Arrival in Naxos

Saturday April 19th, 2014 Naxos
The day before yesterday we did manage to get to Oregano's for dinner and were well fed for 20 euros ($30), which is less than we paid at Opa Taverna the day before to get very little. Sometimes it's a real advantage to be up the hill. Right in Mykonos town is very beautiful but also very expensive.
Luckily we got back to the hotel without getting wet. During the night there were some heavy thunderstorms. Yesterday morning when we got up it was sunny, quite cool and very windy.
We checked out at noon, left our bags in the foyer and read by the pool for a while, where it was sheltered and warm. We walked down to the harbour for a last look around and, now that we've decided on a travel plan, to buy tickets from Naxos to Santorini and from Santorini to Crete. We still have to get a hotel in Heraklion Crete for a couple of nights but we don't arrive there for another week so we've got lots of time.

 While we were down at the Mykonos port, we considered buying a new boat but just didn't have the time.

 Agios Prokopios Beach in Naxos.

The "Koulis" family pension in Agios Prokopios. Must be a long lost relative of Anita's family, spelling it "Koulis" instead of "Coulas".
Anyway, back to yesterday. After another late afternoon dinner at Oregano's, the hotel staff drove us down to the old port at 5 pm to catch the 5:55 catamaran fast ferry to Naxos. It was really windy so we waited back from the pier where there was at least some shelter. The ferry was almost an hour late. We finally left at 6:50 pm and had a rough ride to Naxos through high waves. It's a bit like sitting in an airplane with rows of good seats. There is no outside deck, which was fine with us, since the spray was constantly hitting the windows. Almost everyone kept the window curtains drawn because it made the motion a little easier to stomach. A few people were looking a bit green and one woman was throwing up into a paper bag in the foyer. Luckily, our normally 30-35 minute trip took only 45 minutes. We were glad to get off.
We're staying at Dinanaxos Studios just above the beach and village of Agios Prokopios, about 6 km south of the main Naxos town. Dina and her husband Costa were waiting for us with their car at the end of the pier so it was no problem getting here. Our room has a kitchenette and a big balcony overlooking the sea about 300 m down the slight hill. The village is about 500 m away. It's a great location but it's still cool and very windy.
We walked into the village this morning to buy supplies but everything was closed. We were going to go back down this afternoon and try again because we know everything will be closed tomorrow and maybe the next day. However, Dina is going to the supermarket in Naxos town in less than an hour and invited us to go with her. That will solve our supply issues.
This little village is all set for hordes of tourists but summer is not quite here yet so it seems almost deserted. Plus all the locals are taking a long weekend for Easter. It's a really pretty view from our balcony but it would be easier to enjoy if the wind would calm down a bit.