James Gaston

Tight Squeeze

Hiking Mt Zeus

To the top of Mt Zas 14 Oct 2016 To the top of Mt Zas 14 Oct 2016 Naxos Greece

The day started with a Seinfeld reference and ended with a hike to the highest point on the island of Naxos.

We woke to see the cruise ship MV Astoria anchored offshore and unloading passengers via tenders. The Astoria, it turns out, has had seven owners and ten names since it entered service in 1948 as the MS Stockholm. I don't know if this is unusual for a ship of this vintage. What is interesting is that, sailing under the name Stockholm, it collided with the Andrea Doria off the coast of Nantucket Massachusetts in 1956, resulting in the sinking of the Andrea Doria and the loss of 46 of its 1,660 passengers. An investigation concluded that both crews shared in the blame for the accident.

If you are a Seinfeld fan you'll recall that George Costanza lost an apartment to a survivor of the sinking of the Andrea Doria. While George's tales of woe drew more sympathy than the survivor's experience, a bribe from the latter won the apartment.

Now to the serious business of being a tourist. Most of our day was spent hiking to the top of Mt Zas (or Mt Zeus), the highest point in the Cyclades at about 1,000 m. The views are far reaching all the way up to the peak: we could see inland Naxos, the neighboring island of Paros, as well as the Aegean sea and several of the other Cycladic islands.

Naxos

The MV Astoria, aka MS Stockholm, collided with the Andrea Doria off the coast of Nantucket in 1956 and played a role in keeping George Costanza from getting an apartment.

Naxos

The MV Astoria, aka MS Stockholm, collided with the Andrea Doria off the coast of Nantucket in 1956 and played a role in keeping George Costanza from getting an apartment.

Naxos

The MV Astoria, aka MS Stockholm, collided with the Andrea Doria off the coast of Nantucket in 1956 and played a role in keeping George Costanza from getting an apartment.

The chapel of Aghia Marina at the Mt Zas trailhead

Islands in the Cyclades from Mt Zas

Hiking Mt Zas

Stone walls, viewed from Mt Zas

Village of Filoti at the base of Mt Zas

Tight Squeeze

Hiking Mt Zeus