.

Apiranthos Town, a bit further along, featured marble walkways in the pedestrian only main square. There was also a women’s craft centre and archeological museum. Sadly, both were closed for the season. We are encountering this increasingly as the month of October marches on. In spite of the wonderful weather we are experiencing here, it is generally much cooler and a bit rainy so the tourist traffic diminishes significantly. Most restaurants, hotels and tourist shops and displays close sometime in October and reopen in April for the next season.

We are noticing that there is less English spoken as we get further away from the sea, especially in towns where tourist facilities and attractions are not prominent. Hand signs seem to suffice to find the things we need. Jim is working on learning the Greek alphabet. I have decided it will remain “All Greek to me”.

One of the products from Naxos Island is high quality marble, found in the mountains we were travelling through. Visible marble deposits were evident along the road in rockfalls and cut-aways created in road construction. We also saw one quarry high on a mountaintop where commercial marble is harvested.

From the high mountains, we plunged down the winding road to the seashore. There was not much traffic so we were able to take the road at our own pace. We arrived in Apolonas, a fishing village and beach town. It was very quiet today, a lovely time to lunch at the water’s edge in one of the many tavernas plying for our business. In the shallow water  just below our table minnows and tiny fish flitted about. Their shadows were larger than life on the rippled sand on the sea bottom.

Leaving the village, we climbed high into the mountains again and flanked the coast for many miles along this continuous twisting and turning road. There were so many beautiful views over the sun-kissed smooth water. The wind seems to have ceased and the water is now very calm.

Outside Apolonas, high above the road, was another historic site, this time a statue of Dionysius (they think). At one time, it towered about 60 metres in the air but now lies flat on the ground. Other similar statues were destroyed and the marble used for other purposes. But this one, because of its altitude and the difficulty in moving it, was simply taken down from its pedestal and left to lie on the ground.

And about mid-afternoon, we again arrived in Naxos Town where we arrived on the ferry yesterday. This time, we stopped to visit a shop, the Greek version of Wallenstein General Store. It had a little bit of everything, mostly food items here, crammed from floor to ceiling in barrels, bowls, boxes and bags. We bought some local cheese, sundried tomatoes, calamata olives, and candied ginger. All we need is some good bread and we have lunch for tomorrow.

We followed a different road today to reach Alyko where we are staying. We travelled through several local villages and past many small farms along the way. The sea was always in view as well as another island, Paros, that is just across the channel. At night, the lights from that island shine brightly and reflect across the water the separates us.

We were ready for a rest followed by dinner in Faros Villa restaurant. Jim had kalagaros, a dish similar to moussaka but with beef as an added ingredient. I had Mama’s meatballs, very soft and almost sweet beef meatballs, served with some of the best chips I have ever tasted. The meal was finished with a tiny portion of Greek yogurt topped with preserved cherries.

A leisurely walk back to our room, accompanied by one of the ever present cats. With very little encouragement, this kitty would have come right into our room. He sure enjoyed being scratched behind the ears. The bats were out doing their work and the stars were abundant in the dark, country sky.

The end of another adventurous and enjoyable day.

Friday, October 20, 2017

Friday was a much quieter day for us. I wanted to stay at the Villa all day. Jim had a couple of errands to run in Naxos Town. So I read, napped and caught up on this blog as well as photos while Jim went to town. I also spent a few hours at the pool. The water was too chilly to tempt me to enter it, but the air was just right for wearing a bathing suit and absorbing the warmth as I read a book poolside.

Jim had not been feeling well this morning but by the time he returned from Naxos Town he was really under the weather. Although he came to the dining room with me, I was the only one who indulged in dinner (zucchini chips, chicken and veg), again deliciously homemade by ‘mama’. Early to bed for Jim, as we leave early in the morning by ferry to Athens. Then we fly to Rhodes.

Saturday, October 21, 2017

Jim spent a restless night and was still quite ill when we got up this morning. Nonetheless, we got organized and made our way to the ferry for a 9:30 am departure. Rental car filled with gas and returned to Hertz as part of the process. A few minutes before we boarded, I realized that Jim did not have his computer bag. He had inadvertently left it in the car. So, he headed back to the Hertz office where, happily, his bag was still right where he left it, in the backseat of the car. We were the last passengers to board the ferry but at least we made it.

As I write this, Jim is stretched out on a soft bench soundly sleeping and I am looking out a window at an absolutely flat sea and cloudless blue sky with not a speck of land in sight in any direction. It is almost dreamlike. May this journey continue!

The ferry landed at the port in Athens at 3 pm exactly as scheduled. Jim had arranged for a transfer to the airport immediately so when we disembarked the ferry, there was our driver holding a sign with our name on it. Given how poorly Jim is feeling today, it was a very good thing we did not have to walk or carry our luggage very far.

It seemed odd to be in Athens, knowing there was so much history at our fingertips, and not be going to see any of it. But we will return to Athens in due course after we have completed our tour of the islands. You may be wondering why we are heading to the airport when the initial plan for this trip was to travel to all the islands by ferry. Well, things change, especially when the ferry company decides to put a smaller vessel on the route to Rhodes, a vessel that does not have enough cabins to accommodate the passengers and we would have had to sit up all night rather than having a bed to sleep in. Quick change in plans … we flew to Rhodes instead.

It was short flight, one hour, made even shorter because Jim and I both slept the entire distance. I woke up just as the island of Rhodes came into view. Again, it was a wonderfully clear night and it was possible to see the entire city of Rhodes stretched out along the shore of the Aegean Sea with the airport runway lights clearly in the long straight strip behind the city. We landed smoothly, collected our bags and whisked off in a taxi in almost record time. The road from the airport to the centre of town was long, straight and lively. So many restaurants, bakeries, cafes, bars, stores, hotels and people. This is going to be a great place to explore.

We are staying in a hotel in the old city of Rhodes, high on a hilltop, inside the walls that were built hundreds of years ago to protect the city. No cars are allowed inside the walls. It is a maze of narrow pathways the zig and zag in every direction. The guidebooks all say that getting lost in Old City Rhodes is part of the charm of the place. So our taxi dropped us off just outside the walls and John, our hotel host, picked us up in a golf cart to transport us and our luggage to our hotel. He pointed our various landmarks along the way but I am sure it will all look quite different in the daylight. We did pass by an ancient castle, an ornate mosque and several interesting looking restaurants and vendor stalls. Tomorrow will be a new day and we will explore some of this city with pleasure.

For now, it is time to sign off for the night. It has been a long day of travelling and it is time for some sleep. Good night, all.