Another lovely morning dawned and we went for a stroll on the beach before breakfast.
After a hearty meal, we grabbed the day pack and set off to explore the island. We walked along the harbour front and reached the bus station from where we took the bus to the village of Apeiranthos.
We passed through the town of Chalki, which is famous for its Kitron distillery, before reaching the village of Filoti, which is the starting point for many hikes through the lush Tragaia valley. These police officers at a cafe seemed content with some hot coffee in the verdant shade.
From Filoti, the bus climbed upwards, allowing for some great views.
The village of Apeiranthos lies about an hour away from Naxos town. Its paved entirely with marble.
We felt drawn deep into rural country living, Greek style. This is as slow paced as it gets. We walked around the village, with no specific agenda, just happy to feel time slowing down, and stress melting away.
We stopped at this cafe overlooking the valley and just chilled for about an hour, doing absolutely nothing.
Apeiranthos' unique telephone kiosk !
We walked back to the bus stop, which is also where finds this touching memorial to soldiers in WWII.
As we leave Apeiranthos, we see the wind turbines on the crest of the hill.
The bus goes onwards and ends up in the coastal village of Apollon, known for its unfinished "kouros" or marble statue, about 10 feet long.
We returned to Naxos and decided to have lunch on the beach at the hotel itself, and it was a really good meal. Afternoon siesta beckoned and we didn't argue.
The evening was looking promising from a sunset point of view, even more spectacular than the previous day, so we decided to head back to the Portara. Something about that spot just resonated with me.
We walked back to town and had a pizza dinner at Susanna's which was a bit overhyped, I think. It was too early to go back, and we were well rested, so we walked around town, stopping for dessert at the Waffle House.
Something about the sea breeze that induces sleep I think, as our bodies signalled that more rest would be a good thing, and accordingly, we headed back to the hotel.
We packed up our stuff for the departure the next morning, read our books and slipped away into deep sleep.
