Naxos

We left Katapola for Naxos at 08.20 on Thursday 18^th May in a light northerly wind which died when we went in to the Naxos-Paros channel, so we motored the rest of the way to Naxos marina, arriving at 14.00. We were lucky to get the last place on a pontoon, later arrivals having to hang off the corners or raft up. The manager was there and told us where to drop our anchor, by the bows of boats on the opposite pontoon (nearly all the lazy lines have been destroyed and not replaced – the marina is still municipal and has not yet been privatized so there is obviously no money for maintenance). Simon went for  a walk to find our favourite restaurants of four years ago, East-West, an Asian fusion restaurant owned by an Anglo-Swedish couple and Picasso, an excellent Tex-Mex restaurant. Neither were to be found where they had been. Later internet searches found that both had moved, East-West a bit to the east in town and Picasso to a distant beach. We could not find East-West in its supposed new location, so it has probably not reopened, but instead we found an excellent and friendly Greek restaurant, Nostimon, where we sat in a pretty garden freezing in the cold wind.

Friday was windy, up to 30 knots but we were snug in the marina.

Grotta Beach

Simon went shopping at a distant and disappointing supermarket in the morning and we left the washing at a wonderful laundry. In the afternoon we walked up to the castle and wandered around the little lanes – it was almost deserted.  We did not want to leave the boat for too long with the strong winds and chaotic arrivals, so we ate aboard.

On Saturday May 20^th we took a very dramatic bus ride over the mountains 

to Koronida in the north to walk down an ancient path to Apollonas. Simon had made a mistake and bought tickets for the previous stop, Koronos. 

Lin refused to get off at Koronos and extend the walk, quite rightly as it turned out as it would have meant going up and over another mountain. She confirmed with the driver that the bus did go on to Koronida, since the map was ambiguous. The bus had been packed leaving Naxos, but by the time we got to Koronida we and a Finnish woman were the only passengers left. 

We set off on the walk, first making a detour up the hill to see a Mycenaean tomb, apparently one of the best preserved in the Cyclades, 

then had a fantastic, though rough, five mile walk down to the coast, 

making a detour to see an unfinished ten metre high statue in the quarry above Apollonas – it seems that the marble cracked so the sculptors abandoned it where is has lain for 2,500 years. 

We had lunch in Apollonas,

 joined by the Finnish woman whom we had passed on the walk, and got the 3.30 bus back to Naxos, picking up returning hikers as we went. That evening we had another excellent dinner in a ‘fine dining’ restaurant Antomoma, though prices were normal, most of the tableware was very beautiful and some of the promised accompaniments were little more than dirty marks on the plate.

We debated whether to stay longer in Naxos and do some more walks, but the forecast meant we would have to stay two days so we decided to leave for Paros on Sunday.