Paros & Naxos
Sheltering from the strong north wind for the night, we awoke in the protection of Naoussa Bay on the north end of the island of Paros. This was to be a “nature morning” with hikes, swimming and kayaking, though last night’s driving winds made us all a little skeptical. But we got lucky.
It turned out to be a beautiful morning, with the winds dropping perfectly to accommodate our Zodiac and kayak schedule. Sharon led many on a long hike to the Cape Korakas Lighthouse, while others chose to relax in the sun and enjoy the perfect swimming waters and hike around on our own. The Yiannis Detis Peninsula provides an excellent anchorage and well-marked trails, as well a nice bay for swimming and paddling. Everybody ended up in the water by late morning, with beaming smiles and contagious laughter. The Gods were smiling on us indeed.
As soon as we left Paros Island, we opened sails and cut engines for a racing sail to the island of Naxos, where we seemed to arrive in no time at all. The largest and greenest of the Cycladic Islands has a diverse economy in both mining (marble and emery) and agriculture (olives, potatoes and much more). Our focus for the day is on local products, and the first part of our visit was a pastoral drive through reeds, potato fields and olive groves to the rural village of Damalas. Here we visited a traditional community olive press and a functioning traditional pottery workshop, and met the amusing and charismatic potter Manolis and his family.
Olive oil and pottery in hand, we returned to Naxos port, where Stella and Ellie guided us through the labyrinthine alleys, portals and tunnels of the Venetian kastro. It was fun and fascinating, with plenty of stops to sample local liquors, spices and ice cream. Naxos Harbor is one of our favorite ports of call, and most everyone took a walk along the lively waterfront in the evening, or hiked to the enigmatic ancient marble gateway of the “portara” to let their imaginations drift into the evening breeze.
