21/05/2026
Walking in Greece
The final week of our Greek odyssey was spent on the island of Naxos with a day trip to Paros, leaving us with lasting impressions of the Cyclades and their timeless beauty.
We walked among olive trees more than a thousand years old, their twisted trunks clinging to rocky terraces that have been cultivated for centuries. Scattered across the hillsides were small whitewashed, sugar cube villages, looking much as they must have for centuries.
The islands’ remarkable marble quarries are impressive. The marble has been prized for its beauty and quality; statues carved from it stand at both the Acropolis of Athens and Delphi.
In Naxos Town, built beside the deep blue sea, ferries and yachts constantly arrived and departed from the busy harbour. The island also delighted us with its food: famous Naxian potatoes, sun-ripened tomatoes, and a wonderful variety of cheeses, especially Graviera, the local cheese for which Naxos is famous.
Every village seemed to have its own blue domed Greek Orthodox church, a reminder of the traditions woven through daily life. Along the ancient walking paths, the air was fragrant with the scent of wild thyme and sage. We have completed some amazingly diverse and sometimes challenging walks during our tour and we are left with a deeper sense of Greek life.
