Last days in Naxos.........

Guess where Den wants to go next year! We have completely fallen head over heels in love with Naxos ~ the sandy beaches that go on for miles, the little villages with spectacular views, the freshest food, the homemade wine, sipping warm rakomelo at a little bar with a view of the harbour, and most of all the people ~ the warmest, friendliest, most genuine and accommodating people we have ever met.  In the face of financial hardship and adversity, their first concern is always making sure we are enjoying ourselves and that we have everything we could possibly need.  From Stelios, the owner of our little family run hotel, who took time from his busy day last Friday to pick us up at the airport and wouldn't take any payment, to Tasos, our guide and taxi driver who did everything he could to make sure we had an unforgettable day visiting his island on Tuesday, to Anna, who cooks up simple and delicious food at her little taverna near Plaka beach while taking care of her sweet little kids, to the many bar and restaurant owners who have offered us a drink, a dessert, an extra taste to make our time more special, to everyone we meet on the streets who greet us with a smile and a yassas.  They have stolen our hearts and we will ensure we manage to come back here soon, to spend even longer on this wonderful island where you are treated like family.

We had a wonderful dinner at Labyrinth in old town Naxos on Friday night after Den took his many pictures of the sunset near the Portara.  Like last year, we couldn't go right up due to high winds and the sea sweeping over the walking linking the town and the Portara, but the views (and pictures) were still stunning.

Den had a great spinach salad with huge shareds of parmesan to start with and I had a food orgasm over my oyster mushrooms in a cream sauce.  Den chose a seafood risotto for his main and I  had homemade parpadelle with sun dried tomatoes, pine nuts and spinach.  We enjoyed a very smooth bottle of red wine from the Peloponnese area of Greece.

Lovely Labyrinth in old town Naxos

We spent Saturday and Sunday at Plaka beach, enjoying the sunshine, the warm sea, and more of Anna's delicious home made food.  We also treated ourselves to a couple of massages on the beach and we enjoyed walking along the beach hand in hand, drinking in these delicious moments and trying to imprint them on our brains so we can come back to them again and again during our long, cold, dark Canadian winters.

Dinner last night was at SottoVento on St George beach ~ it's run by a Parisian couple (!) and we had great pizza cooked in their wood burning oven.  Our waiter, Edward, is from Albania and we spend almost an hour talking with him about many different subjects.  His struggle to make a better life for his family over the last 20 years certainly put our life into perspective.  The human spirit is amazingly strong and the desire for freedom can overcome many adversities.  Getting to  know him a little bit made our trip that much better and gave us an insight into what makes people tick around the world.  In the end, we all want the same things ~ love, security for our family, peace and to make the world a better place for our children and grandchildren.  I'll leave you with these pictures from our last few days:

Goodbye Naxos, hello Santorini tomorrow......