I have to keep checking the calendar because I have pretty much forgotten what day it is. They are all sunny and warm and the forecast says more of the same for another week.
Today I ventured away from the port and walked through Old Town (Greek Bourgos and Venetian Kastro). The passageways are narrow and covered like arcades. Lots of beautiful doors, flowers and interesting angles. All the stone and the overhangs lowers the temperature whihc is a treat in the midday sun. I also stopped into the Catholic Cathedral where the classical meditation music must be a diocesan standard. It was nice and Mom you got yet another candle lit for you.
I just dawdled, window shopped and took pictures. If I had extra money and luggage space, I could do some serious damage. Cute cotton clothes, art, home furnishings–all tempting. A map was useless–those darn Venetians–but eventually I found my way back to the port. I went back for a coffee frappe and a salad to the place from yesterday. Apparently I missed a raucous party on the port until 3 am with dancing on the sidewalks, etc. Oh, well.
Next to the port, is the Temple of Apollo. It’s mainly ruins now, but it’s a great place to sit and listen and watch the sea. It’s on a elevated point jutting into the sea–very dramatic. A German tourist took a picture of me to prove that I am in fact in Greece. I’d like to say that I’ll organize and post pictures on the next rainy day, but it doesn’t look like they’ll be one while I am here.
During the hot time (3-5) I sat outside the historic Greek Orthodox Cathedral in the shade on the cool marble and read my book. I saw lots of cats and dogs do this here and in Santorini and I thought it’d be worth a try. It’s effective. I read more of Captain Corelli’s Mandolin and desperately tried not to think of Nicholas Cage. It is a wonderful book and it was a bad movie. I bought some groceries for the room. Yogurt, crackers, fruit, water, potato chips, and wine. I couldn’t figure out the chocolate. (Some European and American brands here (Lays, Amstel, L’Oreal, Nivea, Garnier, Dannon) but I noticed mainly Greek-looking brands in the stores which slowed down the shopping.
I booked some stuff: my ferry to Athens on Friday, a day trip to the mountain towns of Naxos on Monday and a piano blues/jazz “improvisational style” concert at a mansion in the Venetian Castro tonight. I couldn’t understand a word the Greek/Armenian fast-talker pianist said, but I recognized Muddy Waters, Gerswhin, Jimmy Hendrix (yep), Michael Jackson, and some familiar Greek/French/Russian pop/folk variations. He threw in a few opera arias and show tunes at the end. He was a genre-bender, for sure, and a good musician. At intermission, they served Kitron which is a local liquor made from a lemon-like fruit. It wasn’t syrupy and it wasn’t firewater. Very nice.
When I walked back, the town was jumping. I followed 2 couples who were headed back in the direction of my hotel and managed to stay out until 11:30.
I really like this place—Naxos. I picked this as on the way to somewhere else, but it turned out to be a happy accident. The place is easy for a traveler to navigate, but not particularly rush-rush-day-trip- touristy. Lots of people are here for a week or more just like we might have gone to a cabin in Wisconsin. It feels like the Greek or perhaps more accurately European version of that, I think.
Coincidence… There was a guy sitting out by the Temple of Apollo for a long time and I was wary to go to near him–gut feel–even though he was in a good photo place. When I got to the concert, Mr. Scary Looking was in fact the featured musician at the concert today.
