Crete was not made for sleeping! I was exhausted before, and the thin walls, early morning booming music and late nights were catching up. I had everything crossed for Naxos to provide some peace. If I could get there – the weather warnings were out in force, and not knowing what the ferries were like I didn’t know if I’d be going anywhere! However, after escaping to Rethymno the previous day (see Greece – A Cretan Introduction) the storms never arrived and, email in hand, I set off for the port (easily walkable from Iraklion town).

A huge car ferry awaited me – a new itinerary according to our Airbnb host – which goes to Naxos via Santorini and Ios over about 4 hours. The seats were comfortable, the aircon cool and best of all, there was soya milk for tea! The first hour was really choppy, and my headphones couldn’t drown out the noise of people vomiting everywhere, but fortunately it did settle down. The first stop was Santorini and it was really cool to see the famous cadella and the hike up to the town which awaited me next week!

Arrival into Naxos is really cool with the temple of Apollo standing proudly on it’s own islet surrounded by sea which is the kind of blue that lets you know you’re on holiday. My guesthouse was slightly out of the town up along a cliff-edge dirt track in Grotta, which perches on the precipice overlooking the town and sea. It is beautiful. My room at Magic View was gorgeous with a shared terrace overlooking the sea, comfy bed, fridge and bathroom. Not bad for €20 a night. The host, Maria, couldn’t do enough for me including letting me have a late check out for free and lending me a little water heater for my morning tea. I spent the day wandering the gorgeous town, looking round the supermarkets (of which there are many) picking up some bits for brekkie – including soya milk and yoghurts – yay! I checked out the options for the next day including a daytrip to Delos and Mykonos for €50. I decided to book it as the good ol’ LP described an amazing world heritage site, even if it didn’t include lunch. I tried to find the travel agents where I had seen the trip and got completely lost! I found the cathedral, dead-end alleys and staircases that literally led nowhere, it was like the Labyrinth!

I found it eventually, and celebrated with a lovely dinner of stuffed peppers and butterbeans whilst the burning red sun dipped in the sky. As pure coincidence, the seat I had chosen gave me the most amazing view of the sun through a tiny window of a church on the harbour! It just felt like I was meant to be there – a truly meaningful, breathtaking moment.

Day 2 –Daytripper – Delos and Mykonos

Day 3 began with a leisurely breakfast on the terrace whilst scouring the LP for the best way to spend my last day. And reportedly no trip to Naxos would be complete without an excursion to Filoti and Halki.  The bus was due at 11:30 from outside the port, so I wandered down and bought a ticket from the office on the opposite side of the road (you can’t purchase them on the bus). There was quite a group waiting, I hoped they weren’t all doing what I was doing.

The plan was to get the bus to Filoti, wander round the town and then walk down the slope to Halki and get the last bus at 4:30. The journey was epic! Amazing scenery, old remnants of churches dotted about, wild hairpin turns with sheer drops, all at 50 mph! We stopped along the way to pick up some folks. There’s a really great moment between the driver and the passenger; the passenger holds out their ticket as they board, and the driver rips it and keeps half. Its such a brief and yet established bond that requires both parties to uphold their part. I love the intimacy of it. The lady next to me was signing crosses at every sharp turn – I hoped this wasn’t based on previous experience!  She got off literally in the middle of nowhere with 3 large bags – where was she going?!? Another lady got on and started having a long conversation with the driver and handed him a packet which I thought were photos. I assumed they were related or something. But later I realised that he was delivering letters for her! Driver slash postman! Brilliant.

Filoti was pretty but small. The museum and church were both closed, and after walking 10 minutes in each direction and sampling a delicious orange juice I’d run out of things to do! I did have a lovely chat with an elderly chap called Zos who told me that Naxos doesn’t have tourists, it has family. How awesome is that?! I did find these though:

I felt lots of eyes on me, which may have been my short shorts. My shoulders were covered but I guess a fairly provincial town might have quite conservative views. I would dress respectfully if you visit. My bad. I also was aware of how the locals communicated – via horn! 1 beep for hello, 2 for how’s it going and 3 for see you later!

I started my ‘descent’ to Halki, all 2 kms down the main road with no pavement. Its pretty enough with its views of mountains and fields, but be warned the cars drive at any speed they want – usually break-neck! About halfway down I spotted a sign pointing towards a narrow lane that I thought translated as ‘Halki 15 minutes’. So I thought, why not? It took me past some very old dilapidated houses, and church and a farm, where I stopped to have lunch in the shade of an olive tree. As I carried on walking, the lane split in 2. The right was a dead end. And the left took me into a field full of sheep! I was a bit scared at first, til I remembered ‘oh right, they’re just sheep’. But the path just turned into gravel and I couldn’t see where it led. So I went back to the road. And was in Halki in 15 minutes! Coincidence??

Now the LP said that no trip to Naxos was complete without a trip to Halki. Well I hate to be a party pooper but mine wouldn’t have suffered without it! It was a very cute village with some lovely shops and restaurants, but it was tiny. I think its a great starting point for some walks, and I tried to follow a few paths, but being alone and climbing broken bridges and piles of nettles, I quickly admitted defeat. So I settled for some delicious traditional orange cake instead.

The bus home was rammed and had an extremely loud Canadian girl talking about all her adventures. To celebrate my time in Naxos I went back to the first restaurant with the setting sun and had a goodbye fish supper – but I couldn’t eat it as they were babies and all had heads on! So like the Pied Piper I delivered fish and squid to all the neighbourhood cats! Probably the best dinner they’d had in a while!

Naxos was a truly magical experience, so warm and homely. The people were all wonderfully welcoming. You could just enjoy getting lost there! Ferries run from Crete, Ios and Santorini 3-5 days a week and start at 18 euros. Accommodation and food were very reasonable. A daytrip to Delos and Mykonos is 50 euros and departs most days from the smaller harbour next to the ferry port. There is also a bus tour around the island for 25 euros. All available from any of the tour offices in the town and all offer similar prices. I recommend staying in Grotta as it is quieter and an easy 10 minute walk to the town. Naxos felt safe as a lone traveller. This definitely belongs on your ‘to do’ list.