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Squids on a washing line
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23 July 2004
We woke up early...only too keen to leave Athens...... Athens is not what you would think it should look like especially considering they are the hosts for this years Olympics, its very grey, dusty and dirty in parts!!
We booked onto the 1.30pm sailing to Paros........ we thought that at the end of our interail ticket (should have been 26 July) we'd do some island hopping but decided to do it earlier because we thought the most beautiful places in Greece would be the islands.
We got the metro straight to the port, very handy!!, and then had some trouble locating our ferry but found it eventually. We boarded got comfortable and settled in for the 7 hour sailing ahead.... only to hear the captain tell us that the ship had some problem and that we'd have to go into another dock.... ok we thought we can live with this.... we pulled into the other dock and then the fire brigade, port police (yummie in their uniforms!!!! God thats one reason to visit Greece.... while Paddy thinks they look like members of the village people.... jealous eh???) and the army...then we were all asked to disembark the ship....thats when we all started to look worried!!
We all got off the ferry and where asked to remain on the dock, while they cordined off the area and checked the ship out..... for what reason we still dont know.... but they did bring us out a bottle of water each...I'll set the scene...... 500 people standing on the quay side with NO SHADE in 38C... totally melting for the 2 hours they had us off the ship...... but eventually we got back on and settled in for our sailing.
The ferry was well equipped with restaurants, Internet facilities, games, shops etc but we just sat up on deck enjoying watching the sun go down and chillin'.
The ferry had reached Panos, when we looked outside nothing could have prepared us for the mayhem that lay ahead..... The only other times ive experienced the like was in Tunsia and Morocco......... There were 50 / 60 people standing with placards trying to sell their rooms and apartments swarming around everyone leaving the ship....thankfully we had arranged our accommodation through Aphrodite Hostel in Athens.... The owners of Panos Studios were their to greet us and take us to safety!! All very dramatic i know.... but if you go without accommodation be prepared to bargain hard that way you'll get a good rate!
We arrived at Panos Studios a few minutes later and then fell asleep exhausted!!
24 July 2004
We got up early and headed into the town for some food.... when there we saw the ferry to Anti Paros so we decided to hop on and see what that island was like... It was only 2 Euro for the 20 min sailing each way..... we arrived and decided to get on a bus going to the caves, the bus was a rip off 4 Euro each but the only way we could get there......... we arrived at the caves walked up the steep small hill and headed in...only to be told that it cost a further 3 Euro each ....we paid up and headed into the darkness.....
What a place.....i'd never been in cave before so this was all new and exciting!!....... It was dark and cold (lovely considering the heat outside) With so many steps down the 100 metre depth......... When inside you understand why they call it an "active" museum, it has inscriptions and messages both ancient and more recent..... You can see Othon King of Greece inscription from 1840..... In 1800s they used ropes to get into the cave and flame lit torches to light it.... thankfully they now have steps, they were hard enough work!!!!
One part of the caves with its stalactites looked like a Catherdal, it was so peaceful and beautiful! It had such a sense of tranquility... Wonderful!
The cave only opens from 10.15am to 3.30pm, be careful... they dont inform people of restricted times in the tourist office, so many people arrived when we were leaving at 3.30pm, when they promptly locked up, due to environment constraints.
When we got back into Anti Paros town we saw loads of squids on what looked like washing lines outside restaurants.... it was mad to see and even more of a reason not to eat them! (i dont like seafood much!)
That night we had a candlelight dinner on the shore of Paros.... oh it was lovely! The town is so beautiful by day and night... by day you see the white house filled twisty streets with flowing flowers and by night the lights reflecting of the water, the people so chilled and am atmosphere to match.
25 July 2004
Really lazy day.... found the beach (not very nice) ... there is another beach that you can reach by boat but we were economising so went to the free beach and stayed all day reading and sitting in the shade of the trees.
On the way back from the beach we visited the Church of Mary of the hundred Gates in the town centre .... its one of the oldest Christian Churches in Europe... I'd never been in a Greek Orthodox Church before, they're very decorative almost like a Catholic Church but lots of Gold and Silver around the picture of Icons.... It was beautiful but i did feel intrusive because i didn't know the etiquette... but still worth a visit....it has the biggest Baptismal font I've ever seen.
Paros is so relaxing and well worth a visit to chill after the madness of Athens! Anti Paros is so close that it would be shame to miss it out...even visiting, like us, for a few hours.
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