Naxos - Paros - Amorgos

2004

Naxos

Harbor of Naxos Chora fom the south. In another experiment we had agreed to meet with Jürgen and Irene Grosskreutz from München in Naxos. After a flight on BA via London and a night ina very comfortable Hotel in the Red-Light district of the Piraeus we arrived on one of the Blue Star Ferries in Naxos. Jürgen had made reservations for us with Dina in Ag. Prokopius south of Naxos town. At first I was not to happy that we would stay so far out of town, the beach was not the most important consideration in my mind. But Dina waited for us - as did Jürgen und Irene - and won us over at once.

We took the bus from Naxos town through the "lagoon" (once the antique harbor and now the airport, the Kastro of Naxos Chora is in the background) to Agios Prokopios

Dina's Studios in Ag. Prokopios which Jürgen (standing in the door of our room) found for us. Charmed by Dina we stayed here both in 2004 and in 2005. This winter 2005/2006 they added a second house at right angle with 4 larger, 3-bed studios.

Here we are, Rolf, Irene, Barbara, and Jürgen in front of the "verandah" of our studio apartmernt.

And this is incomparable Dina, all smiles. One of the most cheerful and lovable ladies we have found in the islands. Of course, she is embarrassed by so much praise, but her guests a found her by word of mouth. Dina speaks German fluently and English sufficiently for conversation. They lived for many years in Germany.

Vasiliki and Neofitos, Dina's two bright children at their homework. Both speak English better than their mother. I sat with them for a while and Vasiliki gave me a lesson in Greek grammar, and Neofilos showed me his beloved Greek history book. Nowadays they do teach Greek children their glorious history!

Less than 3 minutes from Dina's house stretches one of the most beautiful sand-beaches for several miles south - a rarity in the islands. And the water it is so clear that one can see the fish and the white marble rocks on the sea-floor. In the distance, across the sea, is the east coast of Paros.

I had been worried that one would have to take the bus to Naxos Chora to find something to eat - there is no need, Agios Prokopios has several good, very reasonable local restaurants, stores, a supermarket, car and scooter rental places etc.

The entire beach south to Agias Annis.

The bus ride to Naxos takes less than 20 minutes. For an extra treat we would go to the restaurant "Flamingo", upstairs on the waterfront of the Naxos Chora.

One needs inspiration to compose a postcard - and to my surprise Jürgen, who speaks some of the best German among my firends and is an intelligent man, finds it very difficult to write letters. The beach and sun are of no help - the imagination can evaporate very easily......

After lying on the beach for a couple of days, our first excursion was to our beloved Moni Fotodoti. The public bus takes one to the turn-off to Danakos above Filoti from where one has to walk half an hour. Turn-off to Danakos, from where one overlooks the rocky mountains of Naxos to the West and the sea as far as Paros.

Circumspect Jürgen leading a herd of goats across the road to Apeiranthos

. The monastic castle of Fotodoti Christou - partially hidden behind the tree - overlooks the Lesser Cycladic Islands between Naxos and Amorgos. In the second Millenium BC the Cycladic culture flourished in these islands and on Naxos. A small museum, well worth seeing, in the upper Naxos Chora (behind the Catholic Cathedral) - and several other museums around the world - own collections of "Cycladic Idols" from these islands. - The church, one of the oldest in Naxos, was probably built on the site of an Apollo temple - hence Fotodoti, the "Light Giver".

.. The dome of the church inside the castle is supported by four antique columns from the Apollo(?) temple. The marble iconostasis is from the 17-th century AD.

Another excursion by public bus we took to Pirgaki on the far southwest side of the island. More sand beaches and an immaculate blue late-september sea.

Marble rocks on Pirgaki Beach

Jürgen loved sunsets! I have never watched so many sunsets as in the three weeks with them. Here he is trying to make the sun go down faster .....

Naxos, Sunset behind the door of Apollon temple as seen from Grotta. We had promised Jürgen and Irene also to take them to our secret places in Paros. We left Naxos on an overcast day.

Paros

Map of Paros

Rocks off Paros

Barbara and Irene on the boat

Dina had given us the name and address of Eleni's in Paros who, most talkative and elegantly dressed awaited us at the boat. Her rooms ware spacious and well appointed - and cheaper than Dina's! In Eleni's marble garden.

Paroikia, the Paros Chora, from the other side of the bay. The highest white building, left of center, and the small wood of trees next to it, is the moni of the Anagyrii, the heavenly twins. You see, it's a steep 40-min hike up there. This time I took a taxi, the others walked.

Barbara nd Irene arriving at the moni.

View of Paroikia and the bay from a window in the moni.

Ther was a new key keeper with his own car, who let us into the church - which has been cleaned up, re-whitened and equipped with new modern icons. The young man sang the vespers around 3 pm with a wonderful voice and a an equally unexpected acoustics.

The iconostasis now carries a modern icon of the Anagyrii and a deesis with a 19th-cent. centerpiece.

A silent trio after the sunset. We all walked down.

Panagia Ekatontapyliadi

I finally had a camera (my digital Canon) with which to take some serious photos of the interior of the Paroikia's great, 4th-6th century Byzantine Cathedral. Manin nave 532 AD. The iconostasis (17th cent) with its crucifixion, and the chandelier.

The oldest part of the Cathedral. The church of Ag. Nikolas (328 AD) , the bishop's seat and partof the gynaikon (the women's gallery)

The gynaikon, women's gallery embellished by antique marbles. The fence is of a younger date.

Jürgen and Irene at the Café on the bridge, run by a nice Athenian poet.

The shops across the bridge

After Jürgen and Irene left to catch their plane to München in Santorini, we spent a few more days in Paros and then took the old Panagia Tinou to Amorgos

Amorgos

Large Topo-Map of Amorgos

Smaller Relief Map of Amorgos

Map of Chora Amorgou

Red anti-rust-paint keeps the Panagia Tinou together, forming an abstract pattern.

After landing at every Lesser Cycladic Island the boat reaches Amorgos first at Aigialli. View from the Panagia Tinou across the rear loading ramp onto the Aigialli pier. .

There must have been 50 women at the pier in Katapola offering their rooms. It all went much to fast. Barbara had latched onto a soft-mannered young woman name Titika, who owned a guest house between Rachidi and Xilokeratidi. The room was small and overstuffed with any tourist amenity imaginable, including air-conditioner, refrigerator, electric stove, shaving mirror, and TV! But as this afternoon picture shows it was very clean and the window curtain made it an almost nostalgic place.

And it had a large balcony where we had breakfast and occasionally lunch. Barbara reading "Reading Lolita in Teheran"! Look how sunburned she is! The 10 days in Amorgos in 2004 were good for her and us.

As we always have, we ate dinner at Vitsentzos' Restaurant in Xilokeratidis a few hundred meter further. 2004 was a strange year. Because of the Athens Olympics the tourists had stayed away, despite that everyone had expected swarms of them. We hardly met anybody at Vitsentzos'. Was I getting too old to charm the young girls....?

Four Swedish girls and Axel, the son of one of them, asleep on the chair at Vitsentzos at night

Spiral stairs to the roof.

... from where one could watch the sun set over entrance to the bay.

Ah, had only Jürgen be there he would have loved the Amorgos sunsets!

Way out pqast the narrows of the bay's entrance is this chapel.

The road to Agias annis on the eastern escartpment.

Moni Chosoviotissa in the rocks above Ag. Annis seen from the nude beach.

Barbara loved the nude beach this year. She even went there one day by herself.

Agios Georgios Valsamides

The owner of this museum-piece-2-CV gave us a ride from the Chora to Ag. Georgio Valsamites.... I felt to old to walk back from Valsamides, but in the end I did - slowly, it took 2 hours. But I was happy.

Glorious fall colors near Ag. Georgios Valsamidis. Katapola in the distance.

The Moni of Ag. Georgios Valsamides from above. The garden and the continuation of the monopati can be seen in the back

Barbara in front of the church

All the things the digital camera allowed to do like a photo of the interior of the church of the monastery of Ag. Georgios Valsamides

Bell tower of Georgios Valsamites

Ag. Georgios Valsamides the monopati to Minoa and Katapola in the distance.

The Chora under Mt. Profitis Elias from the path near Valsamides.

Barbara with the hill of Minoa behind her on the return from Valsamides. Look at her scratches legs.....

On the way back to Minoa from Georgios Valsamides

The green bay of Ag. Pavlou from the road - by bus and car! - to Aigiali. They now rented the tiniest Japanese and Korean cars in 2 places in Katpola at 20 Euro a day! They looked like hard candy in all colors and were so tinny that a sheep charging could have destroyed its sheet metal. However, this allowed us to drive Ag. Pavlou, where we had never been, and to Aigiali.

One day I went in search of Tassia and look and behold she was sitting in her garden - and recognized me! Despite the limitations of my Greek, we had a very moving reunion.

The sleek, new "Zacharoplasteion" (Zuckerbäckerei) and bakery. - They make the best dark bread in the islands.

Panorama of Katapola Bay. Left the hill of Minoa, Iraklia straight ahead, right Naxos. Click on the image to enlarge! .

The Platea where the bus stops at the entrance to the Chora - 2004 : "The donkey is dead - long live Toyota!" - There still is one donkey alive in Katapola....

Agii Apostolii

The church of Zoon. Pigi and the door to the museum.

Maria Loudaros's Pantopolion in the Chora

Barbara in the maze of the Chora

Yanis' Kafeneion "O Thanos" at the Plateaki in the Chora Amorgou

The three chapels at the Plateaki from behind.

Once the house of the Karagöz maker, Chora Amorgou

Church of Ag. Georgios the Dragon Slayer at the entrance to the Kastro.

The tunnel, Chora Amorgou. It used to serve as stable for the donkeys.

Many a noon hour have I slept on the benches in front of the island post office. From the telephone booth on the left Barbara has called half the world.