Naxos / Mikonos
One of the most fascinating things about the Greek Cycladic Islands is that while they all share common architectural styles and cultural identity, each island is so different in character and personality from the others. Naxos is the largest and greenest of the Cycladic islands, and has always been sustained by its resources and agriculture.
Sunrise shown on the enthralling portala, the gateway to the never-completed Temple of Zeus that characterizes Naxos harbor. But our morning would be focused on the more rural elements of Naxos, as we drove inland for a sampling of the interior. The ruins of the Temple of Demeter are set in the midst of beautiful agricultural valleys that are similar to the original landscape of antiquity. We followed olive groves thick with aged trunks to the small village of Sagri, where we followed Ellie and Stella through the narrow walk to an ancient olive press. A few steps away was Manolo the potter, who had taken over his father’s craft of casting pottery in traditional Naxian style. His technique and designs were fascinating, and because he didn’t have such modern essentials like a cash register, the purchases and exchanges were as much fun as the demonstrations. Our next stop was the traditional citron distillery in the village of Halki, which was once known throughout the Mediterranean for its liqueurs that were marketed as “cure-all” elixirs. And finally we drove down the valleys and back to the main port of Naxos, where we hiked up the labyrinth streets of the Venetian kastro, or castle.
After lunch we sailed north on glassy seas toward the landmark island of Mikonos. To our port side was the uninhabited sacred island of Delos, which was a paradoxical contrast to the wild and trendy party and nightlife island of Mikonos. We were lucky that Mikonos was rather calm and quiet, so we were able to see the town for the reasons that it became so popular. Beautiful cubic architecture with whitewashed walls and bright doors and shutters, winding alleyways that open into hidden courtyards, windmills, the waterfront of Little Venice, and yes, even the white pelicans were all part of a very scenic afternoon in one of the only Cycladic towns that through history has been based on the water. As Stella told us: “Mikonos never had to worry about fortifying their town against pirates, because . . . actually they were the pirates!”
One of the most fascinating things about the Greek Cycladic Islands is that while they all share common architectural styles and cultural identity, each island is so different in character and personality from the others. Naxos is the largest and greenest of the Cycladic islands, and has always been sustained by its resources and agriculture.
Sunrise shown on the enthralling portala, the gateway to the never-completed Temple of Zeus that characterizes Naxos harbor. But our morning would be focused on the more rural elements of Naxos, as we drove inland for a sampling of the interior. The ruins of the Temple of Demeter are set in the midst of beautiful agricultural valleys that are similar to the original landscape of antiquity. We followed olive groves thick with aged trunks to the small village of Sagri, where we followed Ellie and Stella through the narrow walk to an ancient olive press. A few steps away was Manolo the potter, who had taken over his father’s craft of casting pottery in traditional Naxian style. His technique and designs were fascinating, and because he didn’t have such modern essentials like a cash register, the purchases and exchanges were as much fun as the demonstrations. Our next stop was the traditional citron distillery in the village of Halki, which was once known throughout the Mediterranean for its liqueurs that were marketed as “cure-all” elixirs. And finally we drove down the valleys and back to the main port of Naxos, where we hiked up the labyrinth streets of the Venetian kastro, or castle.
After lunch we sailed north on glassy seas toward the landmark island of Mikonos. To our port side was the uninhabited sacred island of Delos, which was a paradoxical contrast to the wild and trendy party and nightlife island of Mikonos. We were lucky that Mikonos was rather calm and quiet, so we were able to see the town for the reasons that it became so popular. Beautiful cubic architecture with whitewashed walls and bright doors and shutters, winding alleyways that open into hidden courtyards, windmills, the waterfront of Little Venice, and yes, even the white pelicans were all part of a very scenic afternoon in one of the only Cycladic towns that through history has been based on the water. As Stella told us: “Mikonos never had to worry about fortifying their town against pirates, because . . . actually they were the pirates!”
