Between longer stays at the bustling cosmopolitans of Mykonos and Santorini, we did manage to squeeze out a day of total relaxation at laid-back Paros. No sightseeing itineraries, no shopping, not even any beach crawls (still recovering from that reef sting from Paradise Beach). This would be our do-nothing day.
That’s not to say that there are no worthy sights, shops or beaches on Paros. This is the third most-visited island in the Cyclades after all, though that probably has less to do with its tourist attractions than its prime location between Mykonos and Santorini on the ferry route. And it shares with its more popular neighbors the same architectural trademark one would immediately associate with the Aegean: clusters of whitewashed cubic houses, narrow cobblestone alleys, and everything in blue and white.
Our ferry would arrive at and depart from the ancient seaport of Parikia, so naturally that’s where we settled for the night. When the largest town on the island has but a grand total of 1 main road, you know it’s time to kick back, sip wine, and plan not to have any plans.
Now graced with a picturesque seawall perfect for long quiet walks, the old harbor was once a major regional port in the age of antiquity, shipping the island's famed Parian marble to major construction projects in the rest of the known world, including the Parthenon in Athens. The marble quarries have long dried up, and today the only natural resource seen around the harbor are the fish and the sea urchins seen beneath its crystal clear waters.
The town radiates from the landmark blue-roofed church on the shore and sprawls out into a labyrinth of narrow streets and alleys in typical Cycladic fashion. With the town stretching a couple kilometres long following the coast, there's plenty of opportunities to get completely lost in the lanes and courtyards of the local residents. And under the scorching sun most of the locals would be resting indoors anyway, meaning that the whole town was left up to curious travelers to enjoy.
Arguably the only major sight in town was an old Byzantine church known as the Church of 100 Doors, which claims to be the oldest Orthodox church in continuous usage at over 1600 years. For a church of such distinguished history, the number of visitors was disproportionately small even in the peak tourist season of July. This picture was taken in the oldest section of the church where an archaic cross-shaped baptismal basin sat. You could just feel the sanctity in the air, especially since the baptistery was entirely void of other visitors.
IMHO the best of Paros really isn't about any landmarks or major sights, but in its authentic laid-back town, where the children chased each other in the interconnected courtyards while the housewives carried locally-grown tomatoes back from the farmer carts around the corner. I probably spent about three hours just wandering these mazes of stately Venetian quarters and Cycladic cube houses mashed into one another, often unknowingly trespassing on private courtyards. The locals didn't really seem to mind though, usually carrying on with their daily routines without even a glance at the clueless intruder.
While I kept myself entertained with my camera shutter, my wife immersed herself into the island lifestyle even better, opting for a long afternoon nap just like the locals. That's taking our do-nothing day to the extreme -- why even open your eyes? And according the Greek in her, it's time well spent.
RESTAURANT REVIEWS
My favorite memories of Paros was probably the food, the same wholesome local dishes at relative cheap prices compared to Mykonos or Santorini. We came across these two very recommendable restaurants in Parikia.
Food Review: PORPHYRA
Address: Christou Konstantoupoulou, Parikia, Paros
Hours: 18:30 – 24:00
Website/Map: N/A
Directions: Start from the ferry pier and walk east for a couple of blocks towards the post office. It's before the post office and almost next to the empty archeological site, facing the sea.
Fresh grilled fish for 8 Euros at a seaside restaurant, just 5 minutes walk from the ferry pier? This was the best deal we had seen in days, especially since we just spent the last few in metropolitan Athens and expensive Mykonos. How can you not like Paros?
Okay the 8 Euros price was for grilled sardines, which probably would have been quite enjoyable. But the seafood lovers in us opted to splurge on something better, and chose the popular sea bream.
To put prices in perspective for readers, let me say that we just had a sea bream the previous night in Mykonos for a whopping 38 Euros. While it was a larger fish with a firmer texture, that pricing was a bit over the top. So this day we ordered a sea bream again, on a different island. And the price here was ...
12 Euros. That's the price for this platter of sea bream, charred on the skin but very moist in the meat, and flavored with nothing but sea salt, olive oil and lemon juice. That's the wholesome island fare that we'd been looking for, at reasonable prices.
As almost everything was under 10 Euros, we ordered a couple of what we thought were appetizers. But when we saw these deep fried shrimps and octopus tentacles arriving in gigantic portions, we knew it would take a long, relaxed dinner to finish them all. Oh well, we're certainly in no hurry anyway.
Both the octopus and the shrimp were pretty good -- perfectly crispy and not too oily. Oh and we didn't even order the deep fried smelts in the background -- the owner just decided to throw them in for free. Talk about a good seafood deal!
And the freebies didn't just stop with the seafood. Just when we were totally stuffed with the entrees, the owner brought us free dessert to round out the evening. This was the restaurant's own homemade Panna Cotta, tasting of delectable rich cream inside the gelatin. I would have gladly paid for such a well-made dessert.
On this evening we sat here for hours, enjoying the soothing sea breeze and the setting sun, watching our rowdy Austrian neighbors while sipping beer and slowly working on our platters of seafood. Such a meal would have cost at least twice in Mykonos, but in Paros everything just seemed to be much more reasonably priced. This is the place to splurge, if you're a seafood lover like us on a budget.
Bill for Two Persons
| Grilled Sea Bream | Euro 12 |
| Deep Fried Octopus | Euro 8 |
| Deep Fried Shrimps | Euro 9 |
| Deep Fried Smelts | Free!!! |
| Panna Cotta | Free!!! |
| Beer | Euro 3 |
| Bread | Euro 1 |
| TOTAL | Euro 33 (CAD$52.8) |
Food Review: TAVERNA ALIGARIA
Address: Aligaria square, Parikia, Paros
Hours: 12:00 – 21:00 (unconfirmed; based on observation)
Website/Map: From GoParos.gr
Directions: Just go to the Ekatontapyliani (100 Doors) church and ask people where the Aligaria Square is (should be somewhat around the church). The restaurant is right on the square.
This is another excellent place for good rustic food. In fact the two of us had an excellent three person's meal here, as I'll explain.
I had probably the most memorable vegetable dish of the trip right here. The Imam Baildi (stuffed eggplant) pictured above was so scrumptiously soft and generously laden with layers of tomatoes and cheese that I simply don't remember anything comparable.
My wife the cuttlefish fan ordered the Slow Braised Cuttlefish with Spinach. It was a healthy heap of onions, tomatoes, spinach and of course savory cuttlefish all simmered into a ragout type stew. The cuttlefish had been cooked to a tender but slightly chewy texture, and the sauce was perfect for dipping bread.
When we were finished with our entrees, my wife wanted Baklava and I went to the kitchen to order. For reasons incomprehensible to me to this day, the word Moussaka came out of my mouth, and I didn't even realize until this huge piece of meat and cheese and potatoes arrived at our table. Now my wife was pissed off at me for missing her dessert, and I was stuck with the task of chomping down yet another main dish. At least the Moussaka was good. I'm sure this will forever remain a popular joke in my house, whenever Greek food is mentioned.
Bill for Two Persons
| Imam Baildi | Euro 7.5 |
| Slow-Braised Cuttlefish with Spinach | Euro 8 |
| Moussaka | Euro 7 |
| Bread | Euro 1 |
| Greek Coffee | Euro 1.5 |
| Pepsi | Euro 1 |
| TOTAL | Euro 27.2 (CAD$43.5) |
ACCOMMODATION
Hotel Review: HOTEL HERMES (Paros)
Address: On an anonymous alley, 10 minutes' walk southeast of the ferry pier
Price: Euro 35 for double room with private shower/toilet
Website/Map: http://www.hotelhermes.gr
How To Book: Through HostelBookers.com
Directions: Starting from the pier, walk east along the shore and turn right at the Hippocrates restaurant. Hotel Hermes is a block down the street on the left side.
We stayed at this little hotel at the edge of the town, within walking distance to town centre but priced much more reasonably than hotels surrounding the ferry pier.
Rooms were simple but clean, and came with private shower/toilet and air conditioning. This was the cheapest room during our stay on five Greek Islands, and we were quite happy walking the 10 minutes from the pier.
And all rooms came with a small shaded balcony overlooking a breezy residential lane. As the end of the lane faced the Aegean sea, the wind cooled the midday air and the balcony was great for those lazy afternoons.
And perfect for breakfasts as well. My favorite memory about this hotel was that when I asked the owner for a "spoon," he didn't understand the word in English and I had to enact the word in a Charades act, once again proving that language is much more than just words. The owner was a young fellow and was actually really nice and polite, and I have no problem recommending Hermes as a quiet, reasonably priced place to stay for travelers on a budget.
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