Why? Because in Naxos you have nothing but time to think. But to the point – Naxos is a brilliant island for the sheer fact that it is large, relatively unpopulated and quiet. In contrast to Santorini, which we really enjoyed, Naxos offers a vacation within a vacation. We set up camp on Naxos at Pension Sofi, a hotel located in the port city of Chora. Pension Sofi is a great little place to stay if you want quiet and family hospitality. We were repeatedly offered fresh tomatoes, family made wine, goat cheese and olives as well as ice coffee which we graciously accepted each morning before heading into town. If there’s one thing we have learned, it’s eat local and eat fresh. Chora itself (population 6500) is built in and around an 800-year-old castle. With the exception of its tourist-friendly waterfront, Chora operates like a labyrinth. In fact, we promised the owner of a shop we liked that we would be back the next day only to never find the place again. This was only a small portion of our visit however. We spent the vast majority of our time here on top of an ATV getting lost on the many winding and elevated roads in search of the perfect beach. We found it, many times over in fact. For two days we travelled over 100 kilometers exploring the hills, valleys and small towns that sparsely dot the Naxos landscape. It was completely refreshing and we would still be doing it if we didn’t have to leave for Paros. We are glad we drew Naxos out of the Greek island hat and would go back in a heartbeat.