From the Panorama in Greece, 7/15/2008, Panorama II

Koufonissia/Naxos

Sails! Cruising! Islands! Lazy breakfast! This was a real vacation morning sailing through the central Cycladic Islands. We left the dock at Ios to wind our way through the small group of seldom-visited islands just south of Naxos. By the time we anchored at a small bay on the island of Koufonissia at 1000, most of our shipmates were up and about and ready for a swim, a walk ashore, or a paddle around the bay. The sea was calm, salty, moderately warm and very buoyant, and families and friends set off in every direction, or just relaxed on deck with a good book.

Showered and refreshed after lunch, we again set sails along the coast of Naxos and up into the channel that separates the largest and greenest of the Cycladic Islands from its western neighbor Paros. Kids worked on their journals and met in secret for reasons that are not fully understood by the adults, and lounge-chair reading became afternoon napping as we made our way north. Sophia gave a very enticing talk about the sacred island of Delos— which the Cycladic Islands circle around—and got us all excited about our visit tomorrow.

In the late afternoon we docked in the attractive port of Naxos. Dominated by the Venetian castle, or kastro with its winding alleyways and secret staircases, the main town is a joy of exploration and a labyrinth of hidden shops and eateries. Everybody included a search for the perfect gelato in their afternoon plans, and many stayed ashore for dinner. The seductive gateway to the unfinished Temple of Apollo beckoned us on its harborside promontory, as many visitors gathered at its portal for the hazy sunset.