Midlife Hobos

I have always wanted to honeymoon on a Greek island. Back when Sean and I got married, it was completely out of our league. But fast forward and it happened to be exactly 26 years to the day since we first met that we boarded a flight to Naxos. 

Our journey began with a 45-minute, traffic-clogged taxi crawl to the airport. Once we finally hit the motorway, the driver kept to the 130 km/h speed limit. After wandering the impressive length of the terminal, tracking down Olympic Air, and downing some essential espressos, we boarded a tiny plane for a beautiful, 25-minute flight through clear blue skies.

We landed at Naxos’s charming little airport, took a five-minute taxi to our Airbnb, (there are no street names, just the name of the airbnb) and were warmly greeted by our host. He gave us some local tips, including pointing out a building a few minutes away that he promised was a grocery store. It wasn’t.

By mid-afternoon, (having not yet had breakfast) we were pretty hungry. Most restaurants here are by the beach, so we set off on a 30-minute walk, checking every single café. Almost all of them were closed for the season. When we finally found one open, we savoured our focaccia sandwiches.

Hoping for a romantic stroll, we looked at the beach. Instead of the calm, postcard-perfect Aegean waters we’d imagined, ferocious winds and waves were churning the sea into a wild froth.

Next up: the great supermarket hunt. First store, mostly empty shelves. Other 2 stores, even smaller.

When we asked about finding milk, we were told, “You won’t find milk here.” Defying the odds, we managed to scavenge an apple, some yogurt, and a carton of milk.

By 5:00 PM, we weat back to the Airbnb, only to discover the tap water isn’t drinkable. Our Grayl water filter was long overdue for a replacement, and Naxos stores don’t stock them. The only decent supermarkets were a 1-hour and 10-minute walk away. Hauling heavy water jugs, grocery bags, and perishables that distance in the Greek heat was a hard no. Taxis were double the airport fare, and the bus system sounded like a game of chance.

We ended our romantic first day battling a squadron of local mosquitoes. Welcome to paradise!

Thankfully, everything improved before long.

Every time we revisited the local shop, a few more items had miraculously appeared on the shelves. I was so happy when “normal” bread finally arrived. For reasons we couldn’t fathom, store shelves here are dominated by bags of pre-toasted bread. It’s weird, but I guess it explains why no one here owns a toaster.

Soon, we were living off the yummiest olives, beetroot, cherry tomatoes, balsamic and arugula we’ve ever had. 

Before long, we caught the big bus to Chora (Naxos Town). The 25-minute ride (only 10 min back) took us past gorgeous paddocks full of wild poppies.

We walked up to the Portara (the Temple of Apollo), a massive 6th-century BC marble doorway standing on the islet of Palatia. It acts like a giant, ancient picture frame for the Aegean Sea and the main town.

We spent hours wandering through the old quarters of Bouros and Kastro. Built in the early 1200s, they give off major Venetian vibes. The narrow, whitewashed alleyways look like they’re leading you straight into a dead end, only to twist open at the last second into artisan boutiques or hidden restaurants.

We bussed into town often. Sean’s routine was a gyro, mine was a traditional Naxian pie, and we always finished with local sweet treats unlike anything we’ve ever tasted.

We gave up on finding a good cup of coffee anywhere on the island. However, Naxos wins the award for the cleanest public toilets ever. It didn’t matter what time of day we went, there were always one or two women sitting outside, seemingly emptying the bins and scrubbing the place down after every single user.

When we weren’t in town, we were lounging on sun loungers under massive straw umbrellas at the beach. (Though, if you visit closer to peak season, you either have to dine at the attached restaurant or pay a hefty fee for the privilege!)

The highlight of our month was the “Highlights of Naxos” full-day bus tour. They picked us up early, and by the time the bus was full, there were 34 of us (including 2 other Kiwis and 6 Australians) marshalled by our young, hilarious Albanian tour guide. The drive itself was a bit of an adventure. The roads were narrow and winding, and on the edge of steep cliffs. There were several hair-raising moments where our driver had to perform tricky three-point turns in the middle of the road just to squeeze past buildings sticking out.

The Temple of Demeter: A 6th-century BC sanctuary made entirely of Naxian marble. It was a forerunner to the Parthenon. Below it, sits the award-winning Giroulas museum, which houses ancient sculpture fragments and a reproduction of a three-winged basilica.

• There were lizards everywhere, zipping into cracks. We noticed larger, darker ones sunning themselves on the stone walls that crisscross the island’s mountainous terrain to define property boundaries.
• Damalas Village: Home to an ancient olive press from 1850. There are over 400,000 olive trees on Naxos (half of them right here in the central valley), and almost every villager owns a plantation. We even got to see a 1,000-year-old olive tree!

• The Pottery Workshop: A 4th-generation potter showed us how they make a traditional Sfouni wine jug. He also demonstrated a “greedy cup” (or Cup of Justice). Designed by ancient Greeks to teach moderation, it works normally until you fill it past a certain line, at which point an internal siphon takes over and drains the entire drink out of the bottom onto your lap. The punishment for greed!

Chalkio & Apeiranthos: We explored the winding streets of Chalkio and popped into a citron distillery. Then, we headed to the mountainous village of Apeiranthos for lunch.

We sat at a lovely outdoor table, completely unaware that the chairs belonged to the café next door to the one we thought we were ordering from, the tables just all blended together. What crawled out of the kitchen was inedible. When we walked past the kitchen to use the restroom, we were horrified by the uncleanliness. We paid, fled, and found another café. Always check which table you’re actually sitting at!

• The Colossal Kouros: Our final stop was the beach village of Apollon, but first, we hiked up a small hill to see the Apollonas Kouros. It’s a 10.7-meter-long unfinished marble statue from the earliest days of Greek monumental sculpture, lying right there in an ancient quarry. It’s believed to represent Dionysus (or possibly Apollo).

We finished the tour with an ice cream and a paddle in the sea at Apollon before the hour-long drive back. Staring out at the terraced mountains and dramatic seascapes, I kept thinking, what on earth made ancient people look at these rugged peaks and decide to build their lives here? The answer, it turned out, was hiding right in plain sight. It wasn’t until we got back to our Airbnb and looked up at those same rugged mountains with fresh eyes that we noticed the massive, stark white gashes cutting into the high peaks. They were the ancient and modern marble quarries. For thousands of years, people have been carving world-famous, glowing white marble out of these very hills and we had been staring right at them from our own balcony the entire month without realizing it.

To cap off a great day, as our bus approached the airport, the traffic light turned red and we had to stop there on the road because a plane was landing right over our heads. It was incredibly close and cool to watch.

After seven months, I finally treated myself to a much needed haircut and style. While waiting in the salon, I picked up a magazine to pass the time. Flipping through the pages, thousands of miles away from home on a rocky island in the Aegean, my eyes landed on a feature article about the Hundertwasser toilets in Kawakawa. Pretty cool.

Next up, our absolutely favourite city.