Finding Peace in Naxos

After my long visit home earlier this summer, I returned back to Athens. Shortly after adjusting back to the timezone, I felt a sense of uneasiness. It could have been due to going from being surrounded by people 100% of the time every day for five weeks and then the sudden drastic change of being almost always alone, it could have been due to feeling confined to my Athens apartment due to the 100 degree heat every day, or it could have been other underlying reasons.

Well, after spending a little over a week in Athens, I made the decision that I had to get out and see more of the beautiful country that I was living in.

I made some last-minute plans and was not surprised when I found that places to stay were extremely picked over and not much was still left for the remaining weeks of the summer holiday. However, I did manage to find one place within my price range on an island that was easy to get to from the port in Athens.

I decided to hop on a ferry and make the trip from Piraeus port in Athens to Naxos, which is in the Cyclades island group. The ferry ride was just a few short hours, and made a few other stops along the way (more to come on that in an upcoming post…). I got only a couple hours of sleep, due to waking up around 3:30am to finish packing, take the metro to the port, and to finally (and promptly) depart from the port at 7:00am.

The ‘Sea Jet’ arrived to Naxos later than morning and immediately after exiting the ferry, I was greeted with the beautiful sight of the Temple of Apollo, which overlooked the Aegean Sea.

Because I took such an early ferry that morning, I had a few hours of time to kill before hopping on the bus to make my way over to the Airbnb that I had booked. Luckily I found a shop that holds your luggage for you for just a few euros, so I dropped off my stuff and began to explor the area near the port.

After some time, I decided it was time to stop for lunch before the upcoming bus ride, so I found a nice taverna and enjoyed some chicken skewers and was even surprised with a local dessert of yogurt with organge peel preserves… it was delicious!

After spending a few hours around the port, it was finally time to hop on my bus. Now, I had never been to Naxos prior to this trip, and therefore had no idea how large this island really was! As you can see on the map below, the port is on the Western Coast of the island, and the place I booked was on the complete opposite side! I had yet to try driving in Greece, and was not about to try it for the first time while traveling alone, so I was originally planning to just take a taxi the days I was going to and from the port. However, I was informed that the taxi fare would be about 80 euros or more ($80)! So I decided to take this as an adventurous opportunity and try out the bus for about 2-3 euros instead.

The bus ride took quite a bit of time (some islands you can drive across entirely in about 20 minutes or so), and went through lots of twists and turns on the mountainous roads, which made for beautiful views! After riding for about an hour and a half and making many smaller village stops along the way, I finally arrived to the town nearest my Airbnb, Moutsouna.

While stopped in Moutsouna I loaded up on some basics – some fresh fruits, yogurt, snacks, and lots of water (you typically cannot drink the tap water on most islands, unlike in Athens). Shortly after that, I was greeted by the friendly husband of my Airbnb host, Yiannis, who then drove me to the location of the house.

The Airbnb was absolutely beautiful and I immediately felt an overwhelming sense of peace.

The next day I explored the nearby beach, which was very close to the house I was staying at. I visited this beach a few times throughout my stay, because it was only a few minutes’ walk away!

One of the times that I went to this nearby beach, I had it completely to myself, not a single tourist or local there! It was so pleasant and I was truly able to feel like myself and take in all the beauty that surrounded me.

While experiencing this beach completely alone, I felt as though I wanted to remember that very moment, so that resulted in a solo photo shoot. I simply propped up my phone on some nearby rock structures, set a 10 second timer, ran as far as I could in that amount of time, and wallah!

On one of the days during my stay I decided to take a walk to the nearest village, Moutsouna. This is a tiny village made up of only one mini-market, one cafe, a few restaurants, and some beaches along the way. The walk took about 35 minutes (about two kilometers in distance) and every step was simply breathtaking.

After arriving at the little village of Moutsouna (I just looked it up, and it has less than 85 inhabitants, that is how small it is!), I enjoyed a coffee at the only cafe in the area, and met some other international travelers.

Next, it was time for some lunch! I wandered my way through the strip of tavernas that were along the only main road, which ran along the beachside.

I enjoyed a salad and an iced tea as I read more in my book and journaled a bit. It was a beautiful environment in which to do this in. I took my time, listening to the background conversations* and taking in the views, while making progress on my book.

After spending the afternoon in the little village of Moutsouna, I decided it was time to walk back to my Airbnb. However, on my journey back, I was greeted with some new little friends! There was a herd of goats just munching away! I practiced my (very limited) Greek with them, and they were not amused.

The following day I visited the next nearby beach. Luckily for this redhead, this beach had some natural shade! Most of the larger beaches here in Greece are organized, which means there are beds and umbrellas, however, here in the not-so-popular (and not crowded) parts of Naxos, the beaches are simply the way they are, without any umbrellas and such. I enjoyed this beach a lot, and got to relax (still wearing my sunscreen of course!) but in the comfort of the natural shade.

I love staying in Airbnbs because it truly feels like a personal stay. This specific place was lovely enough to give me local and handmade items! I enjoyed the olive oil made from the family’s olive trees on the land, some figs from their yard and even some plum liquor that my host had made herself!

Due to being quite far from everything, and not having a car to easily move around, I prepared most of the meals I had on my own in the kitchen of my Airbnb. My favorite meal I made was definitely the pasta. Now, those of you that know me are well aware that I’m a picky eater… so this meal was perfect for me! I simply made some buttered noodles and added lots of the cheese that was made locally from the village. It was delicious!

I have to say, this specific Airbnb felt like one of the best-kept secrets of the entire island of Naxos. After reflecting, it was the most enjoyable stay I’ve ever had, taking into account all the times I’ve used Airbnb on various islands and countries. Now I feel as though I have a ‘Naxos host family’. I felt safe, cared for, and included during my stay. It was the perfect balance of independence during the day, and then a sense of community with this lovely family in the evenings. I feel as though I made some long-term friends and we plan to continue to meet while all back in Athens**. One evening we sat for hours just enjoying each other’s company, having some drinks (plum liquor over ice!) and snacks, all while enjoying the sound of silence (with some sheep sounds here and there) and watching the stars; I even saw a shooting star that night!

Before I knew it, it was already time to move on to the next adventure. I said my farewell to the absolutely lovely family that hosted me, and said ‘see you again’.

I was searching for peace and contentment on this trip, and my goodness, did I find it on the beautiful island of Naxos.

I enjoyed all of the slow days, making new friends, and just taking in the scenery that surrounded me.

I cannot recommend this stay that I experienced highly enough. If you are seeking peace and quiet, look no further than Irene’s Airbnb. It was just what I needed, and I feel like I achieved my goal of finding peace.

I hope to return again someday, maybe with others along with me so they too can experience the same beauty and peace that I felt so overjoyed with having surround me.

Thanks for reading.

❤️
~Anna

* One random thing I have a love/hate relationship with in Greece is the language! Often, I feel like I’m really missing out because I cannot speak or understand Greek. Other times, it is different… I am able to sit down and concentrate on whatever I’m doing because I can’t understand the conversations happening around me! While reading my book, it was the later of the two, the language sounded like background noise to my English-speaking ears. *

** Many Greek families are from a particular village or island, and they tend to visit that place during the summer season and for holidays, while living in Athens during the other times of the year. **