Paros
Πάρος
Crete to Paros
Traveling between the Greek islands is fairly easy with a number of ferry lines to choose from. We departed from Heraklion in the morning and were in Paros in a few hours. Most ferries stop at other islands along the way. Ours swung by Σαντορίνη (Santorini), Ίος (Ios) and Μύκονος (Mykonos).
After docking in Paros I picked up the car I had booked online. There's not much choice when it comes to these islands, you pretty much need to rent a car and they're not cheap — ours was €215 for 2 days. It had a manual transmission of course.
We then found our way to our hotel, the Stelia Mare in Naoussa.
A quick stroll down to the λιμάνι (harbor) for a snack was in order after we dropped our luggage off.
If there's one thing you'll quickly pick up on in Greece, it's the abundance of churches, chapels and bougainvillea.
Κολυμπήθρες
In the late afternoon we took a little drive to relax at Kolymbithres beach, a quiet and secluded beach known for its interesting rock formations.
There was a little animal pen a short walk down the road.
Λεύκες
The next day my sister and I drove to Lefkes, a χωριό (village) in the mountains of Paros. The narrow paths and traditional whitewashed houses with blue accents make Lefkes feel authentic and unmarred by mass tourism.
While walking around the village I recorded this photowalk timelapse with a Go Pro I was wearing.
Nestled down some of the narrow paths we found a small καφενειο (coffee shop) where I ordered a limonada, freddo cappuccino and amazing καταΐφι (kataifi).
Χρυσή Ακτή
The day wouldn't be complete without a visit to the beach. This time it was Chryssi Akti, also known as the Golden Coast due to its shimmering sand. It was adjacent to a little boutique hotel so we were able to order snacks and drinks right on the beach.
Νάουσα
Night life on this island didn't start until late so we didn't leave the hotel until 11pm. We walked down to the Naoussa old harbor for some dinner and drinks. It was packed.
After dinner we got a drink at one of the more happening bars in the area. It was around 1am at this time and there were no signs this place would be shutting down for hours to come.
The best part about visiting small islands is that there's not much city light pollution in the sky so the stars are extremely visible.
In the morning we checked out of our hotel to catch a ferry to our next destination, Naxos. We arrived at the port early and took a look around.
