Paros & Naxos
This morning we woke up in beautiful Naoussa Bay on the north end of Paros Island. Plans for the morning were very relaxed. Our guests were offered a 2-mile hike with our guides Lora and Smaro, starting from the sandy beach where we landed with Zodiacs and ending at the lighthouse situated at the top of the ridge. Some chose to walk slowly with Sharon focusing on photography and wonderful flowers on the way up to the hill. The hike up was very pleasant with a wind bringing plenty of fresh air. From the lighthouse we had an incredible view of the whole Aegean Sea with the islands of Naxos, Mykonos and Delos in the distance. Because of the blowing wind we couldn’t offer kayaking but everyone came back from the hike happily tired and with lots of photos. Because this year spring came very late, the whole island was exceptionally green, with a lot of blooming plants and incredibly colorful wild flowers.
After lunch we set the sails and used the strong wind to sail to our next destination. The sailing was fantastic — full sails, sun and beautiful deep blue of the water. We arrived into Naxos harbor around 2:30pm. Buses took us inland to the tiny old village called Damalas where we visited a well-preserved traditional community olive press and small pottery factory. The owner of the pottery studio, Manolis, showed us how to make pottery and we could purchase some of his great work pieces for a memory.
We couldn’t dwell too long since there was still much to do in the afternoon. We headed back down into Naxos in order to visit the Venetian Kastro situated in the center of town, and at the summit of the capital town of the island. The old town divides into the Kastro, once home of the Catholic nobility, and the medieval Bourg, where the Greeks lived. We walked the twisting alleys admiring the Venetian architecture and many small Byzantine chapels, but also some exceptionally beautiful jewelry in the little shop windows. Heading back to the ship just before sunset we passed the magnificent marble Portara gateway, situated north of the port and dominating the harbor of Naxos. Built in 522 BC, it was to be the entrance to the unfinished Temple of Apollo. After the beautiful sunset some of us decided to go out for dinner as Naxos town offers many small cozy restaurants with great food. Others stayed on board Panorama for dinner, enjoying tasty Greek meals from “the best restaurant in Greece” of course.
