Naxos, Levkada and Cefalonia

  This weekend I added a page on the Catholic Cathedral and Kastro of Naxos. I don't have much information on these items, and I hope to add in future.
This part of the town was constructed largely in the Crusader period.

http://www.mesogeia.net/trip/naxos/naxoscastle_en.html


 

I added also a page on Nidri of Levkada (Levkas); telling the truth the place was not so impressive. We would like to return to Levkada, because we did not see much of it, but not interested to go back to Nidri.
This is a statue of Aristoteles (Ari) Onassis standing in Nidri.

http://www.mesogeia.net/trip/lefkada/nidri_en.html


 

I also corrected some of the links in Kefalonia section; now I think much easier to browse from a page to another. The page on Vlachata is a new addition; it existed in the past but has never been linked from other pages.

http://www.mesogeia.net/trip/kefalonia/kefaloniatop_en.html

Portala, Naxos

  

I added a page on the gateway of the Apollo Temple in Naxos, called Portala (Big Gate).

http://www.mesogeia.net/trip/naxos/naxosapollo_en.html (with 5 photos)

It is so symbolic and beautiful. In a certain sense, it is like Venus of Milo, it is more beautiful because it is not perfect.

Chora, Naxos

  

I added one page on Naxos Island and another about Naxos Town, also called Chora (as usual...)

Naxos Island

Naxos Town (with some lovely photos of cats).

We went there at the end of August 2003; it was end of the season and there were not so many tourists around. What I remember of Naxos is that the food portion was always enormous; at taverna, my husband and I used to order just one plate of pasta, one plate of meat and one salad for two of us, and it was just a right quantity.

One difficulty was that there was not enough public transport, but it might be better now.

This is an island where we definitely want to go back.

Mesta, Chios

  

During the weekend I uploaded three pages on Mesta, Chios.

Streets of Mesta

Church of Taxiarches

Old Taxiarch' Church and Village Gate

In this photo is the iconostase of the Old Taxiarch's Church (it is so called because there is also a new one). It was curved out from wood, and was made by only one person; unique example of the Greek religious art. We were told that it was made from only one tree, but we remained a bit uncredulous. The monk who made it is said to have lost sight after tens of years of work.

I still have some other photos from Chios, but this week I want to start uploading some pages on Naxos where we visted in 2003.

Kaisariani Monastery

This weekend I uploaded some pictures of the Kaisariani Monastery in Athens.

Kaisariani Kathorikon

Fresco paintings inside the Katholikon

To go to the monastery, we took a bus from the city centre to the nearest point, and from there we had to walk a rather difficult road (as the pedestrian sidewalk was not adequate and car-traffic was heavy) for about 20 minutes; it is hardly a convenient place to go, if you don't have a car. As the monastery is quite small, the accessible parts are limited, and it is not a museum, probably only those who interested in Byzantine architecture really enjoy the visit.

Unfortunately the Dafni Monastery has been closed for a long period, and there seems to be no immadiate plan of reopening because of risky condistion of the buildings.

Pyrgi, Chios

In this weekend I added three pages on Pyrgi (or Pirgi), Chios Island.

The village is so beautiful with buildings decorated with geometric patters. It is even more colourful at the end of summer when the locals start to make sun-dried tomatoes (as you see in the photo).

http://www.mesogeia.net/trip/xios/pirgi_en.html

http://www.mesogeia.net/trip/xios/pirgiagapostoli_en.html

http://www.mesogeia.net/trip/xios/pirgivari_en.html


The village is in Mastichochoria (southern part of Chios where the mastic is produced), and its prosperity derives undoubltedly from this local and exclusive produce. Although there are quite a lot of tourists, it does not lost its charm of small village with merry local inhabitants.

The village has also a Byzantine church with splendid fresco paintings.