The Bluest Water and the Beachiest Baby

Since parking on Naxos is almost impossible, we've mostly stayed close to our lovely stone home. There's one pay lot that closes sporadically, which means you may lose your car until the attendant comes back, and otherwise cars and motorcycles are packed against the curbs willy-nilly with no room for our little Peugot to squeeze in. And God be with you if you want to leave and then park close to your own door again!

Despite that, we did take our littlest buddy out for a short roadtrip into the countryside; short both because she's still recovering from her stomach bug and because a lot of things here just aren't baby-accessible. I mean, you could hike up to the cave where Zeus was born with a thirty-pound baby strapped to you--but do you want to? And the answer on this trip, my friends, is no.

But speaking of Zeus's cave...Naxos is the island where he was raised while he hid out from his father Kronus, and it's renowned for its agriculture and animal husbandry. It's the largest and greenest of the Cycladic Islands (Cycladic referring to the Bronze Age culture), which is a bit surprising since it's mostly brown and scrubby. There's evidence of Neanderthal inhabitation 200,000 years ago, and a rich history right up until today--if we ever come back I'd love to take a tour and learn more. 

Our first stop was Halki, which everything I read said was a "must visit"--but we walked the town square in five minutes, shrugged, and left. Maybe it's more worthwhile if you're visiting the kitron distillery, but since we're early risers now nothing was open when we arrived. 

Apeiranthos was much more satisfying, with its winding marble streets, shops full of local crafts, and views over the mountains. I bought Elowen a little donkey toy that I couldn't resist, but she remains attached to her plastic zebra instead. 

We also have taken her to two beaches--Aliko, which is under a cedar forest, and St. George, a five-minute walk from our house. Aliko is absolutely stunning, with soft white sand fading into the turquoise and deep blue sea. While we didn't hike down to it, as a narrow rocky ravine and a baby seemed like a bad mix, we were happy to sit at the top and take in the view. St. George is not as impressive, but it's the shallowest and warmest of the beaches on the island. Fun fact though--it's still VERY COLD, and Elowen learned some new words when it flowed over my feet. 

And back to my point about baby accessibility--one site I really wanted to see on the island was the Portara, or the Temple of Apollo. It was started in 530 BC but never completed after the island's ruler was overthrown, and the only part remaining is a massive marble doorway. While most people hike up to watch the sunset through it, I decided to go during Elowen's nap. Walking up to it is a little adventure in itself--you first cross a long stone walkway, where Greeks bob happily in the calm sea facing the harbor. On the other side of the walkway, though, the ocean crashes and roars so ferociously against the rocks that it sends waves over the path. In other words, I got quite damp. 

The Portara is stunning close up--bigger than you'd imagine, and framing either the blue sea or the white town depending on where you stand. It was also very windy.

Food highlights of the past few days include a handmade ravioli stuffed with wild greens in a butter and sage sauce; pork gyro with fresh fried Naxian potatoes (Naxos is famous for its potatoes!); a pavlova with forest fruits and cream; and sea bass fried in ink tempura batter. A standout meal was at Apostolis, where we had papardelle and lamb in a truffled orzo, as well as a honey cream cake; we also had cocktails made with kitron, a liquor made from the leaves of the citron tree. It's lemony but not too sweet, and hard to find outside of Naxos because there aren't too many citron trees in existence. 

And finally, now feeling back to herself, Elowen is having the time of her life and soaking up all the Greek adoration. She smiles and talks at people as we walk (usually while holding her foot up by her ear), and people absolutely lose it back at her with baby talk and grins. In fact, it's hard to keep people from picking her up to play with her! 

After so long at home, I'm so grateful to be having these experiences with her and showing my favorite little person the big amazing world.