Naxos is the island where, in Greek mythology, Ariadne, princess of Crete is abandoned by her lover Theseus. Ariadne had fallen in love with the prince of Athens who was one of the 7 youths and 7 maidens who were sent from Athens every seven years to feed the half man, half bull. Ariadne helped him kill the minotaur by giving him a sword and a ball of string to find his way out of the maze, (of course, as a woman she would think of that trick as she was probably doing domestic sewing duties and had a light bulb moment). He does the job and triumphant, they sail towards Athens, stopping at Naxos. For some reason Ariadne wanted to sleep on the beach on the islet of Palatia whilst Theseus wanted a proper bed aboard his ship. Dionysos, god of wine and merriment saw her sleeping and fell in love. No doubt she was saddened by her lovers departure but she ends up marrying a god which must have been some consolation, especially the god of wine!
We arrive early, are picked up and driven to our room near the beach. A traditional grey stoned, white surrounded path leads down to the beach, framed with rich purple bougainvillea and lapis blue shutters.We meet up with a friend who's working as a barman on a neighbouring island and after a swim, we lunch on the beach, exchanging stories of life abroad and eating chicken souvlaki with sweet, sour capsicums, rustic bread and the rose of the island.
Bae and I head in to the town, passing by beautiful little shops and cafes in tiny labyrinthine streets rising up from the port. You can imagine this place as an island frequented by pirates. Arched overhangs, houses huddled as if protecting each other, we wander until the kids meet us at the port for dinner that night for Yeeros and sunset. An early night was had by all.
The next morning we go by taxi to the closest beach and after a swim, we lunch again on the sands, bare footed, a cool salty breeze fanning us in the heat of high summer. We dine on eggplant stuffed with herbed breadcrumbs redolent with the fragrance of wild oregano and a pie of mushrooms, fetta and herbs.
That night we dressed up and headed to the islet of Palatia where Ariadne fell asleep and through the Portara of what remains of the Temple of Apollo, tourists gather to watch the sun sink into the Aegean sea. It was stunning and incredibly photographic. You could imagine the god Apollo driving his chariot off after a long summer's day, leaving trails of seashell pinks and corals in his wake.
Our barman has researched and chosen the Swing bar for our sunset cocktails. It is so cool! We are seated on the balcony overlooking the port, the menus are printed on 45 inch vinyl records, the cocktails are many and varied and served in quirky containers. The toilets sinks are made out of a drum kit.
We are bathed in Apollo's last rays of the evening. Ariadne, I think, would not have regretted her decision to stay here and not go to Athens with Theseus.
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