Naxos, Greece

Jan said the crew had a rough time docking this morning (2 a.m.), but I slept through it. Naxos is the largest of the Cyclade Islands and is less touristy. We docked right at the main town and it is a convenient walk to shopping, taverns, etc. Coffee was a little weak this morning but only a comment to Eko and he prepared a fresh pot of good coffee. One of the good things about small ship cruising is that the crew and captain are very accessible. They will always take time to talk with you. The chef is very nice and you can sign up to receive copies of recipes that you like.


We took a guided walk along a hill town about 15 minutes from the harbor. It was a nice walk and good to get out into the countryside. We visited an ancient quarry and found an unfinished colossal statue of a man that was from around 600 BC. Jan and I volunteered to walk behind the group to catch any stragglers (at Maria’s request). I would not make a good tour group leader.


We returned to the ship and took a nap, after having two restless nights. I never know if it’s called going back to bed or taking a nap if it’s before lunch. Oh well, we got up in time for lunch. Again, it was a wonderful meal. After lunch we headed out own our on to explore the island of Naxos. We walked along the harbor and quickly found the old city which consisted of narrow, winding, walkways and beautiful old buildings. We have taken lots of pictures of interesting doors on this trip!


For dinner we were taken to the home of a Greek family. They told us that the feast they prepared for us was a typical dinner. They fed 23 people. The appetizers were cucumber, tomatoes, and pepper salad, grilled zucchini and peppers, boiled potatoes and zucchini with olive oil and lemon, spaghetti and meat sauce, green beans, cheese, something that looked like quiche, and other things that I can’t remember. The main course was roasted chicken and potatoes, and dessert was more cheese, watermelon, and cake. Their home was lovely, just as they were.


When we returned to the ship, several local folks dancers came aboard and entertained us with song and dance. They managed to get most of us up to dance with them. We’ll keep those photos out of the blog!