Naxos & Skinoussa
The winds of Aeolus kept us in port this morning at Naxos, and what a great treat that turned out to be. We took the opportunity to explore few of the more hidden treasures on this largest island of the Cyclades.
We wove our way through a tapestry of corn fields, harvested fields of wheat, and freshly plowed fields ready for their fall planting of the famous Naxos potatoes. Sprinkled throughout the landscape were grazing sheep, herds of goats and dairy cattle. The livestock on Naxos is the source of the tasty and famous cheeses of the island. Sophia and Stella told us of how cheeses made from the milk of sheep are considered the “male” cheeses; salty in taste, hard in texture and yellow in color. The “female” cheeses are made from the milk of the goats and are softer, white and lower in fat. We enjoyed a sampling of these local delicacies later on board our ship as well as grilled octopus, fresh figs and Ouzo.
We arrived at the sanctuary of Demeter – the goddess of fertility. Brilliant marble columns and partially reconstructed walls were surrounded by a bucolic pastoral landscape. Greek mythology tells the story of how we came to have the different seasons of the year. Persephone, the daughter of Demeter was admired by Pluto, the god of the underworld. Pluto stole Persephone away with him to the underworld. Persephone’s mother, Demeter, searched for her daughter and in the meanwhile neglected her duties of caring for the plants, their fruits and subsequently there was nothing to harvest. When she found her daughter, Demeter begged Zeus to make Pluto return Persephone to her. Persephone had eaten a few pomegranate seeds while in the underworld, food of the dead, so Zeus decided Persephone could return and see her mother for only a portion of the year and then must return to the underworld for the remainder. While Persephone is tending the trees and flowers with her mother, Demeter is happy working in the company of her daughter, and we experience the exuberance of this in the fresh growth and vitality of the spring and summer. When Persephone returns to the underworld, Demeter is saddened, neglecting her duties and plants and leaves wither and die, this is when we experience the fall and winter seasons.
For the afternoon, we repositioned to the island of Skinoussa for a little swimming, sunning and kayaking. Tomorrow we look towards Santorini and another full day exploring the Greek Isles.
The winds of Aeolus kept us in port this morning at Naxos, and what a great treat that turned out to be. We took the opportunity to explore few of the more hidden treasures on this largest island of the Cyclades.
We wove our way through a tapestry of corn fields, harvested fields of wheat, and freshly plowed fields ready for their fall planting of the famous Naxos potatoes. Sprinkled throughout the landscape were grazing sheep, herds of goats and dairy cattle. The livestock on Naxos is the source of the tasty and famous cheeses of the island. Sophia and Stella told us of how cheeses made from the milk of sheep are considered the “male” cheeses; salty in taste, hard in texture and yellow in color. The “female” cheeses are made from the milk of the goats and are softer, white and lower in fat. We enjoyed a sampling of these local delicacies later on board our ship as well as grilled octopus, fresh figs and Ouzo.
We arrived at the sanctuary of Demeter – the goddess of fertility. Brilliant marble columns and partially reconstructed walls were surrounded by a bucolic pastoral landscape. Greek mythology tells the story of how we came to have the different seasons of the year. Persephone, the daughter of Demeter was admired by Pluto, the god of the underworld. Pluto stole Persephone away with him to the underworld. Persephone’s mother, Demeter, searched for her daughter and in the meanwhile neglected her duties of caring for the plants, their fruits and subsequently there was nothing to harvest. When she found her daughter, Demeter begged Zeus to make Pluto return Persephone to her. Persephone had eaten a few pomegranate seeds while in the underworld, food of the dead, so Zeus decided Persephone could return and see her mother for only a portion of the year and then must return to the underworld for the remainder. While Persephone is tending the trees and flowers with her mother, Demeter is happy working in the company of her daughter, and we experience the exuberance of this in the fresh growth and vitality of the spring and summer. When Persephone returns to the underworld, Demeter is saddened, neglecting her duties and plants and leaves wither and die, this is when we experience the fall and winter seasons.
For the afternoon, we repositioned to the island of Skinoussa for a little swimming, sunning and kayaking. Tomorrow we look towards Santorini and another full day exploring the Greek Isles.
