Naxos and Paros Islands, Greece
The Panorama spent a quiet night at the pier on Naxos Island. We awoke to some beautiful light coming over the hills of the island and the Kastro of the port. There were some guests who arose early for a walk out to the Portara and picturesque view of the Temple to Apollo while others enjoyed the view from the deck. Either way it was a nice way to start the day.
After breakfast we were off to explore the island. Tzemma and Laura, our Greek guides, explained the history and productivity of the island. We saw a good amount of agricultural activity and numerous olive groves along our way. Naxos is not only the biggest of the Cycladic islands, but it is also well known as the most fertile. Damalas, a small village near the middle of the island was our destination. We arrived and then walked into the local olive press that was once used for the community and is of a traditional design. Laura and Tzemma explained how the olives were processed to produce the olive oil and answered some questions. We then made our way to a local potter’s shop for a demonstration. Manolis, the potter, gave us a short demonstration at his wheel and then showed us how to use a few of his unique creations. The olive oil that he offered from his estate was the first to sell out as well as a few other items. In typical Greek fashion he offered to “deliver” some of these personally to the ship later in the morning. The “record” sales were concluded and we boarded our coaches to return to the port.
Once we were back at Panorama many of the guests joined the guides for a guided walk through the center of town, specifically to tour the “Kastro” or what remains of the Venetian castle. At the end of the tour there was a visit to a small but very well stocked spice shop along one of the main roads of the town which was a big hit. Some of the guests chose to wander on their own and ventured out for lunch before returning to the ship just prior to departure.
The ship got underway into a freshening northeast breeze, which enabled us to motor sail over to Paros Island – our anchorage for the afternoon and into the evening. The Zodiacs were down shortly thereafter and we landed on the beach here in Naoussa Bay at the northeast end of the island. Most of the guests joined Sharon Grainger for a good walk to the lighthouse at the north tip of the island, some got into the water as soon as possible while others decided to “watch” the ship and enjoy some down time. Before the day was out we had many swimmers from the beach with reports of warmer water than they expected. Before the day was out the clouds parted for a fine sunset from the deck before Michelle told us about the geologic history of Santorini and our program for tomorrow.
