Parikia, Paros Island

by docdivatraveller - 3/05/2016

Our 24 hours in Paros Island were probably the most fruitful hours of our trip. Since we disembarked at the island at 11 am, we had been on a whirl right after. We were supposed to leave for Santorini at quarter to 12. So we had to utilize the morning too!

Our scooty by which we had covered the entire Paros Island

On our first day we had already covered 4 places. For the morning we kept two other sides of the island ; comparatively nearer to our hotel. First we went to explore the very place we were staying...Parikia. Parikia is a port where the vessels of Blue Star Ferries and Sea Jet et al dock. Though Nauossa is the capital as well as a port, the connection to Athens and other big islands is through Parikia only. The very reason for taking a hotel in Parikia was the easiness with which we could board our ship. We have a real bad history of getting late, as you must have read here. Our hotel was 15 minutes walking from the port.

Every restaurant in Parikia ended in the Aegean Sea...

It is said that the book closest to your eyes is the most ignored one. The same goes for Parikia too. We had roamed all around Paros through our base camp, but ignored it all together. We set out to explore it early in the morning and our first stop was the 'Traditional Settlement'. These kind of settlements can be found all over Greece. These areas were untouched by commercialization and provided real glimpses into the lifestyle of the Greeks.

Blue doors and bougainvilleas

One may think at a point that the beautiful white houses, blue doors, cobbled streets and the pink bougainvilleas are a part of the decoration; to make these places look beautiful. But the truth is that these are a part and parcel of their lifestyle. he traditional settlements were even more beautiful than the commercialised areas. In fact whenever I spotted a deserted house, I saw coloured flower pots and beautiful curtains...which were even prettier than the decked up places. WE have to admit that the Greeks have a truly beautiful style of living!