EPILOGUE - GREECE - THE AEGEAN - PAROS

Paros (Pop 6,058) is 150km or 3hrs from Athens and only 45min from my last island of Naxos. The island is 21km long by 16km wide with highest point at 724m.

 

Paros is famous for white marble, which traces back to 385BC and supplied not only the buildings on the island but many of the ancient temples of Athens.

 

Paros is the “Goldilocks” island of the Cyclades – not too big and not too small - JUST RIGHT !!! What I liked most about Paros is that EVERY beach is UNREAL !!! This is truly a swimmers paradise, even in bad weather – my second day on the island saw high winds and cloudy weather and even then, I was able to swim in a sheltered place called Monastiri Bay in the north near Naoussa – this bay is my vote for the best place to swim since I was able to drive to most beaches on the island thanks to my Peugeot 107 and the smaller size of the island. The best stretch of beaches is the southeastern coast from Golden Beach to Farragas Beach. Another highlight of the island is the village of Lefkes, full of cobblestone marble streets, whitewashed houses with windows and doors of every pastel colour and restaurants and cafes with trees as roofs !!!

 

On Paros I had the best "Lathera Lachanika" or "Veggies in Olive Oil" along with fried calamari.

 

Paros main town, Parikia, is just the right size for the tourist lunatic looking for fun and the more laid-back traveller looking for some relaxation. Paros is an island that caters for the broadest tourist. A great all-rounder.

An island for everyone.

Enjoy the island Paros…

 

EPILOGUE - GREECE - THE AEGEAN - NAXOS

 

Naxos (Pop 18,904) is 176km or 3hrs from Athens and only 45min from my last island of Ios. The island is 33km long by 23km wide with highest point at 1003m.

 

Naxos is famous for the rock “emery” from which is made emery board and white marble. It is also the famed birthplace and upbringing of the Greek King of the Gods ZEUS !!!

 

Naxos is big. The biggest in the Cyclades. Too big for an idyllic Greek island. The port is way too crowded, touristy and the white-washed cubed seemed to be stacked one on top of the other. I did not like the main port town of Chora but loved the interior villages. Naxos is good for villages. The highlight of these is Apiranthos and Halki, which feature narrow marble streets, old stone houses, abundantly shaded cafes and restaurants – you could easily loose yourself in these villages and sip on wine until you fall out of your seat !!!

 

A scooter was ideal for my islands leading up to this one but this island definitely needs a car to get around, especially of time is tight.

 

The beaches are fewer in number despite its size but they are longer and seemed slightly warmer to me. The interior is very mountainous but also very fertile on the lower slopes, so much so that agricultural products such as wheat and barley are exported to the mainland.

 

I had the best fish and xorta on Naxos. A big 450g Sea Bream with dandelions (xorta) that looked like a bird's nest and were like nothing I had eaten before - light and crunchy !!!

 

Naxos was my fifth island out of a target of ten so I am officially half-way through the sparkling Aegean.

  Enjoy the island of Naxos…