Images: View for our Hotel Irene Balcony - Paros; Paros Port; SL with 8-legged Friends in Naoussa; SL and JLK in Naoussa; Seaview from Naoussa Portal
I write this sitting on the beach looking at the bay outside our window in Paros, a cold beer in an ice-cold glass in front of me, trying to quantify, or at least qualify, the difference between being in Sicily and now being on a Greek island.
Last year, I wrote in the blog that Greece seemed simpler, slower, more timeless. This is still true, but it's more than that. SL is enraptured by the island. We both have difficulty believing that we are really here. Everyone drives more slowly, car horns toot hello, rather than just Hell!
It is true that this is the shoulder season, with tavernas and ouzerias just gearing up for the influx of tourists to come shortly, but it FEELs slower.
Our hotel window opens to a balcony that overlooks the bay, and in the distance, the port. We far enough away from town to avoid the noise, but close enough for a stroll to a beach bar or any number of restaurants. Each establishment wants to give you a little something for nothing, a bonus gift to encourage your continued patronage. Sometimes it is a free dessert, unasked for, selected by your waiter. Sometimes, like last night, it is another half-carafe of red wine, which we did NOT need, and we guiltily poured our glasses back into the metal jug, hoping our ingratitude went unnoticed.
As the shops are eager for customers, I was able to rent a 250CC scooter for $12.50 per day (Regularly $45.00). A 250 is a big bike here – most people drive 50 or 125 CC. Today we took it across the island to Naoussa, a postcard-pretty harbour town with tiny, narrow little streets paved with white cobblestones. We wandered through the maze of courtyards and alleys, and would sometimes just stop to stare as if we had both heard a silent signal telling us we couldn't leave this particular view until we had paid it the attention it deserved.
We ate lunch at a taverna with our table 8 feet from the shore. We shared a Greek salad and fried calamares. Our waiter brought us bread fresh from the stone oven, with two dips. One was olive oil, balsamic vinegar and oregano, and the other was a paste of sundried tomatoes, garlic and parsley. As we sipped our ice-cold drinks, we wondered whether we really needed anything else, but when the calamares arrived, we were glad we had ordered with our hearts, not our heads.
We both agreed that they were the best we have had yet. With a fresh lemon squeezed over them, and a pinch of salt, there was not a scrap of food left when we had finished.
When I asked for the bill, a mystery dessert arrived, a frozen yogurt dish with candied fruit, drizzled with honey.
Tomorrow, we take the bike on a short ferry ride to the sister-island Antiparos, and its ancient caves
Last year, I wrote in the blog that Greece seemed simpler, slower, more timeless. This is still true, but it's more than that. SL is enraptured by the island. We both have difficulty believing that we are really here. Everyone drives more slowly, car horns toot hello, rather than just Hell!
It is true that this is the shoulder season, with tavernas and ouzerias just gearing up for the influx of tourists to come shortly, but it FEELs slower.
Our hotel window opens to a balcony that overlooks the bay, and in the distance, the port. We far enough away from town to avoid the noise, but close enough for a stroll to a beach bar or any number of restaurants. Each establishment wants to give you a little something for nothing, a bonus gift to encourage your continued patronage. Sometimes it is a free dessert, unasked for, selected by your waiter. Sometimes, like last night, it is another half-carafe of red wine, which we did NOT need, and we guiltily poured our glasses back into the metal jug, hoping our ingratitude went unnoticed.
As the shops are eager for customers, I was able to rent a 250CC scooter for $12.50 per day (Regularly $45.00). A 250 is a big bike here – most people drive 50 or 125 CC. Today we took it across the island to Naoussa, a postcard-pretty harbour town with tiny, narrow little streets paved with white cobblestones. We wandered through the maze of courtyards and alleys, and would sometimes just stop to stare as if we had both heard a silent signal telling us we couldn't leave this particular view until we had paid it the attention it deserved.
We ate lunch at a taverna with our table 8 feet from the shore. We shared a Greek salad and fried calamares. Our waiter brought us bread fresh from the stone oven, with two dips. One was olive oil, balsamic vinegar and oregano, and the other was a paste of sundried tomatoes, garlic and parsley. As we sipped our ice-cold drinks, we wondered whether we really needed anything else, but when the calamares arrived, we were glad we had ordered with our hearts, not our heads.
We both agreed that they were the best we have had yet. With a fresh lemon squeezed over them, and a pinch of salt, there was not a scrap of food left when we had finished.
When I asked for the bill, a mystery dessert arrived, a frozen yogurt dish with candied fruit, drizzled with honey.
Tomorrow, we take the bike on a short ferry ride to the sister-island Antiparos, and its ancient caves
AWESOME! So cool. Looks like you guys are have the times of your lives.... xoxo
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