Day 6: we leave for Naxos
We wake up today to a cloudy sky and strong winds. They die down quickly and a bit of cloudiness still let’s through amazing light. I would think this would be a fabulous place for an artist to create.
We enjoy our breakfast again on our terrace as I struggle with the wifi.
Time to leave and we make our way to the port to await our high speed ferry on Hellenic. Although the view was spectacular, I am not unhappy to leave.
We look forward to Naxos and resting on the beach for a few days. I am not sure if I would have wanted to stay in Santorini for a whole week as most people were doing that we met. Maybe not in Oia anyways, the view, caves and cliffs are spectacular, but it so busy and no beaches. The space is such at a premium that all the pools are very small, and there are definitely too many weddings! I forgot to mention that yesterday’s new word was Yamas for cheers but do not say it if you are not looking in each other eyes!
As we wait for our transfer minivan to arrive, we chat with the luggage guy who is from Romania and he tells us about his country. Sounds like we have to go to Carpathian. The region where the Danube meets the Black Sea and creates a delta. The region with Dracula’s castle!! He speaks 5 languages and just graduated with a degree in hostellerie. Every summer he interned in a different country and has already experienced so much! Very neat!
We take the same road down to the port.
We take the same road down to the port.
I am happy with the fact that the ferry ride is half the time but the business class lounge is definitely not as nice as on the blue star and not worth it. No electric outlets or wifi so I can not charge all my electronics or upload yesterday’s blog again. Drag!
The view from the back of the boat is again very nice. There is a dog trapped in a cage, barking constantly. Not happy!
We arrive in Hora,Naxos and again the disembarkation is quite something! Here we see the blue that Greece is so famous for. I do not know if it is the place or the temperature that brings this colour to the sea but it is magnificient.
Our ride to Pyrgaki is about 30 minutes, We drive though a very different scenery of hills and valleys and small village. We arrive to Finnikas hotel via a dirt/sandy road to a beautiful hotel right on the beach. We are greeted by a super nice receptionist who comes greet us at the taxi and are served Kytron which is a liquor made here on the island similar to Limoncello. The method of distillery and the liquor dates back to ancient Greece!
She explains all the different things to see on the island including the nearby secluded beach that you can reach only on foot and are within the nearby cedar forest. The sunset from the “Hawai” beach is supposed to be spectacular. As she takes us to our suite, she points out that all the hedges and bushes are herbs that are used by the restaurant. We also come to a 900 year old cedar with a vine growing on it. The legend is that the marriage with the vine is what is keeping the cedar alive for so long.
After a delicious lunch at the restaurant where I experience the best fish soup I have ever had.
we settle in our beautiful suite and I go for a dip in the salt water pool and a walk on the beach while Chuck reads his book on the balcony.
Although it is quite windy and cloudy, we decide to walk to the secluded beach (about 10 minutes) and are well rewarded.
The beaches are spectacular, at the bottom of a small cliff, the sand is is great and the view awesome. Chuck decides to go for a dip amongst the strong waves and I take pictures. We stay until the sunsets and make our way back to the hotel.
We are excited to try the famous catch of the day at the restaurant for dinner. Each day, local fisherman bring fishes caught that day for this treat. The chef is a greek-canadian and specializes in fish. The waiter brings to the table a plate with 3 fishes that were caught that day for us to select. We try the Sfirava. They are from the grouper family and he tells us about each of the variety which are local to the mediteranean. The fish is then grilled for a few minutes and then put in the oven with a bit of olive oil and salt. It arrives at the table whole and the waiter then prepares it for us. It is accompanied with a butter-lemon sauce and local vegetable. Absolutely delicious. We do not leave one bite!
We are now told that a storm is coming and that Sunday they are not certain that the high speed boat will run. We have to decide tomorrow which ferry to book that will have more chance to leave!
We rent a car to go explore the island tomorrow and visit the Mountain where Zeus is believed to have been raised and hidden from the god as a child as well as the Kytron distillery.
Off to bed we go 🙂
Posted on September 27, 2014, in Travels, Trip to Greece and tagged fish, fish soup, high speed ferries, high winds, naxos, pyrgaki, sunset. Bookmark the permalink. Leave a comment.
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