And so we made it to the center of the Cyclades! Delos Island welcomed us with a bright and quite warm sun, a light breeze, and a blue sky. What a perfect time to visit the God Apollo’ birthplace. We enjoyed having the whole island to ourselves before the day-trippers from neighboring islands invaded the precious site. We saw the many temples of Apollo and the marble “guardian angels” or Naxian lions by the sacred lake. We also walked through the residential area, which contained many immersive mosaics that decorated the Hellenistic mansions once upon a time. We heard many stories and even more myths about the lives of the people, the commercial activity, and of course, the worship of Apollo. Many of us hiked to the top of Mount Kynthos to look at the spectacular view and to take pictures of our beloved Sea Cloud, which sat atop the deep blue waters of the Aegean. What a great surprise at the end of the tour, a swim platform set up for us! The water was refreshing and rejuvenating, almost everybody seized the opportunity to dive into the crystal clear Aegean Sea. During lunch we repositioned the ship and went a bit more south, anchoring at the bay of Agia Anna at Naxos Island.
Another unexpected but very pleasant surprise was visiting the Chora and the castle of Naxos town. After a short ride we reached the waterfront where Apollo welcomed us once more with the Partara gate, which has sat upon the hill for 26 centuries! The temple was never finished and only the marble gate remains intact. The Venetian Kastro is one of the most active and alive of the Cycladic area. We explored every single corner and wandered around the alleys taking pictures of the crests decorating each door that was an aristocratic mansion during Venetian times. In the evening the waterfront promenade becomes the most interesting place in town, as locals and visitors enjoy dinner at one of the many seafood restaurants, drinks, and a look at the people passing by, so we did too! This was a full day from morning to evening and we felt what Greek summer means from all aspects!
