Naxos - On the Road

Breakfast,
7 Euro
Coffee or tea, toasts, yogurt with fruit, orange juice.

Considering that most Greeks think that "breakfast" is a cup of coffee and a cigarette, it was a pretty good start.
Our breakfast place is called "Heavens" Cafe - Bar - Internet.
Address: Next to the police station.

Really.

Here's their card.



Note to self... Don't bring jumper cables here.

-----

Onward-

We walked up the road a bit where Maria (our hostess) had told us "If you want to rent the scooter come and see Nikos. He will give you the good price."
It was a quick and painless exchange - He had 60 Euros of my folding money, and we had two of his scooters for a few days. And based on my last visit to the Hellas, I got full coverage for the machines... Damage by theft, auto accident, carelessness, acts of war or nature- we're covered. Pretty much anything short of dousing myself in gasoline and running the machine into a crowded restaurant is covered under this policy.
It's a good investment; These bikes are going to take a beating...

We head back to Studio Maria and get ready for today's jaunt.
I grab my camera and we're off...

A picture, they say, is worth a thousand words, so rather than bore you with a dull travelogue, let's let the pictures (and my captions) tell the tale.

We got on the road north, heading to Apollonas...
One thing about Naxos is that is has quite a bit of livestock.
Prior to this trip I would have sworn the only 4-footed barnyard animals in Greece were goats. In Naxos, goats, we have them, but other animal friends as well.

First- The Cow.


Close encounter of the beef kind.

Don't get me wrong... the goats were out en masse...

We had the free goats on the hill...


And we have a dog watching his goats.

We even have a goat directing traffic and giving roadside advice:

Hey Dude... Don't order the lamb!
Have the Chicken! Trust me.

On the way to Apollonas there is an old quarry where an old-time Naxoan sculptor was carving a statue of Dionysus out of the very living rock when his chisel slipped and the statue broke.
He threw down his tools and left the unfinished figure in the old quarry at Kouros.


The Rock Giant


The Woman Knows her Greek pantheon (she went to school in Athens, eh?).
Dionysus was the god of good times and heavy drinking.
(Obviously a UGA grad.)


Something to put the scale in order...
"Hell, he's bigger than I am..."

We made it to Apollonas...
It's a little town on the north coast of Naxos.

The view as we approached was spectacular...

A light lunch was in order.
Feta cheese, bread, olives, Tatziki...
(Sorry, no food pics.)

We had help ordering from one of the locals.

Fish. You gets the fish for me.
I lets you keep the feta.

We got back on the road stopping a several places along the way to look at the beaches and potential snorkeling spots.

I don't know how I'm getting down there, but I'm diving this spot.

This beach, Ambram, is a bit easier to get to...

Definitely coming back here too.

We also got a chance to look around Naxos Chora- the main town of Naxos.
The city was built up around an old Venetian fort.

The main tower of the Kastro.

The area near the fort and the towers are a maze of tiny alleys, tunnels & arched passages.

Very easy to get lost here...

The signature structure on the island was the gate of the temple of Apollo,
situated on an island near the ferry landing and the main waterfront.

You can see the waterfront of Naxos-Chora in the background.

And for our Art Lovers out there:
Another statue near the waterfront...

Hey sculptor guy...
It's not all about tits and ass...
She needs some arms, and uh, how about a face?

The Naxos-Chora Waterfront.

Bars and restaurants and tavernas, oh my!

Stay tuned for Day Three...
Naxos X-Games
-or-
Stupid Scooter Tricks

TBG

TBG- ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE