A Must See Attraction: The Cave of Antiparos {#SteemitChallenge Day 21 of 28}
The cave of Antiparos is truly a bucket list item, which you must see for yourself. The pictures taken simply do not do the cave justice.
One cm of growth every 80-120 yrs.
Vast array of ancient stalagmites
Ancient inscription on stalagmite from centuries ago
You begin by making your way down a well-marked 400 step staircase, taking you down nearly 200 m into a gigantic prehistoric cave (5,600 sq. meters) at the foot of Mt. Aï-Gianni.
Stairway leading into the opening of the cave
Stairway leading to the heart of the cave
View from atop Mt. Aï-Gianni
The cave is divided into three mysterious sections, giving the cave its unique and unprecedented character, dating back some 45 million years ago. The cave, however, remained completely undiscovered until the year of 1673.
There is a giant stalagmite as you walk in the entrance of the cave, and is the oldest in all of Europe (45 M years). This astounding feature makes for a spectacular first impression as you enter the mouth of the cave.
It is the only vertical cave in all of Greece without water. The ancient scripture is told that Polyphemus, son of Poseidon, used to dwell in the cave of Antiparos, and here he was also said to have met Ulysses during the Odysseus.
Unfortunately in 1673, the French ambassador of Istanbul found the cave, and after celebrating Christmas mass, managed to pillage the cave for 3 whole days by breaking many of the million-year old stalagmites.
Stalagmites broken from hundreds of years ago
The cave is very picture friendly, and there are not too many tourists visiting during this time of year.
This trip was a great midday exploration, and called for a nice period of time underground, escaping the hot sun for about an hours time.
It was a very fun ride from Paros to Antiparos by ferry, and then returning back via a local transport ferry for 1,30 Euro. The way back also consisted of a 40-minute bus ride back to the Port of Paros.
Ferry from Paros to Antiparos
On the ferry to Antiparos
This was nice because we were able to see much of the countryside and many small towns and villages, which we otherwise would not have seen.
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