Mythos [a Cycladic travel diary, pt. I]

Naxos and Amorgos (Greece), 9-20/09/21

A few years ago I saw the photos my dear friends Karolis and Joana took in Naxos. I was instantly blown away. It was a mix of wilderness, dramatic coastlines, scenic views, an off the beaten track feeling, solitary long beaches inviting you to strip down naked and skinny dip and a pure warm Greek island soul. Did they simply do a great job capturing the best of the island or was it really what its true essence was about? I felt like, sooner or later, I would have had to find it out on my own.

After mine and Christoph’s spring holiday in Mexico and the whole overwhelming experience to unite my pretty hardcore to his way more chilled way of travelling and find some kind of balance through it, I thought that, as much as I’m always thirsty for an exotic adventure, a closer location could be the right pick.

Somewhere smaller, warm, easy to explore and where both my FOMO and Christoph’s need to slow down could coexist. As those stunning pictures came back to my mind, I texted Joana and asked if my idea sounded doable: 10 days spent between Naxos and another small Cycladic island, all explored on a rented car without much planning ahead of time. The excitement in the vocal message she sent back left me no doubt.

Not even two weeks after moving in into our first flat together, we packed our backpacks on a late night and hopped on a plane determined to take a break from all the drama and tension we had accumulated in the short time we lived together.

Did our expectations live up to those pictures?

Day 1: Athens

Not even two years after visiting the greek capital, here I was again. This time around with Christoph, who’d never been to Greece, and a very heavy head because of the previous night’s lack of sleep. We immediately checked in in our charming hostel, Athens Quinta, where we booked a very affordable double room which happened to be directly in the cozy courtyard. The neighbourhood, Exarchia, by total chance, turned out to be the same that I fell in love with when I previously visited. Narrow dark streets connected by plants invaded and stray cats inhabited alleys, home to several small restaurants, cafes and bars, which all seemed to be locals favourites. We immediately wore lighter outfits and hit the road to meet Vangelis and Linda, two of Christoph’s students, who waited for us at the 360 cocktail bar in Monastiraki. Being greeted with the most energetic welcome and catching up while marvelling at panoramic view on the Acropolis felt surreal, especially knowing that few hours earlier we were freezing our asses off in Berlin! As we said goodbye, we went straight to the Acropolis, where, the beauty and majesty of the Parthenon, the Propylaea, the Erechtheion and the Temple of Athena Nike made us soon forget about our sleepiness. We strolled around the touristic Plaka and eventually made it back to our neighbourhood and grabbed dinner at the delicious Oxo Nou, a Cretan restaurant. With that sweet feeling of a day that went beyond our expectations and filled with excitement for the awareness that we were just at the beginning, we called the day.

Day 2-3: Chora – Agios Prokopios

On our second day we set the alarm pretty early to have breakfast without rushing and still managed to almost miss the 5 hour ferry from Athens Piraeus harbour to Naxos.

The first impression of our destination was pretty lush, even though our host didn’t show up to pick us up as he previously promised. When he finally came around, he drove us to our accommodation, a small one bedroom flat close to Mikri Vigla, also known as the kitesurfer paradise. We rushed immediately to the beach where we acknowledged the reasons behind Mikri Vigla’s reputation: the wind blew relentlessly, making it maybe not the warmest spot for a late afternoon stop. Filled with excitement, I asked the local kitesurfing school for an estimate for a day training. Well, I swiftly had to admit to myself that NO, that was definitely way out of my budget. Another sport created for rich people basically. A disappointment that our first delicious island dinner on the beach made me easily forget about.

Early alarm for us to make it to Chora on a bus and pick one of the many car rental around the main island hub and for a good chance to get a first taste of those traditional Cycladic bougainvillea dotted white narrow alleys before the city woke up. And yep, the city didn’t come to life anyway before 11 AM. Enough time to buy myself some freshly baked bread at a local bakery in the old market and to get the first of our heavy breakfasts. One of our first thoughts: wasn’t Greece meant to be cheap? Eating out seemed not to be any cheaper than in most restaurants in Berlin!

We opted to rent a car since relying on public transports in order to reach the island’s most remote corners appeared too unrealistic and, quite frankly, an utter waste of time. Off we went to one of the closest beaches: Agios Prokopios, a pretty packed touristic one (as most of the ones just around Chora), that still offered crystal clear waters, white sand and the chance to get our bums tanned.

We spent most of the afternoon beach bumming and enjoying that sweet, long forgotten feeling, of sunburnt skin and smell of sunscreen.

After arranging a scuba dive session for the following week and celebrating our achievement with some old, most likely expired, overpriced ice cream and a too-strong-even-for-italian-taste frappe (ice cold instant coffee) in a trashy bar owned by a quite bizarre yet kind and sweaty old man, we moved on to a less packed beach (kastraki) for sunset.

That nigh we made it back to Chora for dinner and realised that, when the city wasn’t asleep and all the tourists flooded the streets and restaurants like hectic red ants, we were not really rooting for it…

Day 4: Aliko/Hawaii beach, Route East

Workout on the beach (the healthy routine that was interrupted just after one day), greek yoghurt with honey and walnuts (the first of a long series), engine on towards our next destination: the sand dunes, cedar woods and daydream shores of Aliko Beach.

We heard about an abandoned hotel complex towering over the coast and, without even searching for it, it just materialised in front of our eyes soon after we left the car and started to walk towards the beach. We had big expectations and some plans for shooting/dancing in our heads, however, as it often happens when the bar is set too high, we both were left pretty unimpressed. Luckily the beaches made up for this first disappointment. Both Aliko, a secluded bay with calm waters and the not-so-easy-to-access Hawaii beach, on the opposite side of the bay, looked like a surreal exotic dream. Of course, we went for the latter, which with its red cliffs towering all over the white sand, had a wilder and more dramatic look.

After a face to face (but thank god not skin to skin) jellyfish encounter which kept both of us away from the water for most of our stay, a small unexpected accident as the waves offered some towel laundry we didn’t ask for and a short and sweet naked shoot (the first of a series), as the sky turned cloudy and our stomachs started to grumble, we put our speedos back on and hit the road again.

We grabbed a watermelon and greek salad based late lunch and, as the sun popped out again, planned to cross the mountain pass in the centre of the island to venture the east coast. The trip to get there had to be the first of many scenic ones: narrow and curvy mountain roads, cutting through olive tree groves and yellow pastures, overviewing mind-blowing coastal sceneries.

As we made it to the east coast of the island it was immediately crystal clear to us that most people didn’t venture that direction. Blame it on the roads maybe? Not really something that would stop someone who got their driving license in the Alps! I can’t deny that, as we drove that solitary coastal path at dusk I had to think of the scenic roads on the fjords in the Lofoten islands or the beautiful and wild Connemara region on the west coast of Ireland. Remote, wild, dramatic. Probably one of my favourite combos.

Plot twist that we didn’t see coming: as we made it to the gate of our accommodation for the night I got a text saying that they couldn’t host us. Unfortunately the options here were limited and pricey and we felt too tired and hungry to make a decision with an empty stomach. As we headed back towards Motsouna, the biggest village on the east coast, we drove past what seemed to be a sweet beach restaurant. We didn’t pay too much attention to its poshy vibes, picked a table, opened the menu, and both simultaneously startled. Too late to leave since the waiter already poured us some welcome drinks. We were left with no choice but to laugh at us trying all the time to save and eventually ending up in the bougiest place on the island. Things got even more awkward when the restaurant filled up with a crowd of fancy bitches. Oh well.

We tried to lower our car front seats to understand how uncomfortably we could possibly sleep. Not an option. At this point we booked the cheapest accommodation we could find at that hour of the night, paid for it, and as we got in the car, got notified that it wasn’t available anymore. The host, who we found out being the same of the first canceled flat, offered a plan B, which turned out to be a shabby room that had nothing in common with the pictures we saw on booking.com. 1 hour, one breakdown and a long mail of complaint later, as it turned out we could get half of the money back, we finally entered the dream world.

Day 5: Panormos + the East Coast

As the Doors played and herds of goats and sheep crossed our way, on a sugar rush from the massive donuts we had for brekkie, we drove along the coastal road to Panormos, which, back in the days when pirates weren’t a concern, used to be the island’s main harbour.

Framed by a line of massive palm trees, with its transparent calm waters and completely submerged in silence, Panormos beach looked like a peaceful postcard from paradise. And what can make paradise taste even better if not a delicious pork souvlaki followed by a white wine fuelled boat trip? We marvelled at the light blue water of the mysterious cave where allegedly Ariadne was hidden by Theseus to protect her from the ever horny god Dyonisus and cliff dived in the deep blue end of the Aegean Sea. Christoph also skilfully challenged his inner sailor.

Psili Ammos beach, a quite hidden and very windy stretch of shore, gave us the chance to make up for the lack of integral tan of the previous part of the day. We lingered there until the sun started to go down. Lit up by the orange light of the golden hour we drove all the way back to the mountain pass that separated us from the west part of the island. After paying an exorbitant fee to fill up our tank, we stopped in Halki, a small village in the mountains and checked in in our accommodation for the following two nights.

Day 6: Halki, Mt Zeus

Some days start great from the very beginning.

Blame it on the lovely walk around Halki and our breakfast in the shades of a massive bougainvillea, or on the sunny weather when we expected clouds and a grey sky, as we started our hike to the top of Mt Zeus, the highest peak in the Cyclades, both me and Christoph couldn’t feel any more full of life. And the 3 hours hike, which proved to be more challenging than we originally thought, gifted us with some of the most scenic views over Naxos. On the way up we stopped briefly at the gloomy cave where Zeus is said to have spent his childhood. We made it as far as we could, however, when the tomb-like darkness surrounded us and we suddenly lost sight of the cave’s entrance behind our shoulders, we played sensible and call the mission off.

Dripping in sweat we finally made it to the top and took some time to appreciate the majesty of the 360 degrees view in front of our eyes. We felt overjoyed, powerful and invincible. Literally “on top of the world”. Carried away by this feeling and subconsciously inspired by the mythological power of the location, we stripped off of our clothes and came up with a naked photoshoot. Sounds funny now, but, in that moment, it really felt like the most appropriate thing to do!

With a big smile on our faces, as a heavenly light shone upon us, we walked all the way back. And how to celebrate such a day if not with biggest greek feast at a local taverna surrounded by kittens? Obviously it doesn’t take too much to make me happy.

Day 7: Kalados

Located on the south of Naxos and only accessible from Halki/Filoti on a curvy road through rocky mountain passes and dry pastures, Kalados is the off the beaten track beach that feels too good to be true. Barely any souls around, yellow fields behind our shoulders and an endless stretch of turquoise calm water right in front of our eyes. The only thing that kinda killed this idyllic vibe was the almost dead sheep we found on the street to get there: We got off the car and, after realising that she was indeed still alive, we moved her to a more sheltered spot in the shades and offered her water. Her breathing got better as we stayed with her, but she was still too weak to actually walk away or even keep her head up. The few people we asked to had either no clue about what to do or simply told us that the shepherd she belonged to would have eventually found her… Eventually we called our host, the lovely Anastasia, who contacted an emergency number.

To be very honest, the reason why we decided to venture down south, was to check a taverna, the one that Joana and Karolis dubbed as their favourite in the whole island. And, as the beach and surrounding weren’t already enough, it really made the trip even more worth it. Especially when we took shelter from the burning sun and had shrimp saganaki and an improved version of greek salad, with the most picture perfect view on the bay.

After another dip, as the wind got colder and the evening started to approach, we sadly had to say goodbye, drove all the way back to Halki, and moved on to our next destination: Lionas.