A last morning in Naxos before I head out, I see Matena at the hotel. We met in 2021, so nice to see a familiar face and catch up on life

One last coffee at a darling little cafe

The port is, as usual, a crazy experience with ferries coming in and out. When my ferry comes in someone yells to the group Come this way, a muddled crowd of people, luggage, cars and trucks.

It is a 2 hour ferry to Amorgos, a small island to the East of Naxos. It is described as a natural and authentic island. It is very mountainous with several small villages scattered across the island.

I’m staying at a pretty large hotel that hosts a lot of yoga retreats, the Aegialis. I happen to meet the owner on the ferry, Irene, she built this place 30+ years ago and it has turned into the premiere hotel here.

It will take a minute to adapt to the vibe of this island. It is so dramatically different than Naxos. It is quiet and calm, I am a bit away from the towns. As always for me, the first day can be disorienting. I’ll be here 5 days and I wonder if I will love it or get restless.

The hotel recommend the closest village for a local dinner experience. The taxi drops me off, I climb the stairs to the top for the restaurant, very few people are here. Some locals direct me to the family-owned restaurant Panorama.

This is local food, with goat as the specialty 🤔

Maybe a salad and a Spinach Pie!

There is another girl in this small restaurant that appears to be a solo traveler. I invite her to join me, and she happily moves her food to my table. Her name is Myriam from Toulouse, and we quickly start sharing stories. Thank god she speaks relatively good English, we use Google translate along the way

It’s windy and a bit chilly on the top of the village, thus the Jean jackets! They are universal.

The next day I arrange a tour to try to get to know this island. A local guide, Nota, takes me first to the most famous and iconic site, the monastery in Amorgos. It is the second oldest in Greece dating back a thousand years. There is an ancient story about an icon arriving here from Palestine that inspired the building of this unique structure.

It is a steep walk up to the monastery then the narrow steps inside

Local volunteers provide water and raki.

We stop for a swim here after the monastery. It’s very steep but worth it for a quick swim

We go to lunch in Chora, the name of the main town on any Greek Island. The same winding streets with cafes and shops.

At lunch I see a woman taking photos, it is my new French friend Myriam. The travel world is small

The small town has some beautiful windmills

Myriam and I arrange to have dinner in Aegiali then I see her again driving her cute little car as I walk in to town to see the beach .

As we head out to dinner we capture these beautiful photos. It’s a reminder of how mountainous Amorgos is.

We meet for dinner in town and find it easy to share stories with a little help from Google translate.

I’m really enjoying this little island. It is filled with history and beauty.

Cheers!