Meeting Up with Family on Naxos

Naxos.  It is an island that we had visited years prior when we were new parents to an 11 month old.  Now we were coming back with our three kids and that first baby is now a teen.  Naxos was on the itinerary because we were meeting up with my brother Andrew, his wife Patty, their kids, and my parents.  They had all been in Greece for a couple of weeks and we were joining in the fun.  

It was wonderful to show up on a beautiful Greek island to a chorus of hugs and excitement.  Seeing familiar faces after months of being far from home was a real treat.  The kids in particular were really happy to connect with their cousins.  Although we were a big group to move en mass, the ease of island life allowed for a relaxed ebb and flow of people coming and going from the beach, the pool, and meals.  There was always some combination of family members who were heading to eat, others to rest, and some to play.  The town we were in was small enough that the beach was a leisurely stroll away, a grocery store was an easy walk in the other direction, and restaurants and bakeries dotted the small main road in both directions.

Naxos, like so many Greek islands, is beautiful, with white washed square buildings set against blue skies, punctuated with vibrant bougainvilleas and fragrant green herbs.  Streets are swept clean, homes are tended to with pride, and the island has an elastic ability to absorb the tourist hum into its slow and relaxed rhythm.

  
We spent our days at the beach, enjoying the warm water and soft sand.  The kids spent countless hours digging in the sand and the adults took turns running to the corner taverna, returning with hot gyros, cold beer and fresh fruit.  The living was indeed easy.  Sol and I wandered the length of the beach and made the discovery that there was a section that was clearly the nudist part.  It seemed to be a geriatric nude beach which was interesting.  Nudity, comfort with nudity, and nudity while aging.  It was a great opportunity to examine one's beliefs and hangups.  The discovery of that little section of beach spurred on many interesting conversations, and some good laughs.  No, there are no pictures. 

The beach at dusk

One evening, after a big family meal, we wandered to the beach for a sunset walk.  It was one of those perfect evenings where the air was warm, everyone was in good humour, the sunset was beautiful, the moon was bright and low, and there was no where else to be.  After the littlest cousins headed to bed we all got into photo shoot mode, taking advantage of the beautiful backdrop.  It was a night we all felt very fortunate to have joy and beauty and each other in our lives. 

Sol got into some Insta-worthy shots.  We pretended he was on Baywatch.

  

We mostly stayed close to the beach, but one day we rented two vehicles and the eleven of us hit the road to explore the island.  Our drive took us up into the mountains of Naxos, through small villages and across the island to another beautiful beach.  The vistas looked out at olive groves, immensely photogenic windmills and white domed churches on desolate rocky points.

  

The itinerary for the day was flexible so we could stop when something catches our eye. So we do; To look out at the villages that spill up and down the hills, to the fields that extend below, or to stop and meander up through villages, past goats, gnarled old olive trees and orchards.  

The village of Halki is recommended as a picturesque stop on a day of exploration.  It used to be the capital of the island and maintains a quality of sophistication and faded glory. We stopped to explore the town and it proved to be a photogenic stop, with exuberant bursts of pink against white wash, narrow winding streets, and small boutiques that invite browsing.

Our final stop on our day of exploring were the beaches on the other side of the island.  There we played in the sun, the sand and the water.  There is not much to say other than an afternoon at the beach in Greece is pretty much an awesome way to end your day.

All in all our time on Naxos was relaxing and a great first island stop.  Do I think we will prioritize returning to this particular island when there are more to explore?  Not likely, as it is more developed that some of our other favorites, however it was a good place to meet as a larger group and spend a few days slowing down to the rhythm of the islands.