Day 15 Naxos to Athens

September 13, 2023

We were up early and after a shower and coffee, we retraced our steps from when we were here last with our good friends Pam and Bruce Davies. I easily found where we stayed last time in a multi level Airbnb. It brought back so many fun memories, particularly the time we ran out of wine (surprise) and Bruce ran down to the local taverna to fill up our wine bottle with wine from their barrel - out of a spigot, which I believe cost €4. Forever known as spigot wine.

We walked over to see the Portara, which is the remains of the Temple of Apollo. Winds were very strong today and the water was rough. It was splashing onto the narrow walk up to the Portara so we decided not to climb up. The town was a lot calmer than when we arrived yesterday evening. Today is the ferry strike so the port was quiet. We passed a taverna with octopus drying. This is done so that when grilled, it crisps up. Many tavernas have huge basil bushes outside. Hornets hate basil, so I’m guessing it’s to keep them away.

Our accommodation included a key to get up to the roof terrace where I took some pictures of the town. Back to our place for breakfast and another pack for our 1 o’clock flight to Athens. We have come to the conclusion that our next trip will be with carry-on. Our host drove us to Naxos airport, tiny. Our flight to Athens was a little short of 45 minutes. We waited by the bus depot for our hotel shuttle amongst the throngs of group travellers getting on coaches. The shuttle took the narrow country roads, past vineyards and olive groves to Rafina, a half hour somewhat wild ride. The four story hotel was like entering the lap of luxury. Finally, an elevator. Jill asked for a top floor room, with a balcony, overlooking the ocean. Room 417 - awesome. The room was tight but very modern, with a good shower and comfy beds. It was the most expensive room of our journey, but what a nice way to end our Greek Odyssey. We are happy as Larry.

I switched from black T-shirt to white T-shirt to check out the tavernas along the port. They all looked good but we decided to have a celebratory dinner on our last night at the hotel. We walked to a large supermarket and bought a bottle of South African Chenin Blanc from the cooler to enjoy on our balcony. I also found some black figs. 

On every island, I looked for figs. I was told, to my disappointment, that the fig season was over ten days ago. I thought I had found some in Koufonissi and I bought four. They were hard. When I cut into them, I realized they were small brown skinned pears. I didn’t give up. Finally, I found some in Athens.

We had the last of our olives, cheese, salami and crackers to enjoy with the Chenin blanc wine, It is delicious. The cool sea breeze, wine, snacks, a great sea view and being with the love of my life, heaven.

We both packed some good clothes which we hadn’t worn. We decided to get dressed up for dinner at the hotel and splurge. We ordered a bottle of Prosecco, shared lobster and crab tortellini in a lobster bisque and shared a thin crust pizza with prosciutto, arugula, roasted tomatoes and cheese, it was delicious. We were surprised by a dessert, on the house, a heart shaped chocolate covered mousse with a candle. What a lovely dinner with my honey to end our Greek Odyssey.

Day 14 Amorgos to Naxos

September 12, 2023

We started our last day in Amorgos with coffee. I had a double Greek coffee, sweet and Jill an Americana, black. The coffee in Greece is absolutely delicious. Greek coffee is boiled with very finely ground coffee at the bottom. It is served several ways - black, semi-sweet and sweet. Boiling causes it to develop a rich crema on the top, which adds to the deliciousness. 

We walked south away from the port and took some beautiful pictures of the Katapola area of Amorgos. The rocks on the island are unusual and beautiful - I love rocks, they are a wonderment to me.

We’ve seen lots of wild goats in Amorgos along the steep cliffs and some standing on the bushes eating the green tops. The island has 25,000 goats. Not surprising to see goat on many menus. And of course, lots of cats, obviously not on the menu lol. Cats are well fed by the locals however, it doesn’t stop them from coming around when you’re eating. However, they can be picky eaters.

We checked out of our room at 11 and walked up to the church and around the many paths until lunch time. We settled on a taverna with cushions. The wicker seats on traditional Greek chairs are hard on one’s bottom and not comfortable. We were ready for some comfort since our fast ferry was due at 3. We started our lunch with two Alpha beers, 500 ml for €3.50, a bargain compared to back home. I once again had calamari, probably my favourite seafood and Jill, Saganaki cheese, her favourite. We had to get our fill before going home. We asked if we could stay longer at the restaurant and they said, “as long as you want”, so we pulled out our scrabble board, epic game and Jill won again, by a hair. 

Our Aussie built, Highspeed 4 ferry was half an hour late. It is a catamaran, so it nicely cut through the four to six foot swells, which were the biggest we have seen on this trip. We got some good news from our host in Naxos, he credited our visa with one night accommodation because the cancelled ferry yesterday was not our fault. He didn’t have to do that since our room was non refundable. 

The ferry stopped to pickup many passengers in Koufonissi that were stranded because of the cancellations yesterday and also those trying to make it back to Athens before the strike tomorrow. It was nice to look out at our favourite island one more time. 

Our host in Naxos met us at the port. Our plan was to buy a whole fish for dinner but we were too late. We found a grocery store amidst the chaos of Naxos. It has changed a lot since we were here eight years ago. We still had garlic, a small onion, a little bit of parsley and thought maybe we should make peasant pasta again. The walk through the grocery store inspired us. We bought cherry tomatoes, heavy cream, and smoked salmon to complete our spaghetti dinner. It was delicious. Tomorrow we fly to Athens for a one night stay in Rafina, a suburb of Athens, by the seaside and then home.