Leaving Naxos for Santorini

Cathy here again. We are leaving the island of Naxos (sadly) after four excellent days. THIS is what I pictured my trip to Greece would be all about.

I took a day trip via bus to a little town in the exact middle of the island, Halki, where I toured a distillery that makes and sells a wine called kitron. Also looked at a very, very old and tiny Byzantine church with frescoes still visible. Along the way I met some lovely people --- fellow travelers from Germany and England, as well as the local Greeks. Everyone has been very friendly.

Randy and I went to two museums yesterday: the Archeological Museum, which most islands seem to have, and another "Metropolis Museum" that has glass walkways over part of the actual excavations from the original Naxos Town (prior to 800 BC). Very cool. Museums are generally closed on Monday, so we had to wait until Tuesday for these two jewels.

Last evening, after we thought we had seen everything in the town of Naxos, Randy and I walked out to the end of a spit of land to see an ancient "portal" - the remaining standing ruins of the never-completed temple of Apollo on Naxos. It was dark by the time we embarked on this walk, and seeing the harbor and shops by night was truly a delight. After that, we walked the outline of the beach, past the harbor and into an area of expensive hotels that we hadn't previously known about. A pleasant walk on a pleasant evening in Naxos.

Today we take the ferry to Santorini, also known as Thira. Will be hard to leave this lovely island, but we're looking forward to the views of the caldera on Santorini.

More Pictures

We finally have some pictures of Greece up on the kodakgallery if you want to check it out.

Hello from the island of Naxos

Hello from Cathy! I had a one-day head start on Randy for the lovely island of Naxos. Randy arrived today, after I had a chance to spend a pleasant Saturday evening near the town square with lots of shops, restaurants, and locals, including whole families. The island of Naxos is not nearly as tourist-ridden as Mykonos, and seems more authentically Greek. Of course that means that not everyone speaks English, but it is still rather easy to get around using gestures, smiles, and phrase books.

We spent several hours today walking around the town of Naxos. There are other towns on the island, but it seems that on most Greek islands the name of the largest town (the "hora") is also the name of the island. There are parts of the town where the streets are not wide enough for vehicles. One of the guide books described it as a "rabbit warren". It's great to meander these passageways, especially if you're not looking for a particular destination or needing to be somewhere at a particular time. Would hate to get lost looking to catch a ferry.

We ate lunch today at an outdoor cafe overlooking the harbor. The weather so far has been ideal . . . highs in the low 80's and a constant breeze. Randy is vegetarian, and at least half the time I eat vegetarian too. It has been very, very easy to find good, nutritious, inexpensive vegetarian food in Greece. After lunch, Randy found the Cafe Esperanto, where nobody spoke the Esperanto language. Randy was happy anyway.

We spent time on the beach in Mykonos, but haven't made it to the beach here yet. Instead our hotel has a small swimming pool, and I swam a few laps this afternoon. I have promised myself that I WILL swim in the Aegean at least once before I leave, although I understand from Randy that the water is a bit chilly.

Today has been election day in Greece. Have seen lots of campaign literature/litter and advertisements. Plus, some of the stores and all museums were closed for the occasion. We head out tonight for dinner on the town, hoping that there will be something interesting open.

Attack of the Naxians!

Randy here. I just got to Naxos today (which sounds like a sci-fi name to me). Cathy has shown me around, but I'm planning on taking it easy here. It really is nice. We've got free (if not unlimited or fast) internet in our Pension here. I may or may not still be able to upload pictures, but I'll try.

Kalos irthate apo Mykonos! (Welcome from Mykonos)

Well, sorry it has taken so long to post again. We have been very busy and internet access is expensive on the islands. We arrived in Athens fine and really liked John's Place (where we stayed there). We even booked it for our days back in Athens at the end of the trip. We also changed our night back in Boston to the YWCA, which is much more centrally located.

We've been eating great meals so far (both in Boston and especially in Greece).
We are now on the island of Mykonos and we are staying at a campsite that is right on a beach called Paranga. We have a bungalo, which is pretty basic, but it gets the job done and isn't a tent! It is great to go to sleep by the sound of the crashing waves and wake up to sea the see out your door. Randy got a Greek cell phone number, but is having an issue sending e-mails and sms-es from it. Hopefully he'll get that resolved before the trip is over.

We spent part of the day today on the island of Delos, noted in Greek mythology as the supposed birthplace of the twin gods, Apollo and Artemis. Excellent ruins, including the stone lions.

Cathy is leaving for Naxos tomorrow and Randy is following after one more day on the beach.
We're uploading more pictures as we type. Maybe they will be up by the time you read this...
Hope everyone is doing great back home!

On plane to Madrid! Next post will be from Greece!

From Cathy this time

Cathy here. Having an excellent time in Boston. The Freedom Trail through downtown Boston yesterday was a fascinating look at historical Boston. So far Randy and I have not had any out-and-out fights. That is a good sign.

Today we started with the Public Library, the first in the country, at Copley Square. So far Copley Square is my favorite view of Boston.

We started our trip in Boston with a transit pass that allows us to hop on and off trains, buses and ferries. Quite cool.

Will continue to post to this blog when Randy allows me to.

Cathy