In transition

May 13, 2018

So, we leave Crete and start the second stage of our tour, island-hopping our way north: 2 nights each on Naxos, Tinos, and Andros, followed by five nights biking the length of Evia. At the first end we’ll catch a ferry to the mainland, landing north of Athens. Here’s an overview of the stage:

Up the islands: 11 nights, 4 islands, 7 ferries, 300 miles, 40,000’

Well, strike that. Before dinner in Iraklion we walked around the corner to the tourist office to buy ferry tickets for the upcoming connections (other than the one from here to Naxos, which we had already purchased online). As it happens, we cannot take the trip we had planned. There is no direct service from Naxos to Tinos - that run doesn't start until June this year, although it ran in May last year. The short story is that we are not going to Tinos after all. We come up with a new plan on the fly: split the two day gap by adding an extra day to Andros, and a day to Paros (needed for the ferry connection to Andros).

Different plan, but still a great plan. Hard to go wrong with the choices available, actually.

Our ferry departs at 8:40 AM and we have to be there an hour early, so we’re down at the hotel lobby at 6:30 waiting for breakfast to make an appearance. While we wait, I walk across the street to take a look at the sunrise. It’s worth the walk.

The Venetian fortress at Iraklion, just to its right, just where the sun is breaking, is our ferry to Naxos.

Boarding the ferry was very simple. We had ordered our tickets online, so we just showed up with our confirmation email, picked up our tickets, and wheeled ourselves on. And there was no extra charge for the bikes, By the way.

Once on board, we were shown to our assigned seats, which surprised me. It made sense though, because the ferry was almost completely full. It’s lucky we had made advance reservations, now that I think of it. It never occurred to me that there might not be space for walk-on.

We were among the first walk-ons. Rachael hopes I’ll hurry along, since she doesn’t have her ticket with her.

Quite secure. A helpful crewman strapped them up for us.

She’s in there somewhere (hint: upper left).

It is about a two hour open water crossing from Crete to Santorini, our first stop - long enough for a short nap, since I’ve been running short on sleep. As we approached the famous island though, we both went on deck and were awed again by the spectacle. It is no wonder it is one of the most visited tourist destinations in the world.

Looking up at Thira spread along the top of its awesome cliffs, I have the feeling we’ve made a terrible mistake. How can we be here and not visit this island again? Once was enough for us though, and it’s no cycling island - narrow, busy roads, crowded, a bit crazy. When we were here nine years ago it was scary enough just biking to our hotel, and I imagine it’s worse now.

Wonderful to arrive by boat though, look up, and be reminded.

At least eighty percent of the passengers, probably more, got off here. If you’re hoping for solitude, try a different island.

This shot shows the road from the port to the top of the caldera. A challenging ride going up on a bike (after all the traffic goes first), and great fun coming down.

Returning from our observation deck, we found a much emptier ship. No need for reservations any more, and people just sat wherever. Surprisingly, two new arrivals were in our seats, their feet straddling my pannier and Rachael’s water bottle moved to a different seat. They looked startled and sheepish when I asked for my bag back, as if they hadn’t noticed it there; but they didn’t offer to move.

An hour later, we arrive at the next stop on the line, Ios. Oh, my gosh! Another planning error - how can we be this close and not be stopping here! It looks incredible from the deck of the ship.

The Cyclades, at least the ones we’ve seen, are all like that. They all look incredible. I want to come back again already, and go to a different set next time.

And, an hour later, Naxos. We get off, along with about thirty foot passengers, one car, and one motorcycle. This is more like it. This is why we’ve come back to Naxos again. Big island, good cycling, not too crowded.

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Ron SuchanekI thought the Cyclades were one-eyed giants in Greek mythology. Haha!
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