Naxos, Cyclades, Greece

Naxos is a charming island in the Cyclade Islands to the south of the Greek mainland. It is a large island with great beaches, mountain villages, and ancient ruins. A rental car is necessary for seeing much of what this island has to offer. The people are very friendly and welcoming. It’s quite a family friendly place too. The feel of this place is “unresorty” and non-touristic. Rather it feels normal and non-exclusive. The other thing I noticed about this part of Europe is that nearly everyone smokes or vapes. It seems so European. Almost makes me want an after dinner cigarette. When I look around, it looks like a very pleasant experience.

Many of the beaches are family friendly place. Probably because parents don’t have to worry too much about their kids being swept away by the surf.
Wind surfing is big on certain parts of the island. The winds are fairly consistent and predictable. The land mass far across the water is the island of Paros.
Great place for lunch on the drive to one of the mountain villages. This little place was called Rotunda. Not for those folks suffering from acrophobia.
500 Year old olive trees just outside the little mountain village. Hard to fathom that these trees were nothing more than mere saplings when the famous portrait of Mona Lisa was painted by DaVinci in the 1500s.
Village street on the higher interior part of the island. It appears as though everyone here is on holiday. Plenty of day-drinking, and of course smoking.
Naxos town in the distance. Although it appears to be a large town, it has only 12,000 inhabitants.
Evening scene at a popular restaurant in Naxos Town. Seventy-five percent of the restaurants’ dining space is alfresco.
These guys create some magical dishes at the Del Mar Cafe. The lasagna was so light it just about floated off the plate.
Another hotel I loved. Only 12 rooms and just a 4 minute walk to my new favorite restaurant noted above.
Fabulous greek fair offered by a fabulous greek family. At first I was just walking by, then I was drawn into it by the allure of the aromas and the vibe.
Here I am inside. This was a great traditional greek restaurant owned by the Giannoulis Family. I have found that the house wines served at most of these restaurants, while not in jeopardy of winning any awards, are very drinkable and perfect with almost all of the cuisine served. So much so that it was the rare dinner experience where we consumed less than 1.5 liters. About a 750ml bottle per person. Also important to note is that no adverse consequences were experienced the next morning. I love this country.

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Craig

Born in New Jersey in 1956. Lives in Colorado and travels the world.

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