TWO
Thoughts on Naxos after 18 or so years - guess what?
Pleasantly surprised. Yes it has changed around the waterfront area - I
think they were starting to reclaim land from the sea then and they have
done a fantastic job of it. Marina, much more space to walk around and
generally good restaurants, jewelry shops and all over a better selection of
experiences.
They have managed to embrace tourism without losing that
essential 'Naxos' feeling. They don't need the tourists the way that Paros
does because of the nature of the farming and general income from other
sources. The only worry (with speaking to local Greek people and Chris &
Giorgos) is that if the airport is opened up to international flights then
mass tourism will invade the island in a big way.
I'm so surprised at the number of 'older' people here.
That was never the case 18 years ago but it's a good thing for all the local
business as it brings in more money and helps to slightly prolong the
season. Chris was saying last night how she preferred the slightly older
tourist discovering the island - prob the internet and folks not just
wanting 2 weeks on the Costa Del Sol anymore!!! There has been a noticeable
downturn in the numbers from our first week to the start of the second week.
In the street where the Jam, Coffee House & Waffle House are situated
numbers of folks sitting in the cafe's has started to decrease a bit now.
One of the things I have noticed that is so different
from 18 years ago is the lack of smaller inter - island ferries that used to
ply between Naxos, Paros, Mykonos, Delos, Santorini etc - prob after the
sinking near Paros a few years ago ferries now have to comply with far more
strict regulations so the old boats like the Ios Express were prob either
too old or not up to standard to make crossings. We had thought of going to
Mykonos and returning the same day to Naxos but it's not possible as only
the major ferries are available. You can use the Naxos Star as a mini cruise
to do both Mykonos & Delos, returning to Naxos the same day but you pay
a premium and sailing s are dictated by just how windy it is - no sailings
today so it was on the local bus to Apollon - a 60 year old bus driven by a
70 year old Greek probably!!! The trip is worth it however as the scenery is
spectacular.
Apollon is prob not worth visiting - still just a few
cafe's etc but the 2 hour journey is worth it - 8 Euro's return and not for
the faint hearted!!! I would suggest it is better stopping of at Apeiranthos
- more to see and do.
We have lunch quite often at Paradise - great food
especially the moussaka, cooked by the owners mother - prob the best we have
tasted on the island. Mythos beer 2.20 euros or 65 cents in the supermarkets
- very good value. When we go to Athens on Monday we will take the faster
ferry - High Speed 2 or 3 - Hellenic Seaways - about 3 and a bit hours to
Piraeus although you can't get out on deck.
I'm making a few notes about our stay and will try and compile
something with pictures next week to send to you if it will be of any use on
your site. Attaching some pics for you.
THREE
Good to hear from you. Where on earth do I start with
musings about our time on Naxos? For me it was my third time there and for
Eva it was her first visit to a Greek Island. It was exciting for both of us
as I had not been there since 1990 and it was a first time experience for
Eva. Neither of us were left disappointed though.
Before I start I have to mention that there is a fabulous
taverna in Piraeus which anyone waiting to catch a ferry should go to called
The Old Bakery. I have trawled Google trying to find a mention of it but
came up with nothing. It is located parallel to the main harbour area, one
street up from the Blue Star Ferries Office - the food is fantastic, cheap
and the place is full of Greeks enjoying lunch and a natter. If you want to
experience Greek life then go there whilst you wait for your ferry - it
gives you a flavour of how your holiday is going to be.
Just a quick note about the ferries. Blue Star is good
(we went out to Naxos with this line - don't buy food on it though - it is
yukky like most food on ferries is - try and get some food to take on board
from a local restaurant instead in Piraeus) - I would certainly recommend
using the High Speed Ferries - not that much more expensive, nicely
fitted out and comfortable seats - they are the big red ones with the
Vodaphone logo on them - they cut the journey time hugely. We had booked
everything online and I would encourage others to do the same. Our flights
were ex Glasgow to Athens with Globespan ( FlyGlobespan.com
- Low Cost, Cheap Flights and Holidays to Europe, Canada, America and South
Africa from the UK and Ireland. .. ) whom we have used before on a few
occasions to fly to the Algarve and Spain - flights have always left on time
and if you are prepared to fly basic then they do the job. Our return flight
from Glasgow to Athens was around £100 including taxes each
although earlier on in the year we managed to get Glasgow to Faro return for
under £50.00 each.
Returning now to our arrival on Naxos after the one stop
at Paros. I was hugely excited as the ferry turned towards Chora as it was
the first time since 1990 that I was due to visit the island that held so
many fond memories for me as I was reasonably young then and now I hoped
that it hadn't been spoilt or overrun with tourists from large package
companies.
It was fairly late at night when we arrived, probably
around 11pm but as soon as I saw the lights of the town come into view I
recognised it straightaway. The bustling port, the Venetian part on the
hill, the Porta standing silhouetted in the background - I just knew it was
fantastic to be back. We were met at the port by the hotel's minibus as we
had emailed them previously regarding which ferry we were on and the
anticipated time of arrival - soon we were at The Astir of Naxos being
welcomed by the owner Michael Margaritas who is definitely a character -
he told us all the rules regarding our stay at the hotel such as
having a shower before entering the pool, free broadband access, towels to
be put in the bath for collection each day etc etc - he gave us some Citron
and wished us a happy holiday - just a lovely Greek man who was so family
orientated (pictures of his granddaughter on the wall at reception). As we
were to find out during our stay he had a wicked sense of humour!
The next day was our first full day on the island so it
was a time for exploring and for me to see how much or how little Naxos had
changed since 1990. I have to say that I was delighted with what I saw -
some memories kept coming back like flashbacks as I returned to places I had
only visited in my early twenties and here I was in my late forties seeing
it all again with what age brings - experience! Eva, who had never been to
Greece immediately fell in love with the place - the sights, the sounds, the
people, the shops, the tavernas - as a first time experience of a Greek
island I knew she was being spoilt and I told her that this island was
different from the likes of Crete or Rhodes or Corfu or even Paros, Ios and Santorini
which I had seen in my youth.
I fell in love with the place all over again and she fell
in love with it for the first time. The last time I was on Naxos they were
just beginning to build out into the sea and what a good job they have done.
My goodness, there was now a marina with yachts in it and the harbour had
changed as well. No Last Resort or Toast Time but the old favourites such as
Manolis, Vassalis and the Jam were still there. Thank god McDonalds have not
reached it yet! I felt a bit sorry that the old women were no longer to be
seen at the port as the new, updated ferries arrived offering those
disembarking 'rhooms, rhooms - very nice - you come and see 'etc. Instead it
was probably their sons who had expanded the family business, bought over
extra houses and were running a good going business now.
We had arrived in early Sept so the Italians had gone and
prices were back to normal! There was quite a bit of wind which I had
expected and it made lying in the sunshine a really cooling and pleasant
experience - you had the combination of the hot sun with a cooling breeze
which was fantastic - just right for sunbathing, reading books and having
lunch at Paradise, especially when the grandmother was cooking moussaka!
Tony, these are just a few recollections of our first day
on Naxos, if you would like me to continue then just let me know. I have
over 350 pics on disc which I can send you if you think one or two of them
may be of interest for your site. I can download them but it would have to
be in 'chunks' as they won't go all on one email. I also have some
information about staying in Athens if that is of any use.