Tiny Co-Pilot Goes to Greece

Despite my fears of ten hours of screaming en route from New York City to Athens, Elowen was a champ on the plane! She fussed a little taking off and when it got close to landing time, but in between she passed out on either Taylor or myself.

We got business class seats because they lay flat, and while pricey it turned out to be an excellent idea as far as getting some rest (for her, not for me...it was a tight squeeze). 

 

We got our bags quick and then it was off in a taxi to the King George Hotel! We stayed there last time we were in Greece, so no pictures to share, but it's an amazing little oasis in that hot sweaty city. 

Since we were going to hit Athens again at the end of the trip, we decided just to eat and rest--I had fried feta in a spicy honey sauce, a truffle mushroom risotto, and a lovely sweet syrupy-thick blackberry liquor. 

Elowen also was a mini celebrity because Greeks love babies! So many people on the street stopped to coo over her and occasionally make pleased remarks on her size. 

We also saw what was either a gay pride rally or an anti-vax rally--we heard differing accounts, but the rainbow flags and the drag queen led me to lean toward gay pride. 

The next morning we had to leave the hotel VERY early, because the city was a holding amazing marathon that was going to shut down the streets. At one point, our cab driver stopped and argued with a cop until he lifted the barrier to let us through. 

Going through Athens airport is an entirely different experience than in the U.S.--there's a dedicated family line for checking in luggage and and getting your tickets, and they even let us skip to the front of the security line. The security agent even held the lady's baby behind us so she could put her bag back together. 

Our flight to Naxos was only 25 minutes long and into the very smallest airport I've ever landed in. We got our rental car, installed the car seat, and five miles later arrived at our gorgeous stone house in the middle of Naxos. 

It's just beautiful inside--one of the nicest AirBnBs I've ever stayed in. And it's about a five-minute walk one way to the ocean, and five minutes the other way into the white-washed Old Town. The streets are very narrow and labyrinthine, so it's nice that Naxos is relatively empty--we have free rein to wander without the crowds that I assume are packing Santorini and Mykonos. There's also a cool breeze flowing through them at all times, making the shops and proliferation of colorful doors (teal, pink, green, blue) all the more enjoyable. 

We did a quick cheese tasting at a little store/dairy that's been in the same family for four generations. The woman walked us around the wheel explaining each cheese and what to pair it with, as well as a quick explanation of the cheese's history. The standouts were the "man" cheese (which just means strong flavor) and the sour cheese, which tasted kind of like a white wine. 

Since Elowen has had an upset tummy we haven't done too much, but we've enjoyed strolling along the beach and eating delicious Greek food, including zucchini fritters with tzatziki and an eggplant stuffed with braised beef in tomato sauce and covered in Naxian cheese. We also ate at an Italian restaurant right on the ocean, where I had amazing mozzarella and a delightfully chewy pecorino romano and guanciale pasta, as well as a panna cotta with rose water and forest fruits. At the end of the meal, the waiter brought me a traditional Greek liquor called mastiha, which is resin distilled into alcohol. It has a sweetish, herbal, nutty taste.

Elowen is also just as adored here as she was in Athens...so far she's been called "gordita" (little fat one), bella, "porchetta" (fatty pork), and "great fat baby" (obviously from a range of nationalities). 

Hopefully tomorrow we'll drive to some small mountain towns and another beach, but if not there's plenty to enjoy in Chora.