Demeter’s Temple
In the morning we set out to explore Naxos, and we started with Demeter’s Temple. We absolutely loved the surrounding area of the temple, and Ammon still says it is his favorite thing in Greece (this is being blogged after our trip has ended). The countryside looks kind of drab in the pictures, but in real life the countryside seemed to undulate out from the center of the temple. We loved looking at the ancient farms and groves all around. History seemed to really come alive as we examined the temple and the offering holes in the ground.
Chalki
In Chalki we observed high school students learning what looked like a traditional Greek dance in the outdoor gym section of the school, which was right next to our parking lot. Then we wandered through the charming streets of Chalki before realizing that most of it was shut down due to it being October. Since we had skipped breakfast, we got some smoothies from one shop that was open–and some lemon and chocolate cake, since we did not know when we would eat again. I also entered the store of a woman who was weaving beautiful greek cloth in the window, but after feeling slightly pressured left. I felt guilty about leaving all day and to now still wonder if I should have bought something.
Mt. Zas and Zeus’s cave
After leaving Chalki we drove to Mt. Zas. We did not know if we would attempt to hike to the top or just to the cave. As it turned out, the path was extremely slippery and the boulders/boulder climbing got more intense as we progressed, so after the cave we turned around.
(It helped that I asked a passing hiker how it was at the top and she strongly discouraged me from bringing kids up since it was wet, cold, windy, and–her words–very dangerous.) We did see a family with a six year old who had hiked to the top, but with Ammon being unpredictable and hard to manage, and Clarissa prone to fits and needing to be carried, we felt like the cave was a sufficient reward for a very fun hike. The kids all said it was their favorite part of the day and wanted to keep going.
Apiranthos, the marble city
I had read that Apiranthos was called the marble city, but as we approached the kids expressed disappointment. Mary, our little artist, was particularly peeved that the city would not be solid marble as promised.
But as soon as we stepped off the cement outer road onto the pavement of the actual city, we realized the city was made out of marble. The pavement, stairs, and building blocks for the houses were all marble. I am pretty sure the white paint on the houses was covering marble slabs underneath.
We all thought it was almost miraculous to walk in a solid marble city, and as we wandered and got lost in the city we felt we had stepped back in time. I mean waaaaaay back. At one point I turned a corner and literally saw a cobbler making shoes in an almost impossibly small room. I don’t think I will ever forget the image. I felt like I had entered a fairy tale.
All of the kids were appropriately awed and interested, but maybe the most enthused of us all was Abe. Even after we accidentally upset a resident by being too loud (lookin’ at you, cute Ammon!) and got barked at through a fence by ferocious sounding dogs, he wanted to keep wandering indefinitely. The kids started complaining they were hungry, which was fair since we had barely eaten anything all day. So we ended up having a little appetizer at the only open taverna we could find. The taverna seemed to be entirely owned and operated by one man and while I found some of the food slightly difficult to eat, he was the kindest person.
We drove home and cooked the kids some noodles and served them the rest of the fruit and olives in the fridge. They appeared happy with that arrangement, and it was nice to be in our little house for one evening.
