Naxos Island Adventure: Day Two

The next day we had a semi plan to rent and car and go see the villages in the mountains but mainly just seeing what happens...and so we woke up around 8, stopped by the market for more food, and at a bakery for chocolate and cream pastries for a hearty breakfast. The first 5 places we stopped at to rent a car were closed or pricing too high...but we ended up finding a place for 25 euro for 24 hours. And that is how we go Good ol' Red Ruby. It was a really fantastic day, we drove through the mountains, watched storms passing through the valley, and visited random old churches. We drove through beautiful mountains nestling white cities with vast terraces of olive trees, all lined with rustic stone walls that our now professional stone wall bulding yes could appreciate the ageless skill. Looking through the valley is beyond; the stone walls blending into the land with little arches here or there to walk through, one wall turning into a stone house with a grass, dirt, stone roof. Breathtaking, especially with the stormy lighting. In Halki, we picniced by this old beautiful little stone church in an old olive grove. We rolled out our sleeping pads and had our fresh baked bread, Naxos sheep cheese, avacado, tomato, cucumber and mangerines sitting under an olive tree with the grove spreading out surrounded by mountains. The weather, threatening of a rugged windy down pour added to the emotional experience.
We then kept driving, at one point we had about 20 feet visibility as a huge fog rolled in. We took the mountain roads at a whopping 20 kilo, until we descended out with me as our trusty navagator. HA! speaking of which, I told Emily to take this road where she had to pull a 3 point turn to get into...which kept getting narrower and narrower until we were basically scraping buildings and cars...Emily was absolutely sure it was the wrong way and made me get out to try and find a place to turn around...but as I got out of the car...laughing my ass off mind you...I saw a greek man laughing at us through his window on the telephone...and so embarressedly I quickly ducked back into the car until the laughter subsided....but all was well there was a bball court around the bend she could turn around at and we were on our way, with a good story in tow, toward the northern most tip of the island -Apollonos. We arrived there through the beautiful windy mountain roads, and stopped for some tea at the bay. There was only one tavern open and we had to step over the fishermen's net he was mending on our arrival. We sat there about an hour drinking our tea with about 6 rugged Greek fishermen, waiting out a passing bucketing rainstorm. After the storm we took some photos out on these rocks, until the wind was trying to sweep us into the sea...We were now on our next great adventure, with trusty Ruby, sadly driving into and through the storm that had just passed, but first we had to feed the donkey tied on the side of the road our apple peels. It was an absolute down pour, so we didnt go and look at the sights on our map, but we didnt mind much...we were in hysteria randomly realizing we had rented a car on an island we had never heard of before in GREECE!...this, mixed with the exhilarating freedom racing through our veins...created a superb beginning for the next bit on our agenda....find our perfect alcove to secretly camp on a beach.
Our map gave us a choice of about 6 beaches....and we were a bit gloomy by the 4th choice not meeting our specifications...as they were too rocky...too many residence nearby...until we turned onto a road with no sign, onto a surprisingly nice dirt road path, which sharply fell into the valley on its sides, until it paved the last turn over looking the sunset with craggy rocks and sandy/rocky beach. It was heaven. It was just barely raining, so I quickly jumped the goat fence to try and make the last rays of the sunsetting behind the craggy ocean rocks. Jumping and rockclimbing, quickly cutting close to the sheer rock wall just missing the incoming waves..up and up over the rocks, to catch the pink orange through the stormy clouds setting behind another part of the island.
I made it back to the car and Emily had finsihed setting up the tent, using the cliff and the car as a wind block (good ol' Alaskan)...but being the geniuses that we are...we forget flashlights, so I ate a bit in the dark and then snuggled into our tent to get warm at around 6pm. The night sky was rich with stars as well as more threats of storms. But we were safe in our perfect, fantasy, secret, Greek island beach, alcove. We left the next morning early to catch the morning ferry back and spend some time in the sun back on Paros.
Journal entry: December 19, 2008 11:00AM
Sitting on a rock next to the water, with the small fishing boats rocking behind me, the sun warmth on my blindingly white, bare legs, the wind blowing gusts of warm and cool, and nothing between me and the Agean blue-green paradise but my shadow cast across my romantic rock, two bright orange mangerines in the sunlight, and my own inhibitions.... Smug in the sun....