Disclaimer: This will all be typed on the beach and an iPhone so please excuse any errors.
One heck of a travel day. About 24 hours and 3 countries later we got to Naxos ahead of schedule. Now that it is over I can say this without jinxing it, but it all went surprisingly smooth. Andrea picked us up at 5 am Monday morning (12 noon Naxos time) to take us to the airport. I'm going to use Greek time from now on out to keep things in perspective.
Only got our boarding passes for the first three flights, leaving us to navigate the Frankfurt airport to get our Frankfurt-Athens tickets. A short flight into rainy Newark and nothing notable there. Another short flight across the border and into Canada. Got our first introduction to passport control and breezed through the short line with no problem. Once into the terminal we had about a 5 hour layover to take care of. Decided we were on vacation and day beers were allowed. That was until we got the bill at $8 a piece. One beer down, we walked the terminal and finished up last minute things online to kill the time. This is also the time I found out my DSLR isn't working. Not sure if it's a battery or camera issue. We have our phones, another camera and are getting ready to be on a beach in Greece so it's not going to ruin my day.
At about midnight Greek time we boarded the long flight to Frankfurt. We got quite a bit less sleep than we had hoped for on the plane but the movie selection and food were good. Off the plane in Frankfurt with no tickets, not a real good idea of what needed to happen and 2 hours before our next flight left. Went to the first desk that looked like we could print boarding passes at and waited in a long line. Finally got to the front just to have them tell us they were closing and to try another desk. We found a computer kiosk and tried to check in there. Error, please see a representative. Waited in another line that didn't close, handed over passports and got tickets printed. Off to the passport control line. There seemed to be an issue with someone ahead of us and the line didn't move at all. We decided to take a chance with a line that was for EU citizens only, the man was extremely nice, stamped our passports and we were on our way. One more line through security and we made it to the gate with plenty of time to spare. Boarded the flight to Athens around 9:30 Greek time and were almost to our final country.
Here is where some unanticipated things started to happen. It started small. We were expecting only pretzels as a snack on the plane and figured we would need to grab a meal in Athens. Lufthansa knows how to do breakfast though and we were given eggs, spinach, tomatoes, potatoes, a roll, a muffin, a juice box and a glass of wine if you wished. Expecting a full day of navigating busses and ferries we decided to skip the wine.
The original plan was to get into Athens at 12:45, go through customs, hop on a bus for an hour long ride to the port, get on a ferry at 5pm, arrive in Naxos about 11:30 and get to the hotel at about midnight. There was one flight to Naxos that I didn't book because of its 2pm departure time and figured 30 45 minutes wasn't enough time to navigate customs and security. After we literally just walked through customs, there were seriously just two agents standing at the door looking at people (a stark contrast to the extremely long lines in Montreal) we decided we would give the flight a shot. We rushed to the ticket counter and they still had seats left. They were a bit more expensive than the ferry tickets, but faced with another 11 hours of travel or just 1 hour, Marlana graciously payed for the plane tickets. 15 minutes to get to the gate, we checked our bags hurried through security and made it there in time for boarding. Boarding this plane required getting on a bus and riding out to a plane parking lot where we got on our 40 person prop plane. A 30 minute gorgeous flight over the islands and we landed on the tiny runway in Naxos.
We taxied to the airport that was probably less square footage than our house. Now would probably be a good time to insert our money issue. I was going to get euros from an ATM in Frankfurt but was shot down and it spit my card out with an error. Oh well, we'll just get some in Athens we thought. After rushing through the airport, I didn't even see an ATM. We had €22.30 on us (thanks Mom and Dad) but had no idea how much it was going to take to get a cab to the hotel. No ATM in sight at the airport, remember its basically two rooms, I approached one of the taxis there waiting. He said he knew the hotel and it was only going to be €10. Relieved. The drive to the hotel was interesting. High speeds, narrow roads and lots of pedestrians. Checked in to the hotel and were greeted by the owner and his mother. They were extremely friendly and gave us a quick crash course to the island.
Marlana wouldn't let me take a nap so I got a much needed shower, changed clothes and we took a walk into town to check it out and get out some more cash. We accomplished both of those goals and the waterfront town is absolutely beautiful.
Having settled the cash issue we went back to the hotel, put on swim trunks and headed to the beach. About 4pm now the beach was busy but not overly crowded. We walked down the entire length of the beach and watched the windsurfers. It is quite windy but its not stirring up sand so it's enjoyable. On our walk back we stopped at a small market to pick up a few snacks and a plastic liter bottle of Greek red wine. We enjoyed our snack and drinks on our private balcony and let everything sink in.
We both freshened up and got ready for dinner. We left early to stroll through the old, castle part of the town. Stunning small winding alley ways leading up and down stairs to hidden small shops and some great views out over the port. We walked by a small courtyard taverna, checked the menu and decided to stay for dinner.
The the courtyard was covered with a trellis and climbing foliage. As the sun set hanging lights came on and Greek music played on the speakers. It was exactly what we were picturing when we decided to come. We started with some spicy Capsicum dip, bread, a Greek salad and a half liter of house wine. The wine was delicious and at €3.5 a half liter (about 6 glasses) it is a heck of a deal. The dip was delicious and salad was awesome. The cheese was so much creamier than we are used to. We ordered another carafe of wine and and a moussaka entree to share. Another delicious dish of layered eggplant, minced lamb, and potatoes. We ordered one more thing of wine, told you it was good, and just enjoyed the setting and watched the cats. There are cats everywhere and it looks like they hang out around the tavernas Looking for scraps. We had been talking with the server about what we were doing and where we were from and he mentioned we didn't have thick American accents whatever that means but I am taking it as a good thing. When we asked for the bill he brought another carafe of wine on the house. We talked, finished the wine, paid the bill and started home.
Heading home was interesting. No idea where we were, we headed generally down hill. A few dead ends later we found the main road and walked along the shops and tavernas back to the hotel. We sat up on the balcony, enjoyed the view, finished the wine from earlier and then got some much needed sleep.
One heck of a travel day. About 24 hours and 3 countries later we got to Naxos ahead of schedule. Now that it is over I can say this without jinxing it, but it all went surprisingly smooth. Andrea picked us up at 5 am Monday morning (12 noon Naxos time) to take us to the airport. I'm going to use Greek time from now on out to keep things in perspective.
Only got our boarding passes for the first three flights, leaving us to navigate the Frankfurt airport to get our Frankfurt-Athens tickets. A short flight into rainy Newark and nothing notable there. Another short flight across the border and into Canada. Got our first introduction to passport control and breezed through the short line with no problem. Once into the terminal we had about a 5 hour layover to take care of. Decided we were on vacation and day beers were allowed. That was until we got the bill at $8 a piece. One beer down, we walked the terminal and finished up last minute things online to kill the time. This is also the time I found out my DSLR isn't working. Not sure if it's a battery or camera issue. We have our phones, another camera and are getting ready to be on a beach in Greece so it's not going to ruin my day.
At about midnight Greek time we boarded the long flight to Frankfurt. We got quite a bit less sleep than we had hoped for on the plane but the movie selection and food were good. Off the plane in Frankfurt with no tickets, not a real good idea of what needed to happen and 2 hours before our next flight left. Went to the first desk that looked like we could print boarding passes at and waited in a long line. Finally got to the front just to have them tell us they were closing and to try another desk. We found a computer kiosk and tried to check in there. Error, please see a representative. Waited in another line that didn't close, handed over passports and got tickets printed. Off to the passport control line. There seemed to be an issue with someone ahead of us and the line didn't move at all. We decided to take a chance with a line that was for EU citizens only, the man was extremely nice, stamped our passports and we were on our way. One more line through security and we made it to the gate with plenty of time to spare. Boarded the flight to Athens around 9:30 Greek time and were almost to our final country.
Here is where some unanticipated things started to happen. It started small. We were expecting only pretzels as a snack on the plane and figured we would need to grab a meal in Athens. Lufthansa knows how to do breakfast though and we were given eggs, spinach, tomatoes, potatoes, a roll, a muffin, a juice box and a glass of wine if you wished. Expecting a full day of navigating busses and ferries we decided to skip the wine.
The original plan was to get into Athens at 12:45, go through customs, hop on a bus for an hour long ride to the port, get on a ferry at 5pm, arrive in Naxos about 11:30 and get to the hotel at about midnight. There was one flight to Naxos that I didn't book because of its 2pm departure time and figured 30 45 minutes wasn't enough time to navigate customs and security. After we literally just walked through customs, there were seriously just two agents standing at the door looking at people (a stark contrast to the extremely long lines in Montreal) we decided we would give the flight a shot. We rushed to the ticket counter and they still had seats left. They were a bit more expensive than the ferry tickets, but faced with another 11 hours of travel or just 1 hour, Marlana graciously payed for the plane tickets. 15 minutes to get to the gate, we checked our bags hurried through security and made it there in time for boarding. Boarding this plane required getting on a bus and riding out to a plane parking lot where we got on our 40 person prop plane. A 30 minute gorgeous flight over the islands and we landed on the tiny runway in Naxos.
We taxied to the airport that was probably less square footage than our house. Now would probably be a good time to insert our money issue. I was going to get euros from an ATM in Frankfurt but was shot down and it spit my card out with an error. Oh well, we'll just get some in Athens we thought. After rushing through the airport, I didn't even see an ATM. We had €22.30 on us (thanks Mom and Dad) but had no idea how much it was going to take to get a cab to the hotel. No ATM in sight at the airport, remember its basically two rooms, I approached one of the taxis there waiting. He said he knew the hotel and it was only going to be €10. Relieved. The drive to the hotel was interesting. High speeds, narrow roads and lots of pedestrians. Checked in to the hotel and were greeted by the owner and his mother. They were extremely friendly and gave us a quick crash course to the island.
Marlana wouldn't let me take a nap so I got a much needed shower, changed clothes and we took a walk into town to check it out and get out some more cash. We accomplished both of those goals and the waterfront town is absolutely beautiful.
Having settled the cash issue we went back to the hotel, put on swim trunks and headed to the beach. About 4pm now the beach was busy but not overly crowded. We walked down the entire length of the beach and watched the windsurfers. It is quite windy but its not stirring up sand so it's enjoyable. On our walk back we stopped at a small market to pick up a few snacks and a plastic liter bottle of Greek red wine. We enjoyed our snack and drinks on our private balcony and let everything sink in.
We both freshened up and got ready for dinner. We left early to stroll through the old, castle part of the town. Stunning small winding alley ways leading up and down stairs to hidden small shops and some great views out over the port. We walked by a small courtyard taverna, checked the menu and decided to stay for dinner.
The the courtyard was covered with a trellis and climbing foliage. As the sun set hanging lights came on and Greek music played on the speakers. It was exactly what we were picturing when we decided to come. We started with some spicy Capsicum dip, bread, a Greek salad and a half liter of house wine. The wine was delicious and at €3.5 a half liter (about 6 glasses) it is a heck of a deal. The dip was delicious and salad was awesome. The cheese was so much creamier than we are used to. We ordered another carafe of wine and and a moussaka entree to share. Another delicious dish of layered eggplant, minced lamb, and potatoes. We ordered one more thing of wine, told you it was good, and just enjoyed the setting and watched the cats. There are cats everywhere and it looks like they hang out around the tavernas Looking for scraps. We had been talking with the server about what we were doing and where we were from and he mentioned we didn't have thick American accents whatever that means but I am taking it as a good thing. When we asked for the bill he brought another carafe of wine on the house. We talked, finished the wine, paid the bill and started home.
Heading home was interesting. No idea where we were, we headed generally down hill. A few dead ends later we found the main road and walked along the shops and tavernas back to the hotel. We sat up on the balcony, enjoyed the view, finished the wine from earlier and then got some much needed sleep.