Greece 2022 - Day 11: All roads lead to Naxos

We spent our last full day on Naxos exploring as much of the island as possible.  After breakfast, we took the “highway” heading north of Chora (Naxos Town).  When I say highway, I actually mean narrow winding coastal road with sheer drop offs and no guard rails. 

I just can't get enough of the Greek yogurt with honey!  The local oranges are amazing too!

Our first stop was in the town of Eggares to visit the olive press museum.  The museum features original tools and equipment dating back to the 1800’s, along with information about the traditional process of making olive oil.

We continued on the winding roads making frequent stops to take in the scenic vistas along the way.  At one point, we spotted a beautiful little cove with a small church tucked up against the cliffs, we decided to check it out.  The turn off was an extremely steep, narrow, rutted out dirt track that once we hit it, we thought it was perhaps best not to risk our lives to see the cove.  Just as Ian was backing the car out of the dirt road, a local came along on a little scooter.  He waited for us to back out, then asked “beach?”.  When we nodded “yes”, he then balled his fist up in what we have come to believe is the Greek sign for affirmation and said “yes, is good!".  He sped off down the dirt track on his scooter, and off we went behind him, albeit a little slower.   We were rewarded with the most amazing sights!  We think the cove was named Campos.

After we crawled our way back out of the cove on the dirt track with the car stalling out several times in first gear, we were back on the highway continuing north.  Next stop, the Tower of Ayia.  Sadly, the site was closed, but we were able to get a few pics.  It’s estimated the tower was built in the 17^th century during the years of Venetian and Ottomon rule.  The Tower of Agia was originally a summer home for a wealthy family.  Like most retreat homes of wealthy families of the era, the Tower of Agia is situated in an area that would not be easily accessible in case of pirate attacks.

We carried on around the northern tip of the island making a short stop just outside the town of Apollonas to see an ancient marble quarry and the unfinished statue of Dionysus.  The marble quarry is one of the oldest quarries in Greece.  It is a typical surface quarry where stone objects would have been cut directly out of the cliff or the ground surface.

Somewhere between Apollonas and the next town called Mesi, we came across a lady on the side of the road frantically flagging us down.  We stopped to see if she needed help.  She had apparently been hiking the hills outside Apollanas and found the 30 plus degree heat to be too much.  She had been standing on the side of the road for 10 minutes waiting for a car to come by.  We offered her a lift.  We dropped her at the next town, Mesi, where she could catch a bus back to Apollanas.

Apollonas

We then headed inland through the mountains stopping at a little town called Coronas that is built into the side of the mountain.  We didn’t spend a lot of time here as it was a bit of a ghost town.  We found it a bit creepy.

 

We drove through Apiranthos, the traditional mountain town we had visited a couple of days ago, looking for the turn off to Moutsouna, the little fishing village we meant to visit 2 days ago, but ended up on Lionas instead.  This time, we took the right road and after 20 minutes of more narrow, mountainous roads with countless switchbacks, we arrived in Moutsouna.  The town was super cute, but didn’t have quite the charm or beauty that Lionas had for us.  Moutsouna appeared to be more of an active fishing village with boats tied up at the wharfs that looked like they had been out at sea earlier in the morning.

 

There were several tavernas along the water offering fresh caught fish and seafood.  Since it was mid afternoon and we hadn’t eaten since breakfast, we decided to stop in for a snack.  The beer served in frozen glasses were welcomed after driving through the mountains where the temperatures had topped 37 degrees.  We shared a plate of “aromatic potatoes”, or fries dressed with a variety of fresh herbs, olive oil and lemon juice, and a serving of fried small fish.  The potatoes were amazing and the fish super fresh.

And of course, after our meal, we were offered complimentary Panna Cotta for dessert, along with a glass of ice-cold lemon raki... 

 

After leaving Moutsouna, and before heading back to Chora, we took a small, dirt side road to an inlet called Asalas that we had kept seeing from high up on the mountain highway.  The thing that drew our attention was the turquoise blue waters and the large rock formations jutting out into the ocean.

 

On the way back to Chora, or Naxos Town, we stopped at a little village called Chalkio where we spotted a few little shops selling local art.  The most interesting shop was one selling sculptures made from local Naxian marble, featureing the classic Cycladic figurines. 

Back in Chora, we returned the rental car and had a bit of a rest in the apartment before heading out to stroll around the Old Town one more time before leaving tomorrow.  We may have found some cute kittens on our walk...

For dinner, we decided to try a place called Boulamatsis which our Airbnb host had recommended.  The restaurant is owned by two brothers who took over the business from their father.  The meal had an exceptionally high-quality home cooking feel.  Sticking with our daily ritual, we started with a Greek salad and Tzatziki.  I had the Moussakas and Ian opted for the chicken souvlaki.  The Moussaka was so thick an luscious.  It was probably the best I have ever had.  Ian’s chicken was perfectly marinated and exceptionally juicy. 

  

Dessert was complimentary flan-type of cake...

We have enjoyed every minute of the 4 days we’ve spent here on Naxos.  We're sad to be leaving this amazing little island, but excited to be moving on to the next chapter of our Greek odyssey.