Tuesday September 24, 2019

NAXOS, Greece – We always accuse ourselves of pushing the envelope. It’s common for us to go 12, 14 hours on any given day and try and pack as much as we can.

On Tuesday, that was a good example.

In the morning, we rediscovered “history,” hit the beach in the afternoon and took in some culture at night.

We started off by returning the car, and that actually worked out well. No questions from the car rental girl, returned the key on time and took off for The Portara gateway to the unfinished Temple of Apollo. This is an arch overlooking the harbor and remains the iconic image of Naxos. To reach the site, we navigated a small causeway and walked up an incline. The arch seems indestructible and the site revealed a rather small structure.

This was a structure was never finished but remains a classic example of a gateway arch from Greek antiquity.

What we found in exploring venues of Greek antiquity is that pieces lay where they fall. There is no effort to reconstruct at the site and no attempt to discard or haul off to a museum. Because there is no historic marker on the site, one can only guess its construction date. Because we found structures of other archaeological sites on Naxos dating to the 5^th and 6^th century B.C., one can assume the Portara is representative of the same time period.

We managed to take pictures from many angles, and that included the ruins left to fall to history.

Next stop was the archaeological museum but when we arrived, the museum was dark on Tuesday, Still, we manged on discover The Tower of Sanoudos, a Venetian castle erected in 1207.

On the way to the museum, we came across an older women, dressed like a nun and selling crosses. I gave her 1 euro but she held up four fingers for the cross. Shook my head that I was not interested but keep the money, At first glance, he looked like a nun and as we walked, I turned to Waynette, “this women can’t be a nun and begs for money, There’s no way she’s a member of any church and a fraud right out of central casting in Hollywood.” Here to work the tourist trade, we agreed.

After securing breakfast from a bakery/coffee chain, which we have discovered throughout Greece, we headed to Plaka beach.

We’re waiting for the bus outside of apartment and guess who walks along? Yes, the nun lady and wanted to sell more crosses. I smiled at her, and said, “honey, you’re such as fraud.” She had no idea what I said, smiled and proceeded to pester two girls also waiting for the bus.

At Plaka, Waynette found the conditions reversed from our previous visit. This time, the water seemed turbulent and the wind died. When she said she would like to move, that was fine with me. Instead, she took off down the beach and I unfolded my beach lounge. After an hour, she returned and said the water, about one kilometer away, was calmer and we could have packed our staff and journeyed. I said I was willing to do that, and by the time our discussion unfolded, clouds rolled in and the sun disappeared. We caught the 4 p.m, bus back to town, showered and grabbed a chicken gyro.

Then, the third leg of the trifecta after the Temple of Apollo and the beach.

After the gyro, we headed up an incline to the Catholic Center and the film, “Zorba, the Greek,” the classic 1964 film, which won four Oscars. The film was shown in a small community hall, slated to begin at 8:30 p.m. and the cost was 10 euros each. Around 8:30, the guy collecting the money told us the projectionist was caught in an elevator and the film would begin as soon as he was extricated.

Sure enough, the guy showed up and the film began about 15 minutes late. This was the original in English, with Greek subtitles. The sound was terrible and barely audible. Still, we were happy to see images of Crete, where the film was entirely shot and where we just left, and the final scene of Anthony Quinn and Alan Bates dancing on the beach at Stavros, where we spent two beach days.

After the film, we had to stop at our new, favorite ice cream place on Naxos, the Waffle House. It’s 2 euros for one scoop so, of course, we each had to have two scoops. After about a 15 minute walk, we arrived back at the apartment and knew Wednesday is a travel day. We have a 10:40 a.m. ferry to Mykonos, but too tired to pack. Our landlord is scheduled to pick us up at 9 a .m. and drive us to the dock. So we set the alarm for 7:30 to pack in the morning.

WEATHER – low 80s, cloudy in the afternoon. First measurable rain, slight showers for a brief time, and humid, at night.

PICTURES – Tempe of Apollo, images of Naxos, the Tower of Sanoudos, the begging “nun”

Another perspective of Yiroulas Sangri

The Doric temple at Yiroulas Sangri

The quaint village of Halki

Our Greek salad at lunch.

Which way do we go?

At the fishing village of Apollonas

Monday September 23, 2019

NAXOS, Greece – Let’s trade the beach for history. Sounds like a plan, done deal.

On Monday, we arranged to rent a car for travels throughout Naxos and paid a 20 euro deposit the night before. The clerk at the desk said the car rental place would open at 8:30 in the morning, so we arranged to pick up the car at that time. The rate was 30 euros for one day and we owed the balance of 10 euros at pickup.

Ready for the day, we packed a cooler with fruit and drinks and decided to have lunch and dinner along the way. It’s about a 15-20 minute walk to the car rental location at the port and we left around 8:45.

When we arrived, we told the clerk about our reservation and deposit.

“May I see your driver’s license?” she asked. Pulled that quickly and then she asked, “may I see your international drivers license?”

“I don’t have one,” was my reply.

“So sorry, I cannot rent without one. It’s a new rule of the European Union. Took place about a year ago.”

We tried to reason that we actually have an international drivers license but must have left that at home. Again, “so sorry,” was her reply.

Since reasoning was not option, I asked for the 20 euro deposit be returned.

“I’ll have to check with the boss,” she said. “He’s coming soon.”

After about 10 minutes, she picked up her cell phone and started in Greek. After a few minutes, she came back and said she was permitted to rent the car without the international drivers license. So, we gave her the remaining 10 euros and off we went into the hills of Naxos.

First stop was “history,” and we arrived at the archaeological site at Yiroulas, Sangri. This is the remains of a Doric temple which dates to the 6th century BC. The remains include the east-west facade, internal columns and parts of the walls. The building stands next to a Greek church and both co-exist on the site.

Down a path from the remains is a small museum and that’s devoted to what was found on the site. Most are fragmented parts of marble, sculptures and internal column walls.

Overall, we spent about 90 minutes and then took off for a village in the interior which was recommended by the host of our property. We found Halki, a charming maze of alleys filled with shops, mostly selling textiles and woven goods, and few restaurants. After a few obligatory purchases, we stopped for lunch at Caffe Greco, where we shared a Greek salad and club sandwich which came with, of course, fries. That was probably the best lunch we’ve had to date and completed with a stop at the local bakery for dessert.

Back in the car and this time, we drove directly north to the fishing village of Apollonas. There, we found a small beach, maybe 50 yards across and about 15-20 yards in width. A few people were on the beach and waterfront was lined with a few restaurants. We found a park beach overlooking the beach and had our dessert.

After lounging, as we assume that’s what people do on holiday, we decided to find popular beaches on the northwest corner of the island. That would put us close to Naxos Town and our apartment.

As we found in Crete, driving in Naxos is a similar challenge. The roads are narrow, one lane at best, and especially difficult through small towns and villages. Many times, one car must pull as far to the side as possible and stop so the car, truck or bus in the opposite direction, may proceed. The terrain is steep and a plethora of switch-backs is the norm. I can’t remember any stretch of road more than one or two kilometers at best as a straight-away. The time lost is substantial, so if you’re in a hurry to drive in Naxos, you’ll never make your destination on time.

We never made it to any beaches along the way and decided to just to drive back to Naxos Town, the main population area on the island, and where we are staying.

We arrived back at the apartment around 5:30 and parked in a small lot across from a church. When you exit a small walkway from our apartment, the church is on the left.

About dinner tonight, we’re uncertain. We’ll probably walk down the port and junk out with a chicken gyro. Seriously, after climbing and descending the hills of Naxos today, I truly don’t feel like getting back behind the wheel.

Off to Plaka beach tomorrow, our favorite beach. Right now, we’re seriously, VERY seriously, considering coming back to Plaka for an extended stay next summer. I think we’ve finally found the beach for which we have been searching for many years.

WEATHER, sunny, mid 80s .. pretty much perfect

PICTURES – Images from our travels around Naxos.