#31

Well, I guess there had to be a destination of epic fail during this adventure, and we certainly hit it this week.

The travel off of Naxos to the island of Crete went smoothly. We had the opportunity to travel on many different-sized ferries over the past month — from a large-type speedboat to a mini cruise ship — and there was space and room to roam on every one.

#30

This week has brought countless gifts. Tim had traveled to Naxos a few years ago and was excited to return, so I booked us nine nights here to fully enjoy and explore. It was a quick one-hour ferry from Paros, and when we landed in the port town, it felt familiar in that off-season Greek-island way — most restaurants closed, but the shops beginning to glow with early holiday spirit.

#29

We traveled this past week from Sifnos to the more populated island of Paros, and then on Saturday continued on to Naxos. (I’ll share more about our stay on Naxos next week!) Serifos and Sifnos have around 1,200 and 2,200 year-round residents respectively, while Paros has closer to 13,000. It is energizing to both of us to be on an island now with more people and activity. The weather in Greece has been warmer than expected, and I’m beyond happy to have clear blue skies and moderate temperatures.

#28

Watching sunrises over the islands of Serifos and Sifnos this week, dipping my feet into the Mediterranean, wandering the rugged countryside, and moving at the pace of slow travel — it’s been a week of deep breath and beauty.

On Serifos, I climbed from one hillside to the next, all the way to the far corner of the island where a small white church waited at the top. It took a couple of hours, and halfway through, a sudden rainstorm hit.