Saturday, June 9: We're ready to go by 8:30. Marc is picking us up at 8;45 to catch the 9:30 Blue Star ferry to Paros. He shows up right on the dot at 8:45 (he's British, you know) and after picking up another couple, we arrive at the port. Our ferry is in sight and after it's docked, we trudge up the ramp to stow our luggage. The Blue Star Naxos is a huge ship, we take escalators to get to the passemger area. Noting that some areas are designated non-smoking, we gravitate toward them and happen to choose seats right next to Allan and Linda from Scotland who we met in Mystra a couple of weeks ago. The 45 minute float goes by quickly as we bring each other up to date on where we've been and what we've seen since we met. Allan and Linda have spent the last few days in Naxos (which was not their original plan); too bad neither of us thought to phone the other. We agree to get together for the day on Monday on Paros. Rick calls Marina at Marili Apartments to let her know the boat is approaching the port. She says she'll be there to pick us up in two minutes. We find her easily as we disembark. After we load our luggage in her trunk, she stops at the bus station to get us a copy of the bus schedule, then it's on to the apartment.

Marina and her husband Gianni own the apartments which are located on a large tract of land about two kilometers southwest of Paroikia (the port of Paros). They grow grapes, olives, fruit, and have a large vegetable garden. Our apartment is very comfortable with great views both front and back. Marina goes through the drill of explaining how everything works. We take a few minutes to get settled and then meet Marina downstairs where she explains the bus system. She mentions that they make their own wine, a bottle of which has been left in our room for us to enjoy (nice touch!). The label on the bottle says: "Made by Marina and Gianni in their basement just for friends". We decide to minimize our bus travel, by catching the next one and staying in town through lunch and dinner before returning to the apartment.

We'll wait about 15 minutes for the bus; the fare is 1.20E (the same as in Mykonos). After a few minutes we get off at the bus station where we picked up the schedule earlier. This begins a day of wandering: along the waterfront lined with cafes and restaurants, and the "Old Town" with its winding pedestrian streets jammed with all sorts of shops. The "old Town" is NEW since Rick was here last in the early '90s. We choose a small taverna for lunch and decide that we'll rent a "Smart" for one day before returning to the apartment. We'll have it all day tomorrow and explore the island. While wandering during siesta time, we visit the Panagia Ekatontapyliani, one of "most splendid churches in the Cyclades" (the island group to which Paros, Naxos, Tinos, Mykonos and Santorini among others belong). We spend a while here, then decide to find a cafe to relax over a drink and read for a while. We had come across one earlier overlooking the harbor that looked inviting and find it again without any trouble. We read, sip our drinks, and nod off briefly until we overhear the waitress talking with two couples seated behind us. They're Aussies! We join the conversation and spend the next hour or so making new friends. They are on holiday, 6 weeks for one couple, 7 for the other. The ladies are from Adelaide and have been friends for 30 years. One couple still live there; the other live in Margaret River in Western Australia. It's getting near 6pm. Before leaving we give them our little card and hope they'll contact us through our website.

The shops are open again, so we'll continue our stroll through the Old Town and then on to the car rental to arrange for our Smart. For 40E we get a convertible that can be driven either as a standard or automatic. There is a surprising amount of legroom, and the little bugger has surprising pick-up. We choose to leave it parked in front of the rental place and have dinner before returning to the apartment. One of the tavernas on the east side of the main square looks good and we choose a table in front again facing the harbor. There's a couple sitting at the table next to us and guess where they're from? Australia, where else! Rick says it must be our day to collect Aussies. Paul & Sharon live in Busselton (home of the Busselton Jetty) in south Western Australia. We tell them we were there last year and where we stayed--the Jacaranda B&B. They know the new owners. We chat at length over dinner and then, they're off on their scooter back to their hotel; we're off in our Smart back to the apartment.

Sunday, June 10: Since we have the car all day we are going to explore Paros. First, the car needs petrol. It's Sunday, not quite 9:30 when we set out and the petrol stations aren't open yet. We have visions of renting a car we can't drive because we have no fuel. According to Marina, there's a station about 8km in the direction we intend to go and just as we've resigned ourselves to that, we notice that the station nearest the apartment has opened. We put 20E worth into the tank and it goes from empty to full. We're thinking 10E would have plenty and as it turns out, it would have. But at least we don't have to worry about running out. The little Smart is fun to drive; we've got the top open and the car fills with the fresh morning air. It's another gorgeous Greek day: sunny, breezy, and mild. We will stop at every beach on the island, taking many "detours" in an effort to get the most out of our rental time and use up the most fuel.

We're heading south in a counterclockwise direction from the apartment which is nearby Parasoporos Beach, so we stop there first. As we will find with most of the beaches in Paros, this one has light brown sand, lots of rocks, and no shells. There is actually some surf. It's fairly windy on Paros, as it was when Rick was here last. He claims Paros means "Island of Wind". Next is Alyki, a small beach resort in the southwest corner of Paros. Looks like a nice place to take a stroll, which we do. Rick gets an early ice cream from one of the few shops that's open this early on a Sunday. Next is Faranga Beach--a much larger sheltered cove than the others and there are several people enjoying the sun, sand and water. There's a large private home under construction just off the beach--very impressive. There are workmen putting barbed wire on the fencing that sits atop the rock walls surrounding the property. We're wondering what there is to steal on Paros, and how far a thief would get before being caught.... We're rounding the southern part of the island and the fuel gauge still reads full--we KNOW we should have put in only 10E worth.... We take some unpaved roads to visit Glifa, Lolandoni, Drios and several other beaches. There are several "estates" with large homes, vineyards, and olive groves overlooking the sea. Nice--but we can't imagine living in such an isolated place.

One of the most picturesque places we visit is Pisso Livadi, another small resort village with a wide cove that contains the harbor and a couple of sandy beaches. This looks like a nice place for lunch, but it's still early, so we just stroll along the waterfront. One of the few real "sites" on Paros is Lefkes, a town built around a natural amphitheater in the central part of the island. The roads have been well-marked so far, and finding Lefkes is no problem. Driving through the town we come to somewhat of a "dead end" and have to turn around and retrace our path up the hill on the narrow streets. We find a place to park with the intention of finding a place for lunch, but aren't too impressed, especially since we've just come from Pisso Livadi. Why not go back--it's not that far (nothing is, on Paros)? Sounds like a plan and we do just that, enjoying lunch at one of a handful of tavernas along the waterfront. On our way out of town, our mobile phone rings. It's Allan, our Scottish friend, calling to make plans for tomorrow. Since we won't have the car, we'll take the bus from Paroikia to Naoussa where they'll meet us. We'll spend the day with Allan and Linda exploring Naoussa and the surrounding area.

Pisso Livadi is about halfway around the island; the fuel gauge has finally dropped to 3/4, and we've got the car for 5 more hours. We could probably do several loops around the island with that much time and fuel, but we're getting a bit bored. It doesn't help that some of the towns and beaches have the same name, but are not necessarily anywhere near each other; and that the road signs have become less and less helpful. We'll ultimately find what we think is Glifada beach and then Ambela, but before we know it we're in Naoussa, the second largest town on Paros. Since we are going to be here tomorrow, we don't stop, continuing back to Paroikia and, ultimately, the apartment. We take a "shortcut" which leads us on a road above where the apartment is located to a point overlooking Parasporos Beach. It's a good place for photos of the beach and coast, as well as of Rick in the Smart. Backtracking, we reach the apartment about 4:30; the fuel gauge still registers 3/4. That little bugger sure gets good "mileage" and we're beginning to think maybe we should get one at home.....

The car has to be back by 7pm. We'll relax at the apartment until after 6, then drive into Paroikia. We want to find an internet cafe, have dinner and catch the 8pm bus back to the apartment. We return the car, parking in a very small space (but that's one of the nice things about the Smart) and try to convince the guy at the agency to "refund" us some of the fuel money (his English disintegrates quickly at this point) without success. The nearest internet cafe is closed on Sundays, as are all the others in town. We'll try in Naoussa tomorrow. Dinner is a pizza (very good--as have been all the pizzas we've had in Greece) and we catch our bus in time. Our "neighbors" next door are sitting at a small table between our two units. They are Graham and Morag from England. Before we know it, we've retrieved two chairs from our place and the bottle of wine Marina left in the apartment for us and spend the next couple of hours talking with them. They are planning to take a year off next year and spend three of those months in Greece, so they've been researching apartments they might rent long term when they return. They also plan to visit Thailand, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand among other places. While we're talking, Marina comes by with a plate of cucumbers, olives and cheese, as well as a small bottle of what appears to be "grappa". At about 10:30 our little party breaks up. We hope to be able to have dinner with them on Tuesday.

Monday, June 11: We are up relatively early, because we have to catch two buses. The first will take us from our apartment to Paroikia. The second will take us from there to Naoussa where Allan and Linda have promised to meet us. They said to get off at the stop before the terminus, which is like saying "watch me and get off at the stop before I do". As we arrive in Naoussa, we notice Allan waiting on the left side of the street. We're sitting on that side of the bus, wave at him, and get off. Linda is on the phone, but joins us in a few minutes. They suggest we roam around the town for a while, then catch a bus to Dryos. From Dryos we will hike along the coast to Logaras where we can eat a leisurely lunch before catching the bus back. Sounds like a great plan.

Naoussa is the second largest town on Paros. It has a small picturesque harbor, with a newly built area for small yachts. There are several fishing boats and excursion boats docked here, but it's too small for ferries. As in every Greek town, the tavernas and cafes have sprung up like weeds around the harbor. We've observed that the tavernas (that serve food) have tablecloths on the tables; the cafes (that serve mostly coffees and drinks) do not. Allan leads us through the narrow streets, bypassing most of the shops. He takes us down the most interesting streets as we circle the town, past what appears (from the inside) to be a fairly new church. There are enough window, doorway,and stairway photo opportunities to fill anyone's digital camera card. We take our share. After a while, we're back at the bus station; the bus to Dryos shows up in about 15 minutes. Allan and Linda have lived on and off in Paros for 6 years. After getting off the bus in Dryos, our first stop is a supermarket for some water--we're about to begin a 7-8km hike along the coast. They know the area quite well--we never would have found the trail on our own. The walk is relatively flat, especially early on. Linda points out where they lived, her favorite little beach and the new house belonging to the lady who owned their apartment. There is considerable erosion from storms and it will be necessary to build some sort of sea wall to protect the residences from losing any more land. This area is a busy resort during July and August, but now there are very few people on the beaches, most of which are sandy. It's an easy hike and we chat the whole way. Allan teaches business management and strategy and Rick warns him not to get him started on that subject. Allan does this all remotely via the internet and has been doing this for about 5 years. This enbles him and Linda to travel--they are, in fact, what we have come to learn are PTs (perpetual travelers). Allan describes them as "stateless"--their "home" is in Glasgow (they own an apartment there, which they rent out), but spend lots of time in Greece and Spain. Along the way, he and Rick engage in a discussion about retirement planning and related topics. Allan is thinking they'll retire in the next year or two.

Our hike takes us past Golden Beach, probably the most inviting of all the beaches we've seen. After this, we turn inland for a little while, bypassing a spit of land that protrudes into the sea, then resume along the coast again. Here, we're in a more rocky area, but still pretty flat. Up ahead are five large cows, one of which is blocking the path. Allan goes up to try to get the cow to move, hesitating when Rory mentions that cows sometimes kick. The cow turns her head, looks at Allan, and moves away, apparently deciding she doesn't want to have any more to do with us than we do with her. We continue our trek, passing another beach, with loud music blaring from it's speaker system. We've been out a couple of hours when we reach Logaras and the Filanitis Taverna. Allan and Linda are well-known by the owners and are greeted with the traditional kisses on both cheeks. We're all hungry; three of us order swordfish, Rory orders stuffed tomato. We have some starters and beer and wine. After our hike in the sun, that beer tastes really good! Between the starters and bread, Rory doesn't seem to mind that her tomato never comes. We'll spend about an hour here. We can see the bus stop from our table. When the bus comes from Naoussa, we know we have about 15 minutes before it completes its loop and returns. This bus will stop in Naoussa (where Allan and Linda get off) and continue to Paroikia--very convenient, except we are sorry to have to say goodbye. We hope to keep in touch and that they will come to the states and visit us.

Back in Paroikia, our mission is to find the internet cafe--but it's only 5:30 and we know it doesn't open until 6:00. We'd like to visit the Venetian Castle and finally find signs for the Frankish Castle (must be the same thing) and are disappointed to find there is very little of it left. The one wall that has survived is a jigsaw puzzle of stones and pieces of old columns where pigeons roost in the cracks. When the i-cafe finally opens, we check our mail and a couple of other sites. Rick isn't hungry after the lunch he had; Rory settles for a visit to the small supermarket on the waterfront for snacks to eat back at the apartment. We catch the 7:10 bus. Marina is sitting outside with a large machine for pressing sheets. While Rick goes up to the apartment, Rory asks Marina about the Wildlife Sanctuary we've read about. Marina makes some calls, but apparently there are no animals there right now--there's nothing to see, and Rory is disappointed. She asks Marina about visiting Antiparos especially the caves on the island. Marina provides all the details of how to get there and offers Rory some fruit from her garden and another bottle of her wine. Rory comes upstairs with a plate of peaches, apricots, and figs. Rick has a peach--it's as good as any we've had in a while. We've had a great day--thanks to Allan, Linda and Marina!

Tuesday, June 12: It's the second day in a row with almost no wind! Today we are going to Antiparos, a small island just across from Paros. While we're waiting for the bus, Rory befriends a black and gray dog who is tied up on the opposite side of the wall facing the road. From here we catch the bus to Pounda and then take the ferry across. We've timed it perfectly, the ferry is waiting to depart just as we step off the bus. The fare is 70 cents each for the 7 minute ride. Our primary reason for visiting this little island is to see the Caves of Antiparos. A short walk from where the ferry docks, are two buses, both purporting to go to the caves. The first is the green and yellow public bus. The second is a red one, to which we are directed. Both buses have signs in their back windows indicating they go to the caves. According to what we've been told, the fare to the caves is 1.20E each way and 3E admission to the caves. When Rick hands the (red) bus driver a 10E note, he gets two round-trip tickets and no change (double what we expected). It's a 10km bus ride from the port to the caves, along the coast most of the way and then inland up the hill to the entrance (about 600 feet elevation). It's just after 11am and the driver tells us he'll be back at 12 (the not so subtle hint being that we have only an hour here). We wonder if our return tickets would be invalid if, heaven forbid, we tried to get on the 1pm bus.... The admission fee has been increased to 3.50E. There is no tour, which is nice. We are free to enter the cave on our own and explore at our leisure; in no other cave we've ever visited were we allowed to do this. We've been given a little brochure (for the extra 50 cents, no doubt) that has a little map of the path through the cave and numbered to indicate the named sites. This cave goes almost straight down, 360 concrete and stone steps (many of the latter carved out of the cave formations). Of course, it's also 360 steps back up--nice exercise if you're a mountain goat. In many places the stalactites and stalagmites have been broken off and there's lots of graffiti--the price paid to let tourists roam on their own, but the formations are still extensive not to mention impressive. We do go all the way to the bottom; the cave is fairly well lit all the way down--very conducive to taking photos. We do manage the return to the top with plenty of time for a WC stop. From the top of the hill we can see the road as it winds from the coast and spot the red bus slowly making its way back to pick us up.

Back in the port of Antiparos, we wander the "main" street past the many shops, but don't buy anything. The waterfront is lined with cafes, tavernas, and vehicle rental agencies, like most other Greek port towns we've visited. We choose the first taverna on the other side of the main street for lunch because it seems to be quiet and the prices are good. As we sit down, we realize there are workmen above us repairing the roof, but we don't feel like moving. The noise of what seem to be sanders doesn't really bother us. While we're eating Rory notices a small billow of smoke just beyond where we're sitting. The heat from one of the sanders has started a small fire, but the workman quickly extinguishes it. We're not in a hurry and enjoy a leisurely lunch. Rick checks the bus schedule and realizes that if we don't get the ferry back to Pounda pretty soon, we'll miss the 2:30 bus back and will have to wait 2 hours for the next one. We just miss the 1:45 boat, but the 2:15 still gets us across in time. Unfortunately, this bus is not going back along the same road we came in on and we wind up in Paroikia with an hour before the next bus back to the apartment. Oh well, at least it was a free ride.

On the bus back to the apartment, we strike up a conversation with (who else?) three Aussies from Melbourne. They are traveling with a group of 16 and will be on the same boat with us tomorrow. (They'll get off on Santorini.) All Rick can think of is "Oh boy, 13 more Aussies--pretty soon he'll have collected the whole set!! Finally back at the apartment, it's still siesta time and Marina is nowhere in sight. Rick wants to arrange the logistics of our departure tomorrow. Since out ferry doesn't leave until 3:45pm we're wondering if we can stay till 1:00 or 1:30 before she takes us back to the port. We relax in the apartment reading and snacking on some of the fruit Marina had given us. Around 5:30 Rick sees Marina, who says there will be no problem accommodating his requests. She is such a lovely, warm. and friendly person--and can't seem to do enough for us. If we ever come back to Paros, we will be sure to stay at the Marili Apartments (named, by the way, for her two daughters Marilina and Lila). We'll sit and visit with Marina awhile before we catch the bus into town for dinner. Graham and Morag come back from their day scootering around the island--they're eating later, we'll see them in the morning.

While waiting for the bus, Rory notices her dog buddy from this morning has gotten himself tangled up and can't move much. She untangles him(?) and is rewarded by a furiously wagging tail and lots of dog licks. Back in Paroikia, we wander a bit looking for something a little different from the waterfront tavernas for dinner. On a quiet little street just behind the old city we pass a small, walled taverna--Il Sussarro del Pino. Even though the name is Italian, the menu is traditional Greek (with a few pasta dishes). It looks inviting and the prices are the lowest we've seen, not just in Paros, but also anywhere else in Greece. The tables are set up inside the walled courtyard with tall trees, arbors and even a huge cactus. It's very peaceful here with no indication how close we actually are to the touristy streets just a few meters away. The food is excellent, and, if we didn't have to catch the 9:10 (and last) bus back to the apartment, we might still be sitting there! We'll visit with Marina, Gianni, and a good friend of Marina's for a while before excusing ourselves so that Marina and Gianni can have their dinner. It's afer 10pm.

Wednesday, June 13: It's Wednesday morning and while Rick is updating journal he is buzzed by a large fly who soon may meet his maker in the most sadistic way Rick can think of. We'll be taking our time this morning, packing for our 3 1/2 hour ferry trip to Crete. Marina will drop us off early in town so we will have plenty of time to eat lunch. We may even have time to hit the i-cafe and update our website.