We awoke to a lovely morning and
started planning our only full day on Naxos
This was the way to breakfast in Katarina’s
other villa
where she greeted us with a warm smile
On the way, some friendly German tourists greeted us
The best breakfast we have had so far.
Cheese omelettes, fresh orange juice, yoghurt and honey, a Greek salad and good
coffee. It turned out to be Nescafe, but was made hot and strong
And the view from the terrace was
rather nice too
Don't come late or you have to eat
downstairs
Off down the small alleys to town
This sign is for Burgos B&B, where
we stayed. If you go to Naxos, do stay there
Shabby chic
Easy to get lost but, as long as you
keep going downhill, you get to the sea front
An ancient vine
The front porch of another of the Burgos villas
Just a few more steps
The roses were superb
even though they don't get much
sunshine in the alleys
The entrance to our Studio
Our room, No.3. Translation is Erotas
This wall, which is part of the Venetian
Palace, is made up of ancient stones; the Greeks reuse everything. Who knows what
they were originally part of, a temple, a church, a house ...
Red and yellow poppies on a bit of
waste ground
A view from the top of the Chora. On a
clear day like this you can see across to the island of Paros
Wonderful aged paint colours on this
old door
and on these shutters
More of those enviable geraniums
And yet another Greek cat sunning
itself
Shutters to keep out the heat and, we
discovered later, the wind
We took a walk into town to see the
Naxos gate, the remains of a temple to Apollo which
was begun by the tyrant Lygdamis, who ruled Naxos from 545 to 524 BC. It was
unfinished at the end of his reign and never completed
It is on a peninsula
Typical Greek church bells
We beachcombed a bit, finding lots of
minerals and old marble pieces
An unfinished sculpture, emerging from
the marble
The azure blue Aegean sea
A fishing boat returning to port
The local 'fynbos' also has mesembryanthemums
(Vygies) and sour figs
The other side of the bay
The gate with a view of the Chora of
Naxos through it
A panoramic view of Naxos from the
Gate
A local artist in marble, no shortage
of material for him on the beach
Wonderful reflections in the sea water
with some small fish. We think these are what we had for supper the night
before!
A bus company map of the island
We decided to take the bus inland to
some of the older towns. These are some of the views of the ancient olive
groves and terraces
Lots of local character in the bus
Ancient olive trees are still very
productive
We were making two stops, first at Filoti and then onward to Apirathos
Ancient bush vines in Filoti
and magnificent tomatoes on sale
with other fresh seasonal vegetables
and fruit. The apricots were €1.50 a
kilo. We bought two magnificent ripe peaches
A monastery at the top of a high
mountain
so stark and exposed
A view of the hillside village
Lemons and garlic
Some Chinese tourists had also found
the greengrocer
Time for some lunch at this roadside
taverna
Yes, that pork kebab looks like our
sort of thing
In the shade of some mulberry trees
Our hostess brought some cold Mythos beer
sustaining lunch and beer for the price of ten Euros for
two. Heineken and Amstel are brewed in Greece, but we chose to drink local brands Ajax, Mythos and Fix, all of which we enjoyed. Prices ranged from less than €1 for 500ml in supermarkets to €4 for 330ml in restaurants
An English couple who have obviously spent a long time in Greece
Menus in English for the tourists
And a special free dessert to share. Thick
Greek yoghurt with homemade cherry preserve. We were often given extra complimentary
items in Greece, a lovely tradition
An enticing menu. The Greek alphabet does not distinguish between b and p, so lamp chops are frequently seen
A lovely bougainvillea, not rampant
like ours!
Poppy season
We took the bus onward to Apirathos
Through winding mountain roads
An old windmill
Warm countryside
The town is, unsurprisingly, ancient and
lots of old artefacts have been preserved and incorporated into the modern buildings
Old arches frame landscapes
Beautiful modern pottery made in the
old style. This is when Lynne wishes we could ship things home for our garden
The Greek version of bagpipes, with cowbell accompaniment
An old door spoiled by graffiti
What a stunning velvet rose
An ancient, derelict building overtaken
by a vine
One of the narrow side streets, with
more vines
An early Christian symbol in a tile
A tunnel beneath buildings. Spot the sparrow
Swallows were making their nests in the
rafters
Vines flowering
Summer flowers
These old passages just have to be
travelled; you want to see where they lead
They circle round as they give access
to the houses on the hill
A pot of vygies
Coloured doors in white walls are de
rigueur
Ancient and, here, more modern
An old mill wheel; we cannot
imagine how old
From the highest point, you are above
the church and the town
Some children came by with this baby
bird they had rescued. It was petrified with fear and so sat still on the
little girl’s hand
The locals having a lunch break. Yes,
one is a Greek policeman in more informal attire
We needed a coffee and somewhere to rest
our weary legs after a long climb
This waiter steps up and down here, effortlessly, all day
Another high hill landscape
a Greek red maple tree
How like our own little farm cottages
Having returned to town, we wandered
up the hill and had a view of this lovely three-master
And, suddenly, it began to rain, so
Lynne found some quick cover. The scirocco had been blowing all day and was
bringing with it red sand from the Sahara
John took a long shot of the Naxos
Gate
and we watched the ferry come steaming
in to the bay in the rain
As the evening wore on, so the weather
worsened
The three-master was still in port
The camera-shy owner of the Relax(!)
restaurant we had chosen for supper. We went dressed in our plastic ponchos
We decided on a carafe of rosé wine
for a change. There is not much you can say about the wine in restaurants,
except to say that is has no faults and is drinkable with the food, and it’s
cheap
Because of the heavy rain, the streets
and restaurants were not at all busy
The menu
And flowers on the table
Aubergine slices topped with melted
cheese. Delicious
Slow cooked lamb, falling apart, with
boiled potatoes. Also delicious. We had seen it on the menu boards that morning,
which made it our restaurant choice
Tzatziki to go with the lamb.
Essential
We sat and watched the thunder and
lightning show
while the rain pelted down, and enjoyed our meal
