Naxos
What a delightful day!
As we woke up in the morning and looked around we were amazed to look at the blue sea and the beauty of the coast outside of Naoussa town on the island of Paros. Our good captain dropped anchor not far from this charming beach and as soon as our guests finished breakfast we were invited to swim or kayak in the “wine dark sea” as Holmer described it, but also illuminated by the Apollian spirit from Delos that we had just visited the day before.
Later on, our National Geographic lecturer Bob Hohlfelder spoke to us about a most interesting theme: “Johnny Depp, Julius Caesar and the pirates of the Mediterranean.” We learned about piracy in the ancient Greek and Roman times, and how it was involved with slave trade in the Mediterranean. We are indeed fortunate to have with us a National Geographic expert as a speaker!
Then, in early afternoon, we docked in Naxos town, at the island of Dionysus and Ariadne. This is the largest of the Cyclades and can also claim to be the most fertile with its cultivated valleys, refreshing green even in the height of the dry sun browned Cycladic summer.
After lunch we all departed from the port, travelling by bus some 25 km inland to a charming village called Damalas, one of the smallest on the island. We drove through olive groves and beautiful scenery developed as we travelled. At the village we were welcomed by the local potter Manolis. The pottery business has been in his family for a long time and he gladly showed us to the nearby 250 year-old olive press and explained how it had worked. Then followed a presentation in his own pottery workshop as he created a vase for us by using the potters wheel. We loved it. And when he was done many of us wanted to buy a little something from his shop as a souvenir from Naxos.
In the afternoon we visited Kastro, the old town on the hill and the residence of the Venetian catholic nobility. Inside, some 19 venetian houses still bear their coat-of-arms, a true rarity. We also visited the 14th Century Catholic Cathedral, situated on an imposing location that dominated the top. We found our walk in the streets fascinating, so narrow that some people find them to be almost claustrophobic which was just the way the natives had intended them to be in order to confuse invading pirates.
As another day full of new experiences ends and the night falls into the Aegean, let us make a toast to Dionysus, the patron God of the ancient Naxos.
What a delightful day!
As we woke up in the morning and looked around we were amazed to look at the blue sea and the beauty of the coast outside of Naoussa town on the island of Paros. Our good captain dropped anchor not far from this charming beach and as soon as our guests finished breakfast we were invited to swim or kayak in the “wine dark sea” as Holmer described it, but also illuminated by the Apollian spirit from Delos that we had just visited the day before.
Later on, our National Geographic lecturer Bob Hohlfelder spoke to us about a most interesting theme: “Johnny Depp, Julius Caesar and the pirates of the Mediterranean.” We learned about piracy in the ancient Greek and Roman times, and how it was involved with slave trade in the Mediterranean. We are indeed fortunate to have with us a National Geographic expert as a speaker!
Then, in early afternoon, we docked in Naxos town, at the island of Dionysus and Ariadne. This is the largest of the Cyclades and can also claim to be the most fertile with its cultivated valleys, refreshing green even in the height of the dry sun browned Cycladic summer.
After lunch we all departed from the port, travelling by bus some 25 km inland to a charming village called Damalas, one of the smallest on the island. We drove through olive groves and beautiful scenery developed as we travelled. At the village we were welcomed by the local potter Manolis. The pottery business has been in his family for a long time and he gladly showed us to the nearby 250 year-old olive press and explained how it had worked. Then followed a presentation in his own pottery workshop as he created a vase for us by using the potters wheel. We loved it. And when he was done many of us wanted to buy a little something from his shop as a souvenir from Naxos.
In the afternoon we visited Kastro, the old town on the hill and the residence of the Venetian catholic nobility. Inside, some 19 venetian houses still bear their coat-of-arms, a true rarity. We also visited the 14th Century Catholic Cathedral, situated on an imposing location that dominated the top. We found our walk in the streets fascinating, so narrow that some people find them to be almost claustrophobic which was just the way the natives had intended them to be in order to confuse invading pirates.
As another day full of new experiences ends and the night falls into the Aegean, let us make a toast to Dionysus, the patron God of the ancient Naxos.
