The largest of the Cyclades group is our next destination. Lord Byron described Naxos as a “dream island”. The ferry trip from Paros only takes 30 minutes but, unlike the trip to Paros, this was a frenetic affair with the staff barking out orders and hurrying and herding us on and off the boat as if we were cattle.
Our little apartment is in the heart of the Old market and turns out to be the pick of our Greek island accommodations. The main town of Hora is wrapped around the waterfront. A causeway links us to a second island with a marble gateway, the Portara visible as one arrives by boat. It was to be an entry to a Temple to Apollo built in 530 BC but it was never completed. It is now an emblem of Naxos.
Again we rented a car for the day to drive around the island. The countryside is quite hilly and has the highest mountain in the Cyclades. A mountain where legend has it that young Zeus took the bolt of lightning from a young eagle and made himself the almighty father of all the gods of Olympus.
