Naxos

In Naxos, we are faced with the problem of how to get the six of us to the village of Filoti in the middle of the island. In the end we hire a car for twenty-four hours.
When I visited Naxos in my twenties, we came to Filoti to climb Mount Zeus, which looms above the small village. I remember the village as a very traditional and beautiful centre of the Island, so when I saw a traditional village house on air bnb, it seemed like the perfect place to spend a week.

The house is owned by Stelios, who became the stuff of legend, due to his dark good looks and very manly name. After a couple of exchanges on airbnb, he was referred to by the family as ‘mum’s boyfriend’ or “Stelios Massivecockinakas” by Roger. Needless to say, we have only seen his facial profile.
It appears, on arrival, that Stelios really has a way with home furnishings. His traditional cross-stitched pillows are to die for and his sense of interior decoration suggests a sensitivity to aesthetics not often seen in a man.

We don’t get to meet Stelios as he lives in Athens, but we are met by his cousins who walk us up the village stairs and narrow little alleyways to the 200-year-old family house that sits above Filoti and looks across to Mt Zeus.

The house is simple and beautiful and has a slightly lonely and remote feel, even though it looks out over the village. Perhaps we miss Issa and Tegan and the wind is howling outside, even though the sky is cloudless.

After our first night, we all feel more settled and we set off for some exploration in the hire car which we have until 3pm.

There appear to be a lot of nudists on Naxos but we find a beautiful little beach to swim where the majority of swimmers are wearing their togs.

The days in Naxos pass very quickly. There is a beautiful big dining room table where we get into a good routine of doing school work each day. Outside there are plums, figs and an almond tree and locals pass up and down past the house, as they take walks.

Filoti is a very lively village and one night, someone plays an amplified violin in a restaurant, all night. They are still going when we wake to the sunrise the next morning.

We are up early to skype into a little party at 7am, that our friends have organised for my mum’s 80th birthday, at home in Selwyn Village.
Jill perhaps doesn’t notice she’s having a party as when we say “and you’re having a party?!” She says “no, I’m not having a party”.
We have recorded a couple of songs and everyone over in our side of the world, including Issa, has said something special to be included on the small birthday movie that Rachel has edited for her.

Not being there to support my Mum is one of the harder things about being away, but I feel very lucky to have friends to fill in while I’m not there. There will undoubtedly be some sad years ahead as her Alzheimer’s worsens and we are mindful that now is as good a time as any to be away for an extended time, even if it means missing the milestone of her birthday. (The fact that she wouldn’t recall us being there anyway, is also a consideration).

We hire a car again later that day, as Rachel is leaving for Vienna the next day, to begin her job in a new school. Driving with six of us crammed into a tiny car is a little stressful but the scenery is amazing. We take a crazy trip to Lionas beach which is covered entirely in polished marble and quartz pebbles. Needless to say, we are now carrying several more kilograms of rocks at the bottom of our bags.

The next day, we say our goodbyes to Rachel.

Naxos has a very mountainous interior and the scenery is very different all over the island, so the next day after taking Rachel to the ferry, we set off to circumnavigate the island, starting with a walk through Naxos town and a walk to a beautiful little cave church that I remember visiting last time.

The roads are narrow and steep but as we get further away from the Port, we discover little windswept coves, beautiful old olive groves and castles.

We discover a stretch of coastline that is uninhabited and spend two days just taking small off-road car trips to little bays where we have to climb down goat tracks to find little pebbled bays. It seems people have a desire to be naked in these places, including Roger. But the rest of us keep our gear on.

It is too hot to walk up Mount Zeus during the day so we visit the sacred spring that comes out on its slopes and on the way, see this beautiful little church.

Our last night in Naxos. If there is anywhere in the world I might consider spending some time, it would be here in this little village.

Perhaps if Roger meets with an unfortunate fate, I’ll give Stelios a call.