A Greek Summer – Naxos day 1 | alison richards | graphic designer and artworker

I left Santorini early in the morning on the ferry to Naxos. It took about 2 hours to get there. It was a pretty easy and comfortable way to travel really, I only wish it was a bit quicker!

My first view of Naxos was a big port, with loads of people holding signs up to indicate which hotel they were from, as they all offered lifts. There was also people spruiking hotel rooms (Wifi! Air-conditioned! Close to beaches!). I found my hotel then got a lift there. After staying in the beautiful apartments in Santorini, the hotel was a bit of a let down, though it was significantly cheaper, and still comfortable.

As is the norm, I dropped my stuff then left for the town for some exploring and lunch. Honestly, I don't know how long it took - it might have been a few minutes or an hour - but I fell head-over-heels in love with Naxos. After Santorini, it was so interesting and chilled out. I stopped at a taverna and had some zucchini fritters, baked feta and greens, with a little 250ml jug of cold cheap white wine. Perfect.

Next I walked over to the Castro area, which was a maze of marble footpaths around an old Venetian stone castle. Not much remains of the castle that you can see, but the whole area was beautiful. What I also loved was that there were all these water fountains everywhere where you could get free cold drinking water (kind of like the ones you see around Rome), which was perfect in the stifling heat.

This was one of those water fountains. This one was out of commission though – there were too many bees around it!

Cats are everywhere in Greece, even on tiny little Greek islands.

I think this was my favourite little square in the Castro. There was a water fountain and the lovely big tree to keep everything cool(er)

The castle walls, and looking out into the harbour

Next I headed out to the harbour, where I picked up an ice-cream and walked along the water's edge. At the end of the harbour is this little island which is home to Portara, the only thing standing of an ancient church. This church was built about 2500 years ago and the doorway is the only thing left - but it must be very well built to withstand the elements that it is exposed to. It would be open to sea winds, salt, sea water, rain, sun, and tourists, among other things. And yet it still stands. Apparently it was built to honour Apollo and that is the reason the door is positioned how it is - it faces Delos, the sacred island near Mykonos that Apollo was born on.

Portara standing in the spot where it has stood for about 2500 years

It was getting into late afternoon, so I decided to check out the restaurants in Naxos. I entirely avoided the front of the harbour, as these were ones that were obvious tourist traps. Instead, I headed back into the Castro maze and found a little area with a few restaurants. I decided upon one called Labyrinth Wine Restaurant, then went back to the hotel to clean up for dinner. When I went back to the restaurant, they sat me in this beautiful little garden where I sipped my half-litre of white wine and ate some of the most delicious meatballs I've ever had. A pretty good end to a very good day on Naxos!