Caroline arranged a rental car for us to a couple of days, so that’s where the day begins.

Our goal was to drive to the town of Appollonas to see the famous Kouros. However when we checked the route, we knew we needed to make one stop before hand.

The Eggares Olive Press Museum was a pure delight. We arrived a little before 10 am and were greeted by the delightful staff. They asked where we were from, and then happily displayed their knowledge of the location of both Arizona and Virginia. We had a guided tour of the small museum, and learned all about the olive oil pressing process and the agriculture of Naxos. It was surprising to learn that the island of Naxos didn’t have electricity or machinery until the 1960s, so all of the harvesting and pressing was done manually. Even to this day, much of the harvesting is done without massive machinery.

We were then taken into the tasting room and sampled several olive oils, infused olive oils, marmalades and tapenades. They drizzled olive oil over things I’d never have thought of combining with it, and it was all so very delicious.

We left Eggares and drove up and over the mountains to the fishing village of Appolonnas, stopping just before the village to view the massive kouros. This unfinished marble statue dates back to the 6th century BC. It is massive at about 30 feet tall, and carved from marble, so it’s unthinkably heavy. Experts disagree on why it was never completed and moved, but theories range from the artist not being payed to the statue cracking and therefore not worth transporting.

We drove down the hill to the village, and walked a bit on the beach. We started at the rocky part of the beach, away from the crowds, and Caroline found a piece of sea glass. We then walked to the sandy part of the beach and into a cafe for brunch. The crystal blue water was breathtaking, and there were no waves in this protected cove.

We got on the road again to see two more kouros and a marble quarry. Up and over the mountains again, to a viewing point just off the road of the enormous quarry. We both wanted to grab some small pieces up! It was impressive to see how the marble really is cut in slabs.

On to the kouros of Flerio and Farangi. We got to take a little hike though the trees, up some stairs, under fig trees and through fields, up to the kouros. Also dating back to the 6th century, one of them had a broken leg and the other kouros had its feet broken off. It’s mind-blowing to think of men carving these from marble so many centuries ago.

After the kouros, we headed for Plaka Beach, which our driver Ilias had told us was the best. It was only a short drive away. We parked, found a spot on the sand and tested the water…surprisingly cold at first, but you could get used to it quickly. We sat and dried off in the sun a bit, then packed up and headed back to town.

Last stop of the day was the Temple of Apollo, at the Port of Naxos. Construction was started in 530 BC, but it was never finished. Churches and a castle were later built at the same site, but now, the doorway is all that remains..

After a quick bite to eat overlooking the sea at sunset, we headed back to our hotel to plan for tomorrow’s adventure.