Naxos and Santorini, nearing the end of the season – it’s all good!

We took the slow ferry ⛴ from Paros to Naxos and it was a very pleasant 40 minute ride as the slow ferries seem like cruise ships. After picking up our rental car in the harbor, we stopped for lunch before heading to our apartment. We texted our host and he said that he was already at the apartment and could we please hurry as he needed to leave in 5 minutes!?! I knew we were close but there were many one-way streets in the area so I suggested to Terri that she should take off on foot (3 minutes according to google) and that I would meet her there with the rental car (10 minutes according to Google). Terri immediately took off in the wrong direction but Google turned her around eventually. We both arrived at the apartment at about the same time but our host, Nikos, was no where in sight. Evidently Google had directed Terri through some pretty odd places including a private residence with a barking dog 🐕 that Terri wanted nothing to do with. Nikos soon showed-up and gave us a quick review of our apartment. Our place in Naxos was right on a windy beach and I asked Nikos if there were any kite surf shops nearby? “No and there is no kite surfing on this beach, only wind surfing!” was his reply. Astonished 😳😲😡, I felt discriminated against! So far, the first hour on Naxos was not going great!

Naxos has the highest peak of all of the Cyclades Islands so, naturally, our hiking destination was predetermined; Mount Zas. We drove to a small hillside chapel that was supposedly the best place to start the hike. It was cool and foggy up on the mountain but we didn’t have time to wait. There were some trails leading up the mountain but they were blocked by gates. Our research indicated that we might encounter gates but just to through them as they are to keep the goats corralled. The hike was steep and it took us about two hours to reach the summit. We never saw another person on the way up but had lots of goats 🐐 to keep us company. All along the trail we could hear their bells jangling around their necks and occasionally we would get close before they scampered off. Although foggy at times, the hike was beautiful and made better by the goats in the mist.

We took the fast ferry to Santorini and it was still a two hour ride but it gave me a chance to write the previous blog, (as I write this blog we are flying to Rome). From the harbor, we caught a shuttle to the airport to pick-up our rental car. The guy at Goldcar Rental refused to rent me a car because I didn’t have an international drivers license. I explained, that not only had I already been renting cars throughout Europe but that I had also rented from his company successfully without an international drivers license, still, he would not rent me a car and neither would the other agencies at the airport. Crap! With few options, Terri and I rented a private shuttle 💰💰to take us to our hotel on the south side of the island. The shuttle driver was quite nice, gave us a lot of recommendations for restaurants, sunset views, things to do and Santorini history – the private shuttle wasn’t a bad option after all.

Our hotel was beautiful and sat on a wide and long black sand beach. A real treat for us was that they included a buffet breakfast – no Matt made coffee and Terri’s Musli (granola) for 3 days!

With no rental car, we caught the local bus to Fira and then walked the rugged cliffs the almost 8 miles to Oia at the north end of the island. It is a beautiful hike, starting in the crowded (there were 4 cruise ships in harbor) Fira we quickly found ourselves hiking in quiet solitude with breathtaking views. We had to catch 2 city buses to get home but they run regularly and are cheap, we really didn’t need a rental car after all.

The next day, tired and sore in a few spots, we hiked up to the ancient city of Thira. This hike was not long but was very vertical. The city itself is surprisingly well preserved for being almost 2500 years.

Santorini was closing down as a tourist destination, many tavernas and restaurants were closed or on their last days of the season. It seemed crazy to us! The weather was still good, I swam in the ocean everyday yet all around us preparations for winter were being made. Our hotel, the Aqua Blue, was closing for the season the day after we left.

Santorini: we loved it!

Next stop: Rome, Italy 🇮🇹