Naxos,our second Greek Island

We left Santorini by ferry to our second destination, the island of Naxos. The ferry system here is quite efficient and we were there in less than two hours...

When we were watching the docking and unloading it was pure chaos as they herd the passengers to the back of the boat before she stops, off the ramp the second it hits and then passengers are going everywhere while cars and transport trucks are coming and going. But it works and she leaves in time, maybe Marine Atlantic could learn some lessons from these crews!  

Naxos is the largest island in the Cyclades region which are the islands closer to Athens and the ones we are visiting. The main town is called Chora and it is situated on a beautiful harbour...

The island at this time of year is much quieter than Santorini with few tourists and lots of restaurants and services closed for the season. We stayed at a very quiet place with a wonderful owner who served us breakfast every morning since the restaurants were closed. He also served us cookies and ouzo everydayas well! It was right next to this beautiful deserted beach...

 We were there during some Carnival days and the town even though it is quite small put on a small parade and dancing in the square...

Lots of birds...

And Frozen princesses...

Lots of kids were dressed in costumes like Halloween....

It seemed that most adults put on random costumes and then started drinking and dancing...

Of course I joined in, these were my dancing partners 

Even Donald Trump made a float with this sign on the side...

Some spectators 

Even though it was quiet here Naxos was an interesting visit. The most famous landmark there is Portara, a massive 2,500-year-old marble doorway that leads nowhere.

The Portara is the entrance to an unfinished temple that faces directly toward Delos, Apollo's birthplace. For this reason most scholars believe it was dedicated to Apollo, but some think it was built in honor of Dionysus, who was worshipped on Naxos Island.

Whichever god it was dedicated to, the temple was begun about 530 BC by the tyrant Lygdamis, who said he would make Naxos's buildings the highest and most glorious in Greece. Only the walls were mostly completed when he was overthrown in 506 BC; the temple was never finished. Evidence from pottery indicates the temple's cult was abandoned by the 5th century BC.

It stands on an island adjacent to the town, now connected by a causeway, a very peaceful place.

The old town stands back from the harbour and is quite pretty with many narrow streets and a fortified castle near the top...

Another view of the town...

Some of the Old Town streets...

And the Woman in Black...

The walls of the fortress 

Lots of white churches...

And priests...

 

An interesting fact...here married men may be ordained as deacons or priests, but may not remarry if their wife dies, and celibacy is required only of bishops.

One day we took the local bus up to the mountains villages and got to see three of them. We were the onLy tourists on any of the buses which were very crowded. Here Don is helping an old man put his sack of onions on his back...

Here are some pictures of the very quiet villages we visited...

 Most of them are on the sides of the mountains which got to be quite high as we went up...

Naxos is the most fertile island of the Cyclades. It has a good supply of water in a region where water is usually inadequate. Mount Zeus (1,004 metres or 3,294 feet), the birthplace of the God Zeus,  is the highest peak in the Cyclades, and tends to trap the clouds, permitting greater rainfall. This has made agriculture an important economic sector with various vegetable and fruit crops as well as cattle breeding, making Naxos the most self-sufficient island in the Cyclades. Naxos is well known within Greece for its cheese, potatoes and Kitron, a local lemon-citrus spirit.

Lots of green fields...

We also walked through some of the countryside trails which were very green as well...

Olive trees...

Don doing is " Where the Heck Are We Now?" Pose....

We saw lots of signs for walking trails and this would be a beautiful place to do some long distance walking.

Here are some pictures of the town streets, we saw very few people anywhere, though there was evidence that these towns must be pretty in the high season...

 

In this town we stopped to have a drink in the taverna and the owner got out a map of Canada for us to show him where we lived. He then got his neighbour,Sophia who was an older lady who had lived in Quebec City for 30 years. It seems when people here find out we are from Canada the first place they ask about is Quebec.

Here are the kids playing on the way to school...

In another town we came across this man who ran a traditional bakery with a wood fired oven and he was packing in the wood...

In the final town we asked a man for directions and he was born in Canada, raised in the States and moved back to this hill top town. We asked him where all the people were and he said they lived away, a lot in Athens and they only came back in the summer. He told us that the houses always stay in the family so many are now empty. The towns were like ghost towns... 

Like everywhere we go we quickly get into a routine, and here our day started in a cafe where people gathered daily...

We would sit and watch the people....

The ocean...

And sometimes eat the local food...

This squid was beautiful...

We found Naxos even more expensive than Santorini, and unfortunately people in the service industry who would try to cheat you, not give you correct change, not bring you the food you ordered but expect you to pay for it. This happens unfortunately but didn't dampen our enthusiasm for Naxos.

We had a wonderful stop here and before we knew it the ferry was waiting again...