| Avi and I just got back from three days on Naxos, the largest and most fertile of a group of Greek islands called the Cyclades. Naxos has been inhabited for thousands of years, and was a center of a Bronze Age culture. Today the island has important marble quarries and a vibrant agricultural sector. The center of the island is an undulating plain ringed by mountains which catch the rain and keep the land lush and green. There are groves of beautiful old olive trees. Flocks of sheep and goats roam the plain, and their milk is made into local varieties of cheese. In the spring and summer hordes of tourists visit and the money they spend is far more significant than the quarrying and agriculture. But when the weather cools the outsiders drift away and the locals get their island back again. During our short stay we hardly heard a word of anything but Greek and the people were kind and welcoming. In the main town there are lots of friendly and well-cared-for cats. We wandered the streets of the main town and then rented a car and drove up into the hinterland. There we hiked around on the ancient country trails among the flocks of goats and sheep. It was idyllic. I love islands in general, but Naxos is really something special. |
| Created on 31 December 2025, updated on 31 December 2025 by Samuel Ethan Fox |