Exploring Naxos

After trying in vain to rent a scooter (they require an international license, which I do not have) I succeeded in inviting A & A to rent a car with me. A nice perquisite to knowing people: rental car adventures together!

Bonus: while I was car-wrangling they were trip pre-planning.

So off we went in the ugliest yellow-green VW with an anemic drivetrain but great mileage and acceptable aircon.

First stop was a ~500 BC marble temple that is considered an excellent example of archaic architecture. The excellence was lost on my uneducated eye but the valley in which the temple sits- or really over which it watches - is beautiful. This site and the temple were historically used to make offerings to ensure fertility and good harvest. Understandably.

I was no little bit amazed at how casually the ruins are protected - chunks of not-yet-restored marble litter the area with no apparent concern for their protection and the partially restored ruins are protected by a knee-high rope tied off to rebar stakes.

The temple was razed and incorporated into a church at some point and those ruins are also clearly visible, indeed you can stroll atop them. I guess the church is just less significant.

After Dimetra (the temple) we motored along to a cute little town to taste Kitron (tastes like burning, mostly, but also sweet and citrusy) and find some lunch. We ate well and inexpensively. That's a nice contrast to Naxos Town where tourism is a well milked cow.

Once again we hit the winding and confusing roads through the hills to find some Kouros (unfinished statues). When they sent marble off for statuaries, they would sometimes rough-cut it. Sometimes those orders broke or the buyer backed out, etc and the statues were simply abandoned. Which makes for a good tourist attraction a few hundred (thousand?) years later. Naxos has so much marble that it gets used for walkways, benches, retaining walls.. you name it.

We tried to include a northern beach in our itinerary, to do some snorkeling. Inconveniently, the beach was really windy and we opted to return closer to where I'm staying for more protected beaches . After some water-time we headed up the road for a delicious cocktail and some wine with an absolutely stunning view of the water and sunset, at Art Café. I highly recommend reserving a table in advance. We got lucky and had a smashing view. We also enjoyed meeting a nice family from Ireland/Scotland who are here on vacation. I chatted a fair bit about sailing and that is helping me get excited about possible/probable next steps in this adventure!

The sun set languid and fiery. Perfect.

I had to get the car back by 9pm (an inconvenience) so dropped everyone off nearer their hotel and boogied back without much stress. It's the 1st driving I have done since May and I enjoyed it.

I wrapped up with an absolutely fantastic plate of grilled lamb ribs with a green salad and some mediocre but cheap house red wine. Mediterranean wines haven't impressed me yet. I'm surprised.

All in all, a very good day and I'm glad we got to explore together!Read more