In keeping with staying relaxed while on vacation, we decided to do absolutely nothing between getting up and hopping on our ferry to Naxos at the end of the day (17:30).
We got up, had the pastry our host provided so nicely and went for coffee at Notos in the hope of meeting Ginger one last time. Sadly, no luck on saying our goodbyes to the cat, but we did get our standard coffee and sparkling water. From all the coffee we had on the island, Notos kept the number one spot for the double Cappuccino until our next stop.
After sitting and chilling for an hour, we had to find another spot to sit. We went to try coffee at Buenissimo—same order as previously, double cappuccino and sparkling water. In terms of coffee, they did edge out Notos. Not that it’s exceptional, but the extraction was better, giving it a more complex flavour. The downside to Buenissimo is that it closes around 14:00. I don’t know if they give paper cups to everyone, but it’s a good thing they did for us, as we finished our coffee and water after they had closed.
We rounded out our hectic day with a stop at the apartment to recharge a little, order our new phones and then decided to try one last caffe on Astypalea before leaving the island behind.
We stopped at Kolokytha, ideally located on the port, to wait for the ferry. We went for a little day drinking after getting enough caffeine for the day. Sadly, their wine comes in colour, not information on provenance, no carafe, a glass in either white, rose or red. When the service arrived, we understood why. A sad little airline bottle with bright yellow liquid was served. I wouldn’t call the wine by the same name as the other yellow liquids that might come to mind, but it did make me wish we had gone with overcaffeinating instead of day drinking.
The Blue Star Naxos, our ship, showed up right on time. No surprise, as I’ve been using a real-time boat tracker. Unlike airplanes, ferry companies provide a scheduled arrival time and ask you to wait until the boat arrives. Two days ago, we saw the same ferry we’re taking today arrive more than an hour late due to strong winds.
Like our experience with buses and planes, we were elbowed and cut off as we were boarding. I’m not sure why everyone was in a hurry. We were fewer than a hundred people boarding an empty ferry with space for thousands. We were probably five couples in a lounge among hundreds. Other than the lemming rush of boarding, our four-hour passage to Naxos was made in comfort with, to my surprise, cell coverage 99% of the way, something that’s probably not advertised considering the price they charge for onboard wifi.
Tomorrow we’ll be exploring the port city of Naxos and possibly hunting for laundry options.
