Paros, Greece

Though it was really hard to leave the lovely island of Santorini we also enjoyed our final stop; the island of Paros.  Paros is one of the bigger islands and is also considered the most beautiful of the Cyclades.  We chose to stay in the main city of Parika.  Like most of the islands it is very easy to get around to the various cities, but we did enjoy having the main bus station only a few minutes away from our hotel.  On our first night we chanced upon one of the many outdoor theaters.  It was only a two minute walk from where we were staying, so our first day consisted of Mexican food, which had been greatly missed, and the movie "Dark Shadows".  Though the movie was lacking at various points it was heightened by the fact that we watched it under the stars.  We enjoyed it so much we also saw "Safe House" a few nights later.

For our first full day we headed to the beautiful harbor of Naxos.  We puttered around the fishing harbor, visited the Venetian Castle, and did a little shopping.  The Venetian Castle turned out to be a little disappointing as it was a single tower and the only way to access it was to walk on the very narrow and extremely slippery walkway.  Stacy chose to stay behind as the waves were crashing over the walkway.  I braved the trek for the sake of a few photos.  Later that evening we enjoyed dinner along the sea at sunset.  We happened upon a nice taverna with a very welcoming owner.  We actually ended up eating here two more times during our stay.  By the end we were getting hugs and kisses on the cheek from our pseudo-grandpa.  Another highlight of our stay was the discovery of frozen Greek yogurt!  This became another staple to our daily routine complete with mixed berries and hazelnuts.

We also visited Pounda Beach and some of the historical churches.  Overall we really enjoyed Paros.  It was nice to be in the main city and there were not as many people there.  Between the Greek yogurt, our regular dinner spot, numerous beaches, and the outdoor theater it was a great way to finish up our island hopping.

~ Randi