A chill day in Paros

Paros has 2 main towns, Parikia where we are staying which is the port town and Naoussa which is a gorgeous fishing village and tourist spot. After breakfast of muesli and yoghurt we wandered to the bus terminal and caught a bus to Naoussa. It cost 2 euro ($4) and was comfortable with airconditioning although pretty rundown. We had considered going to AntiParos instead which is a boat ride away but decided as it was still a bit windy and the boats to there are small it probably wasn't the best idea. Mike remembers AntiParos as very cute,  I have all of these lovely places confused in my brain but am sure it was wonderful. 

Naoussa is gorgeous, not large, has a real vibe and unlike Parikia empty sites are being developed everywhere. The fishing boats had just come in when we arrived so there was loads of activity going on, the outdoor restaurants were all setting up for lunch as well. We started down by the port and then wandered out to the venetian castle ruin that once protected the town from pirates. It's basically rubble now with a tiny bit of structure. Reading it's history conquoring the castle was pivitol to taking the island with many invaders over the years, most recently the Russians then Turkish before Greece retook independence in 1830. 

These photos, typical house all white top left, then octopus out for the restaurants to come and buy directly. The water in the port was so clear we could see fish and the rubbish on the floor. Bottom left is a photo of a road in Naoussa with trees lining it. 

Left pics - all at the Venetian castle. Left looking through one of the gun emplacement things, inside the remainder it's a round stony wall with the gun emplacement holes all around. And to get out there you walk along a sea wall. 

After our port wander we headed up the hill through the little winding streets, the shops only lasted about 1 block here before tourist accommodation and then peoples homes. Again you think you're in a pedestrian zone and turn the corner to find a van parked blocking the road or a motorbike hurtling towards you. It was properly hot for a change, our first really hot day so once we hit the main road again we decided to head back down to the port to look for lunch. 

We quickly found that the especially cute places near the castle ruins were very expensive so we headed away from them in the other direction and found a row of more relaxed tavernas and cafe's. Choosing the first one we ordered ourselves far too much food again. This time a watermelon salad, beef burger which was deconstructed, and Moussaka. Again too much food. All yum though. 

Right more scenes around Naoussa. 

After this it was mid-Afternoon so time to go back on the bus and have a wine on our deck while writing this blog and reading our books. Paros has really been our most relaxing time so far. As the sun was about to set we decided to head out for a walk and find some dinner. 

To the left - our watermelon salad, little donation boxes to try and encourage people to help pay for the stray cats, our lunchtime view and just because I haven't posted a bougainvillea photo yet today. 

We had planned on takeaway Gyros but found the Easter celebrations meant many places were closed so we went to a souvlaki place for a slightly cheaper meal of greek salad, zucchini fritters and 3 souvlaki skewers - which turned out to be a massive plate with chips, salad and hummus. Again too much food, again all yum. I was watched while eating by one of the stray cats loitering in the restaurant, I struggled to get it away from me but an encouraging kick from the owner got it out of our way finally. 

The church bells started before 6pm and continued to midnight tonight - but luckily we were nowhere near a church so they were in the distance.  

Photos to the right - why I keep thinking we are in pedestrian zones but....., my dinner companion, our oversized meal and the bus tickets are quite beautiful but they get collected by the driver and ripped in half!

Tomorrow we're off to Mykonos to meet up with Karen and Paul! yay. This blog was about Friday May 3rd.