Kim’s Visit

28 February 2024 – Naxos, Greece

On Monday evening, we drove to the airport and picked up Kim, our friend from Canada who is visiting us. We decided to stay on Kos for another day, during which we walked around and showed Kim the ancient ruins. We also bought baklava that were apparently so good people brought them all the way back to Athens when they visited the island.

After leaving Kos, which is right on the eastern edge of Greece next to Turkey, we headed west for about fifty nautical miles to the island of Astypalaia. We docked in the harbour of a sleepy little town winding up a hill. There are the remains of a medieval castle at the top, and a row of whitewashed windmills in the centre of town.

Astypalaia, Greece

View from medieval castle – Astypalaia, Greece

We went into a small produce shop and bought local eggs, and when we asked if they sold local cheese, the woman in the shop said she would have it brought over for us fresh the following day.

The next morning, Kim and I set out to get breakfast at a bakery. There was one right across from the boat but it hadn’t opened yet so we kept wandering and got lost, and though we eventually managed to find another one nearby, it was still too early. We decided to climb all the way to the top of the town because we thought we had seen a bakery by the windmills yesterday, and actually did manage to find our way up there through the curvy streets, but didn’t find the bakery. It was getting pretty close to our scheduled departure time by then, so we went back to the bakery across from Festina Lente, which by this time was open. Unfortunately it was almost sold out, but we were still able to get a few delicious spanakopita.

Aegean Sea, Greece

Our next destination was Amorgos, another small town that is a bit bigger than Astypalaia. There is a town quay that we could have docked at, entirely empty at this time of year, but we had heard that there would be a ferry coming in and decided that maybe it was best to go anchor instead. It was a good thing we did, because at four o’clock in the morning a massive Blue Star ferry Mediterranean moored against the wall and tied a line diagonally across almost the whole quay.

Anchored next to the ferry – Amorgos, Greece

Amorgos, Greece

Apparently the thing to do on this island is to hike or drive to the Chora high in the hills. We were able to get a taxi big enough to fit five people and a dog and were driven for fifteen minutes to the Chora. The view is amazing; we could see the ocean on the other side as well as rolling hills in the direction we had come from.

View from Chora – Amorgos, Greece

The Chora itself, like all the places we have been recently, is entirely whitewashed with a few blue accents. Some of the streets are super narrow and windy, leading us under archways and squeezing between houses. Even though the Chora is quite small, it seemed like we saw another church around every corner.

Chora – Amorgos, Greece

To get back to the boat, we enjoyed a beautiful hike down the mountains. I was glad we drove and walked in this order because it was almost entirely downhill on a gentle decline, so I could really enjoy the scenery and the beautiful weather. Wildflowers have just started to come out over the last week or two, making everything even prettier. The hillside was dotted with pale purple, pink, and yellow, and I even saw a poppy.

Hike down from the Chora – Amorgos, Greece

We have been eating so much delicious food while Kim is here; she and I made pizzas and flan, and she has also made us a quiche and lasagna for dinner.

We are now in Naxos, an island that we’ve actually been to before, when we sailed in Greece six years ago. We are in a pleasantly bustling town with lots of little shops and a waterfront lined with restaurants. There is an Ancient Greek ruin on the peninsula just beside the harbour, which we have a great view of from the boat and are able to walk around on a little path. It was originally intended as a temple to Apollo and construction began in the sixth century BCE, but it went uncompleted when war broke out and now only a massive doorway remains. The small peninsula is also said to be the place where Ariadne, the princess of Crete, was abandoned by the Greek hero Theseus in mythology.

Portara/Temple of Apollo – Naxos, Greece

While on Naxos, we walked through the curving streets of the town and looked into some shops, including one filled with dried spices, teas, handmade pottery, and other local products. We also went out for a delicious dinner. There was a great used bookstore where I was able to exchange some books when I was here six years ago and I was excited to see on Google Maps that it was still here and supposedly open. I was surprisingly able to locate it in a little cul de sac, but sadly it has remained closed, presumably for the off season.