Tour of Naxos

Today we have signed up for the full day highlights of Naxos tour.  After a lovely breakfast at a place around the corner we get picked up at the square.  There are 14 of us and Nicholas is our guide and Makis is our driver.

Our tour bus. 

Our first stop is at a glass shop.  We get a description of how he creates these pieces.  There are some beautiful pieces.

A very large kiln.

Demeter’s Temple.  Recently restored ancient temple of 530 BC.







Model of the archaic temple (530 BC). The temple was entirely made of marble.  

In the village of Damalas, in the heart of Tragea valley, we visit a traditional restored olive press.



Nicholas demonstrates how the press was turned 24 hours a day during the harvesting of the olives.  This usually started in September.  Time was important to make the best olive oil.



Then we visit the only traditional pottery workshop where this man uses the same pottery wheel as his grandfather used.

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We arrive in the neoclassical village of Chalki which is very picturesque.





We go to a traditional citron distillery/museum.



This is used to make Naxos Kitron, an extract from the leaves of citrus tree first produced in 1896.



This piece of equipment is used to make Raki which is made from twice distilled grapes.  Quite popular in Greece.



This is an example of the containers that were used to store food.  Nicholas said that when his grandfather passed away at 96 they found some containers like these in his home.  They were from the end of WWII and contained flour.  They had been kept in a place that was cool and a constant temperature.  The lid was sealed with clay.  When recently opened the flour was perfectly good!





We sampled these.  The higher the alcohol the less the sugar.  Quite tasty.



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Historical centre of Halki 

The oldest Byzantine Church of Panagia Drossiani (4th-6th century AD).  It consisted of the main church and then had three chapels added at later times.

Frescoes can be seen on the walls. 

This is the back of the church.  All stone work and you can really see how they were added to the original church.





Now we are at the village of Apiranthos “the marble village”.

An example of a Venetian home where someone still lives today.

All marble!

So many villages like this one nestled in the mountains.  More and more of the homes are deserted as people started leaving after the end of WWII in search of work.  

Back at sea level we stop for coffee.

This status was discovered however it was never finished.  It’s 80 tons of marble and due to a war their work was interrupted.  

These towers are Venetian and there are a few still standing.  They were used as lookouts for invading people, mainly the Ottomans.

Marlene and I finish the day having pizza and salad.  We noticed a light made from a licence plate from Quebec!  Apparently the owner was from Quebec!