Why November Is One of My Favorite Months in Greece

The tavernas are still open, the light is unrivaled, and the islands finally feel like themselves again.

By early November, the last of the summer crowds have gone home, and the Cyclades exhale. The sea is still warm enough to swim in, the light has that impossibly clear late-autumn quality, and the tavernas — freed from the pressure of high season — return to cooking the way they cook for themselves.

This year I spent a week between Naxos and Folegandros. I'd take that shape of trip again in a heartbeat: two islands, a slow ferry between them, and enough time in each to fall into a rhythm.

A few notes from the week, in no particular order.

Heather is the founder of HD Travel Studio. She writes here occasionally, between trips.