Our seventh day in Greece and we still have more to explore. For today’s adventure, we are driving across the island to experience the small villages and ancient buildings.

We started with a walk at Grotta Beach, which is supposed to be a good beach for sea glass hunting due to its rocky shoreline. It was definitely rocky, but in a smooth, rounded way that made it beautiful. As we walked along, the rocks became more pebble size, and Caroline and I both found small sea glass shards!

After that, it was off to the Monastery of Fotodoti. Google Maps had a hard time getting us there, but we finally figured out we could park on the side of the paved road and hike up the dirt road to the monastery site. The sun was beating frown on us, but we could see for miles as we climbed. Goats were grazing in the fields around us, the sound of their bells alerting us to their presence. We harvested figs for snacks on the way up, although the purple ones were not as tasty as the yellow-brown ones.

Just when we thought we would never find it, the monastery came into view. Built on a hill in the 12th century, the views of the neighboring islands and the Aegean Sea were stunning. The views inside were extraordinary.

Back down the hill we hiked to our car, the goats watching us the last half of the trek.

Not far from the monastery was the village of Apeiranthos, so we drove over there to see what it was like. It’s a small mountain village, with the villas built up the mountain and the winding pathways of shops and tavernas that we’ve grown accustomed to. Although a bit away from Naxos town, it was still a bit crowded with shoppers and sightseers. We stopped for an ice cream after browsing for souvenirs, and went back to the car to conclude our adventure.

Driving back to town, we drove up and over mountains seemingly of marble, to lower rocky crags. The change in geology was fascinating.

Back in town, we headed to the port area for some traditional Greek pizza and to try to spend our euros. Tomorrow starts our time on Mykonos.