Yesterday Karin and I took a Sunday afternoon break from our hectic schedules--haha--for an adventurous journey on Antiparos. The maps showed a cove with a beach that Karin wanted to see. My powers of description are not up to re-creating the scene.

We headed past the tourist areas along the coast, through the farming areas on the high ground and then up a series of rugged hills about 3 km to the summit. The view was beautiful back over our familiar side of the island and on to our own Paros neighborhood. In the other direction, West, were more rugged hills and a downhill so steep we could not see the coast line, just the sea beyond. We headed down with our brakes on the whole way another 2-3 km into a narrow little gorge that opened up into a beautiful fiord type cove and sandy beach. Karin said it was sinister because she is used to wide open vistas.

In the small flat area behind the beach there were two houses; one boarded up and no one visible at the other. So we took the opportunity for our once-a-year skinny-dipping. Karin stayed close to the beach because of things growing in the water but I snorkeled on out, my white butt flashing on the water's surface. The undersea was quite interesting because away from the sandy shallows the cove bottom was like a grassy mountain meadow with occasional rock outcroppings. All the normal sea life except one thing I had not seen here before was a crab so well camouflaged with plants growing on his back that had he not moved I would not have seen him.

After the swim we were heading back up the steep road, easier going up then down, and back into town for some food and drink. I wanted to try a taverna that we had always noticed as being busy but had never stopped at. Some guests had told us they had enjoyed it this year. We now have a new discovery, Giorgos' Taverna for good food, good prices. You sit in Market Street for up close people watching.

But as we were walking back to catch the ferry home I met Don Hansen, a travel advisor for Fodor's, Thorntree and other internet travel forums. His advice: don't tell anyone how good Antiparos is. It is already growing too fast.

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