Opa We're in Greece! Naxos and Santorini

Nikita, again with the first blog of Greece! Opa, we're here!! When planning this trip, this was one of the top destinations we were extremely excited about. For our first time here, we are venturing to the greatest hits and island hopping in the Cyclades and ending in Athens. I'm going to covering our first two islands: Naxos and Santorini. Spoiler alert, we're loving Greece so far.

Blue domes in Santorini

Getting to Naxos was a traveling feat of taxis, travel hotels, multiple flights, and a ferry. We were beat. You would think that traveling between neighboring countries would be easier, but the political tensions between Greece and Turkey are high, and there aren't a ton of options to fly between the two. We flew to Mykonos from Istanbul on an early morning flight after staying the night at an airport hotel nearby that I had stayed in 2023. I had raved to Chester about how comfortable and affordable this hotel was. It may have been great in 2023, but man, it was the worst hotel we've stayed in on this trip. Whoops. We were there for less than 12 hours, so it ended up being fine but not my finest recommendation. Our landing in Mykonos was a bit scary with the gusting northern winds known as the Meltemi, and we were glad that we would only be taking ferries throughout our time in the islands. After hearing horror stories about the Greek ferries, we were nervous about our last mode of transportation to Naxos, but it was extremely smooth, and we were there before we knew it.

Greek ferries are chaotic but weirdly organized?

Naxos

Naxos was a perfect island to start in. It's got a bit of everything: cute town, ruins, natural beauty, beautiful beaches, and great food. We divided our time staying in the main town and a more remote part of the island. 

Excited to be in Naxos!

We had joked that Oakland was a spaghetti town because none of the roads made sense. We take that back, Greek towns are truly spaghetti. Our couple days in Naxos town were spent being confused as to where we were half the time and trying to find a landmark. Our hotel host came to pick us up from the port because he knew we would have trouble finding the accommodation. He had a point. We had trouble finding it constantly when we navigated it ourselves. But that was half the fun of it. We enjoyed getting lost in the maze, checking out the local boutiques, and stumbling on restaurants we wanted to try.

Streets of Old Town Naxos

Kitty pile near our hotel

Drinks at golden hour with a view

After checking in, our first stop was to grab food at 3 pm. We've found we're really bad at getting lunch and this was no exception. My plan for Greece was wine and seafood so I was determined to get just that. That lunch was the first of many calamari dishes to be had with some dolmas and a nice crisp white to round it out. I was in heaven. We walked around a bit and explored the shops. When dinnertime came around, we were unsurprisingly still full from lunch. We found a cute cafe and enjoyed some red wine and snacks before calling the first day.

Our next day was much of the same. We started with a walk to the Temple of Apollo to get a view of the town. The winds were truly winding that day, and we were timing getting to the temple without getting hit by a wave. We spent some time walking through the town, checking out some shops, and heading to the castle on top of the hill. What was truly memorable about this day was indulging in a bouzouki show that night. The bouzouki is a type of lute popular to the Balkans, Greece, and Turkey similar to a mandolin but pitched lower. We had a great time listening to the songs, dancing with the dancers, and hearing from the producer his passion for the instrument and Greece. The songs really gave the heart and soul of Greek culture. We felt the happiness, the sorrow, the fear, and the pain, and I came away with a deeper appreciation for it.

Temple of Apollo

Naxos Town, with one side being hit by crazy waves

For the rest of our time in Naxos, we rented a car to explore the island. Our first stop with the car was to the beaches on the southern side, which the island is known for. We wanted to find a protected cove away from the wind and enjoy some Aegean Sea swimming. After fighting to keep our cheap umbrella steady, we were able to enjoy the afternoon on a white sand beach with the bluest of water. We also explored the mountain villages of Chalki, Filoti, and Apiranthos. The views from the mountains were incredible, and we were able to get a glimpse into the culture and crafts of the villages. The local economies are not only supported by tourism but also by weaving, and we bought some placemats for whatever home we land in when we get back. We also tried kitron, a Greek liqueur produced in Naxos. Another interesting thing we saw were two Kouros of Naxos, which are unfinished marble statues. They were from the sixth and seventh centuries BC and were unfinished and abandoned.

Naxos is known as kitesurfing destination with the winds

Our cheap umbrella in a moment it wasn't fighting for its life

Swim spot for the day

Kouros

Greek weaving

Kitron!

Exploring the island while fighting with the wind

I wanted to give a special shoutout to our hotel in Naxos, Petrino. This family run business was a lovely escape in the northern side of Naxos. Our room had views of the ocean, we were 5 minutes away from the beach, and they prepared some of the best food we've had in Greece thus far. Two sisters run the property and restaurant attached and were so warm and friendly. We felt like we were staying at someone's well-run home. It was a really lovely place to end our time in Naxos.

Santorini

Onwards to Santorini! We've heard all the horror stories of Santorini, and yet I still wanted to go. It took some convincing to get Chester on board, but he agreed, and he ended up enjoying it quite a bit. Let's start with the obvious. It is super touristy and very crowded. Every day there was at least one cruise ship with upwards to four. It is also extremely beautiful. How many places can you say have built entire towns on the top of a caldera? Not many. Both the beauty and the busyness reminded us of the Amalfi Coast but surprisingly a lot more navigable. Was it worth it? For the views, 100% yes, but for a peaceful Greek vacation, no.

We stayed in Imerovigli, a town nestled between the town center of Fira and the popular tourist town of Oia in an accommodation that gave us prime views of the caldera at all times of the day. It was a great spot for us to enjoy Santorini without being in the hustle and bustle constantly. We loved getting lost in the maze of the town and were in awe of the construction of the town with every hotel being on top of each other. We enjoyed the sunset every night we were there, and it's a romantic destination that allowed us to feel we were on our honeymoon again, instead of backpacking.

Complimentary white wine with the view from our hotel

Views of the caldera

Cruise ships and luxury

Imerovigli

Chester found a website with a cruise ship schedule, and we found our first full day was a day with only one cruise ship. We thought this was the best day for us to do a hike to Oia. We started early and were met with fog and cool winds that helped with the lack of shade on the hike. We made it by late morning and treated ourselves to some gelato. It was my mission to check out the iconic blue domes of the churches here. Navigating the narrow streets of Oia was a lot. We were warned that it had become overrun as a social media spot, and we saw that firsthand. All the "spots" had lines of people waiting to get the shot. While I'm a lot better in the heat than when we first started the trip, waiting in line after our hike wasn't something I wanted to do. We were able to get some pictures but no iconic shots for us. We ended this day with over 21k steps, which we haven't hit since Italy.

Hike to Oia

Church along the hike

Oia views

Lines for the "shot"

The next day, we rented an ATV for the day to check out some of the beaches on the other side of the island. While a popular way to get around the Greek islands, it wasn't our favorite. I personally didn't like being exposed like that and was a bit traumatized from falling off one during my college senior cruise. We survived without falling! We made our way over to the Red Beach, Black Beach, and then drove through the beach clubs. Unfortunately, our cheap umbrella was no match for the winds this day. We got some good swimming in and enjoyed chicken souvlaki at a tavern on the beach. A chill and relaxing day.

Red Beach

Black Beach

Solo hike to Skaros Rock

Overall Santorini was beautiful! We enjoyed the views, drank some good white wine, ate lots of gyros, and had some good R&R. We're both glad we went but also felt ready for our next destination.  

Reflections

There's a lot to love about Greece. The sheer beauty of the islands and the sea are not to be missed. Sitting on top of the caldera in Santorini will never get old. Swimming in the Mediterranean is something I will miss when we go home. The Pacific offers a lot but it doesn't come close for good swimming. The people are genuinely kind and friendly. Tourism on the islands is nothing new for the Greeks, and it feels they have it on lock. They are excited about our business and are enthusiastic to show us their islands. We are also encountering a lot more Americans here than in other countries we have visited, which has been refreshing. Sometimes I miss the friendliness of Americans and the feel of home.

We can say that we are starting to feel homesick. I'm feeling some ambivalence about coming back. While this trip has been a dream come true for me, it's also been hard in a lot of ways. The comfort of home is something I don't take for granted. However, there is a part of me that isn't quite ready to get back into the thick of reality. I might feel different in a couple months, but this focus on myself, my relationship with Chester, and travel has been transformative. We catch ourselves repeatedly saying, "wow, we've done and seen a lot." And we have. I don't think I would've been able to see the things I have if I hadn't planned this dedicated time for it. 2 week vacations every year wouldn't allow me the same level of depth. We really have the gift of time right now. I'm in my feels and am feeling very grateful for this period of our lives. Stay tuned for the next one, where we celebrate love!