2 weeks in the Cyclades (page 3 of 7)

Friday, 05/30: After yesterday's hike, I admit I'm feeling a bit lazy today. Plus, the weather's pretty cloudy around here. What if we head back to Apolonas to see what it's like there? After crossing the "pass" in the clouds, we descend back to the sea under the sun. This time, we didn't forget towels, books, and swimsuits (though I won't go beyond my knees for a dip 😏).

Saturday, 05/31: We end our stay on Naxos with 2 nights by the sea, at the hotel (I generally really enjoy the breakfasts there 🙂). The weather's still more or less cloudy. We take the opportunity during the trip to make a quick stop in Halki (the island's former capital):



There are quite a few shops and workshops selling marble objects.

Next, we head to the Temple of Demeter (6th century BC), near Sagri. While the remains of the (marble) temple are quite limited,



I found the (very small) museum really well done, with reconstructions that help visualize what it was like back then:

A door hinge

The layout of the tiles (marble— the roof must have weighed tons! 🤪)



Another stop at the Belonia Tower, with a view of Naxos (Chora). Meh, we were passing by anyway, but the tower (closed) and the garden are completely abandoned. Only the small church is maintained and open. As for the view... not bad, but nothing special.

We arrive early at the hotel, but since they're very accommodating, they manage to find us another room available right away (though the hotel isn't full!)

We're just a few minutes away from the huge Agios Prokopios beach. The "town" side is mostly taken up by restaurant sunbeds.

There's more free space if you head north, but either way, it's far from crowded. So, I found Agios Prokopios really pleasant—lively without being hectic, at least at this time of year.

Our balcony overlooks salt pans whose colors change depending on the time of day (I guess it's about light and wavelength absorption, but it's pretty amazing). Up close, they're always red:



From the balcony at 7 AM

At 8:30 AM



At 2 PM



With that little detour over, we're off (Sunday, June 1st) to visit Hora, just a few kilometers away. The climb up to the "kastro" offers some great views of the town and the sea:

It took us a while to realize that the "kastro" isn't a castle like we'd think of one back home—it's where the citadel used to be, now filled with shops and restaurants (just like the "old market" is a network of small streets). We reach the cathedral: it's Sunday, mass is on... we don't go in and just admire the exterior.

I’ve seen salt flats a lot before, but I had no idea about the color differences—that’s amazing! 👍

And the color of your beach is *so* dreamy! 🤩

And the color of your beach really makes you dream 🤩

Yeah, for sure, but the water temperature, apparently, doesn’t exactly make you want to go in 🥶

This little island is really interesting, thanks Muriel—definitely a destination to add back to our list! 😊

And the color of your beach is so dreamy 🤩

Yeah, true, but the water temperature, apparently, doesn’t exactly make you want to go in 🥶

That’s because I’m really sensitive to the cold! Sure, it’s not the Indian Ocean, but there were still some brave souls (judging by the toes, I’d say around 20°C at that time and 22°C by the end of the trip on Amorgos).

And the color of your beach is so dreamy! 🤩

Yeah, true, but the water temperature doesn’t exactly make me want to go in 🥶

That’s because I’m really sensitive to the cold! Sure, it’s not the Indian Ocean, but there were still some brave souls (toe-testing, I’d say around 20°C at that time and 22°C by the end of the trip on Amorgos).

Same here—I’m *super* sensitive to the cold. I won’t dip a toe in unless it’s at least 26°C, which basically never happens 🥶😂

Ah, blue skies! A little taste of the vacation that’s coming up.

I’d left off at the start of my travel journal, and the Cyclades with gray skies just don’t cut it.

22 degrees? I’m there!

I went to Mykonos and Delos when I was a teen, but I barely remember it—except for a totally wild donkey that chased us.

And the crushing summer heat 🙁

22 degrees and I'm there!

That’s exactly what worries me about Hawaii (in winter)! 😏

And the scorching heat in summer 🙁

We were lucky with the weather (except for the first day). The first week was pretty cool in the mornings and evenings (18-19°C) but great during the day. The second week was warmer (we could finally have breakfast outside! 😎), but there was often a bit of wind (though not too much—I know it can get really windy, but that wasn’t the case). The wind cooled things down during the day. However, when there was no wind (like in the villages), it started to get really hot in the afternoons.

We're heading back down toward the port. The plan is to visit the folklore museum (supposedly interesting), located in the old market district (it's still a market... but more for tourists ).

We finally track down the famous museum, but... it's closed! (Apparently on Sundays and Mondays, but there's no sign.) So, we head to the islet of Palatia and its unfinished Temple of Apollo.





From there, we have a great view of the town, with a very rough sea on one side (so rough we got sprayed while walking along the breakwater ), and a very calm sea on the other.



It's not too late: why not go check out that monastery we can see in the photo (right in the middle)? The views from up there must be nice!

We walked there, but it's a road, so you can drive (though we didn't see any cars). On the way up, we get another viewpoint over the town:



When we arrive at the monastery (Agios Ioannis Chrysostomos), a sign tells us (in Greek—thanks, Google Translate!) that it's open for visits... but closed on Sundays! Seriously! 🏴‍☠️

The view makes up for the disappointment a bit 😉

With little hope, we make a small detour to visit the tiny chapel of Agios Ioannis Theologos, located a bit further down.



And... oh surprise, it's open!

We call it a day for sightseeing (a little rest by the pool is nice too 😛), but I only realized a few days ago that I had planned to visit the kouros of Flerio and Faranghi, as well as an active marble quarry that day. It completely slipped my mind that afternoon!

Monday 02/06 We take the ferry (Blue Star Naxos) to Amorgos at 12:30 pm. In the morning, I receive a message from the "renter" who gives me a meet-up in a public parking lot near the port. When I ask him, "Why not at the port like when we picked it up?" he replies, "Because of the police" 😮 🤪. Well, everything goes smoothly (I even got a (fake?) return receipt), and since then, nothing to report...

The ferry stops at one of the small Cyclades islands, Donoussa, where, to my great surprise, a lot of people get off. We really loved Naxos... and we adored Amorgos! Welcome to the small port of Aegiali, in the north of the island 🙂

.........We really loved Naxos ...

Hi Muriel,

We loved Naxos too, especially getting lost in the maze of alleys in Chora, as well as the hike up Mount Zeus (with my regrets for you!!!), and the beaches. The only thing we regret is not being able to explore the whole island, because the south and southeast likely hide unsuspected landscapes. That’s not the case with Amorgos, which you can cross from one end to the other and which we also loved. Looking forward to your thoughts. Cheers,

Marie Paule

Hi Marie-Paule,

Which part of Amorgos did you stay in?

After picking up our rental car (a Hyundai i10 with less than 10,000 km on the clock this time—but more than twice as expensive as in Naxos for 4 days instead of 7 ), we’re heading to Potamos, about 2–3 km from Aegiali. We’ll be spending our 4 days there, at Pano Gitonia (thanks to Jean-François (Max68) for mentioning these lodgings—the place is absolutely idyllic 🙂). The view from the terrace is stunning:



Pure tranquility, not even disturbed by our closest neighbor :

And this time, unlike in the Seychelles where we only got sunrises, we’re enjoying the sunsets, with or without clouds:





Time to go grocery shopping for breakfast. We’ll be dining at To Limani (the brother of the guesthouse owner’s place): we’ll get a glass of raki and a piece of dessert on the house at the end of the meal. We’ve experienced this kind of hospitality often during our previous trips to Greece, but in the Cyclades, it’s only happened here (and once in Agios Prokopios).

Which region of Amorgos did you stay in?

Hi Muriel,

In a camper van, we don’t have to worry about finding a place to sleep since we have everything on board—we just need to find a spot to park. There are websites that suggest spots for us! Actually, on Amorgos, as you can see on our site, we stayed in Langada, Chora, and Kalotaritissa. So that’s the far east, the center, and the far west.

Marie Paule

Oh right, that’s true! I’d already forgotten you’re traveling in a camper van 🤪!

Hi Muriel, That view from your place in Amorgos is stunning! Not too windy? Really looking forward to hearing about the hikes you did on the island. Jacques

Good evening Jacques, No, we had very little wind overall. As for hikes... we only did one "real" one . There’s always tomorrow 😉. Three days went by (too) fast—no time to do everything!!!

Yeah, it’s really short... you need at least 4 or 5 days to get around, even if you’re not big on beaches. Jacques

Hi Muriel, Thanks for your travel journal that I discovered this morning. What a joy to be transported into the Cyclades vibe. I don’t know the area at all (just a short Mediterranean cruise and a little trip to Crete a long time ago). I really love your white-and-blue photos and that gorgeous sunset. May-June seems like a great time for weather and crowds. Something to think about for a change from Kenya and Scotland 😉

Hi Sylvie,

What a surprise to find you here! Welcome 🙂 It’s definitely a change from Kenya (by the way, in terms of wildlife, I think all I’ve got is a grasshopper and a few cats ). As for Scotland, I don’t know it. Same with Ireland—it was on my list for a while... but the unpredictable weather made me (for now) drop the idea.