This family run museum is a "must see" for Paros.  Perfect for a half-day break from the beach.  More at Folkloric Museum of the Cyclades   It is located in the delightful village of Aliki

Another year, another January:  Now is the time to plan your summer vacation/holiday while the best choices are available.

Over the years I have found so much that can be done better on Paros.  Imbibing wine and eating urchins are two that come to mind right away.  Another common refrain is that it is so easy to relax on Paros no matter what activity you are indulging in.  I have attributed this to Paros's famous marble; perhaps the whole island is a giant underground crystal with healing properties.  This leads me to the subject of yoga workshops which have been popular on Paros.

So this September we will team with certified yoga instructor Bram Levinson from Montreal, Canada to host a 10 day yoga workshop on Paros.  Bram tells about it from the yoga perspective on his blog with more facts on his web site.


From my perspective the emphasis will be on the food, drink and resort accommodations at Margarita Studios in Ambelas with side trips to other island culinary hot spots such as Magaya and the Aliki sea front.  September is the absolutely best month to enjoy Paros.  Join us, won't you?

Cape Fanos

I recently discovered that I have not written a blog post about Paros walking, hiking, trekking  including running or bicycling.  I am guessing this is because I know of only one marked or designated trail, the Byzantine between Lefkas and Podromos.  Yet there are countless places to move around the island without being propelled by a motor.

Last month I received this query: "Please could you give me some self-guided walks (easy) from Parikia, which are interesting, reasonably short – under 3 hours."
Here is my response:

Use private gates on public paths

The point being that most of the back roads are quite safe for walking and pedaling due to little traffic.  Plus there are plentiful informal trails along the coast.  Beaches are public.  Just do it--as long as you have a better quality map than the numerous free ones.

For those who like a little more structure take a look at the EveryTrail.com site.  They have several entries for Paros.  Also I would be happy to have comments about other walks you know or like or to try and answer specific questions about specific locations.

Again I am tardy in reporting a "must see" event on Paros.  I have referred before to the evocative paintings of Michel Parthenay.  What impresses me so much is that I am very familiar with the scenes he paints yet when I look at his paintings I am newly inspired by the beauty of the subject.

So if you are on Paros in July be sure and stop by the Kastro Cafe'.  If not, see more on my Aliki page.

Now that June is here the "last minute" specials kick in for villa rentals.  Since we have already been discounting for 2012, you won't do better for all the comfort and luxury of your private villa on Paros for July and August.  Browse our villa collection at www.ParosParadise.com/villas.htm

In my promotions I have been emphasizing that it is easy to bypass the turmoil of Athens and relax in the insular atmosphere of the Greek islands.  I have also said, "You will never be more welcomed in Greece."  Here is a link to an article that helps put the crisis in perspective and shows even in Athens life goes on:  Michelin rated restaurant provides value in Athens

Michel Parthenay, a resident of Aliki, has been publishing a series of his evocative paintings of Paros, many of Aliki.  You can start viewing them on my Aliki page and then move on to his Facebook album.

This week the village lost one of its attractive fishing boats.  We were not there to see it but Oona Giesen of Aliki Yoga Studio posted a lot of photos on Facebook.  I think you can access them through her page at Oona Giesen 

Evidently this is an example of European Union bureaucrats’ solution to Aegean over fishing.  They buy out the fishing rights of the older, smaller boats so that only the newer, bigger “factory” boats are left.  They are much easier to control and tax, of course.

I just wrote an article about this same thing happening with local pig festivals on my Czech Mates blog:  Losing the Charm of Pig Slaughter 

We have seen many changes in Aliki and Paros since we first arrived in the year 2000. Some are natural progress, a few have been improvements, many have been misguided expenditures of public money; not everyone can agree on which have been which.  I thing everyone agrees that a loss of quaintness is occurring; yet those who visit the island for the first time in 2012 will still find it quaint and attractive and will want to return.  What do you think?

I have written many times about the benefits of eating locally produced food and the generosity of our Greek neighbors in sharing their excess.  Now in the spirit of the difficult times in Greece and Paros many farmers are increasing their plantings and herds and making their home grown products more widely available.

This is from Paros Web:  (There are more photos there.)

“Matheo & Maria are local Parian farmers cultivating on their own grounds at the seaside area of Piso Aliki. They produce various vegetables & fruits, some of which are available for sale according to the season. Matheo & Maria run their own farm for their family's needs, and they don't use any kind of chemicals on any of their products.

At Matheo & Maria's farm you can buy pure Greek Olive Oil pesticide-free all year round – now offered at reduced price. Also available for sale – Fresh Potatoes (available most of the year, according to the season.)”

The first photo is some of their tomatoes and peppers photographed by Karin on our veranda.  The second photo, also by Karin, could be taken every spring as we watch the lambs play and grow until most of them disappear just before Easter.

If you would like to rent a bucolic villa in Aliki that includes olive oil and other products from the surrounding fields, please email me with your preferred month and number of people in your party.

More at Olive Oil & Mushrooms -- Eat local

I had 23 September marked on my calendar as Arthur Guinness day, but for some reason it was 22 September this year.  So I joined the trend sweeping Ireland—that of drinking at home instead of at the pub.  Quite a contrast with last year.

 

To Arthur!

 

 

 

Its slow going but Karin and I are getting better at assembling videos.  Here’s one of the brush fire near Aliki on 13 July 2011.

 

 

Would you want to get married at the same place as you live and work?  If that was the village centre of Aliki, I think you would.

 

 

 

Most of the centre with its various restaurants, tavernas and other businesses is owned by different branches of the same three or four families and they were all turned out in their finest clothes for the wedding celebration of one of the restaurant owners.

 

 

 

My night photos did not turn out well so I lifted this one from Facebook.  Thank you ΣΤΑΥΡΟΥΛΑ ΤΡΙΧΑ

 

 

More about planning a wedding in Greece on this page of our Paros Personalized Travel Guide.

Spending the winter on an island can cause people to do strange things in search of interesting activity.  They may even take up blogging.

This photo is from the newest blog from Paros.  The Parianos is a fun combination of wit and whimsy.  Check it out, but don’t forget to come back here once in a while for that is my posting schedule.

Cheers

Several years ago when we operated a pension on Paros I tried to extend the season by establishing an “Harvest Your Own Olive Oil” program.  I got a lot of publicity and interest but very few takers.  It seems not many people want to travel to a Greek island in November, the harvest time on Paros.  The weather is usually quite good but you can’t guarantee it for any particular date.  Now we are usually off island in November so I have had to turn away a few enquiries.  However, I just saw an AP photo feature of our neighbours picking and processing their olives so maybe I can turn the program over to them?

For lovers of antiquities and Paros’ ancient poet Archilochos here is an example of the high quality off-season art and culture programs on Paros:  http://aegeancenter.wordpress.com/2010/11/20/antonio-corso/ 

deTraci Regula, the About.com Guide for Greece has written a comprehensive, useful and entertaining Greece Travel Countdown Planner—Its nine pages long but worth the read.

By the way, if you are a family or small group now is the time to book your Greek island private villa for next summer.  Prime dates are being snapped up and choices will be limited after January.  Remember villas at the beach or with a pool are cheaper per person than most hotels.  Browse here  http://www.ParosParadise.com/villas.htm

This October on Paros has been about normal.  A few tourists, very few, and mixed weather.

Today, 17 October is pleasantly warm, 25 C / 77 F.  We should go swimming but there is a slight breeze and we are lazy.  The photo is of Karin swimming on 13 Oct.  Cloudy but warm.

The other photos Karin took on 7 October when it rained.  Or should I say a few showers cleared the air.

We had more American guests than normal this October.  Eddy did three Cooking Workshops, all for Americans.  Two couples from Portland, Oregon—just a coincidence—and one from Austin, Texas.

 

 

What’s your October been like?  We noticed that for most of the month Pennsylvania was warmer than Paros.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Karin couldn’t resist swimming in the sea on a warm April afternoon.

 

 

 

 

 

She claims she wasn’t cold.

 

 

 

 

I stayed on the shore and took artsy photos.

 

April shadows will bring May flowers.

 

 

 

Now you can buy a monastery on Paros for half the price of an island.  Today I got an email notice of a 14th Century Greek Monastery for sale.  When I went to the company’s web site I couldn’t find the monastery but I did find an island off Voutakis beach near our village of Aliki.

 

 

There is a different Paros monastery that I would guess is available as well.  We walked to it a couple years ago with friends.  Here is Karin’s photo journalism account:  Walk to Aghios Ioannis Klidonas 

So here is your chance to counter those wealthy Greeks who are exporting their cash out of the country.  Buy island property while the market is down.

Cheers,

One of the motivations for this blog is that we enjoy sharing our Paros paradise.  Last week we stepped out of the virtual realm to share our island with a couple we met through blogging.

Chuck and Claire are an American couple that recently retired and are travelling around Europe in a camper van.  Karin quickly found empathy with their journey and became a pen pal with Claire.  While passing through Greece Chuck and Claire decided to park their van and ferry to Paros for a few days.  We are so glad they did.

I won’t put any excerpts of their visit here.  You must go to their blog to see the photos of Paros in March:  Our Greek Island Idle

Enjoy

Hmm, where to go for a Sunday outing today?  Well, friends had told us about a big “hole” in the rocks on the very southern tip of Paros.  This shows on the map as Cape Fanos; there are no roads there.

So we parked our scooters at the end of the road to Tripiti Beach then headed across a farmer’s goat pasture and up the hill to the cape.

As we looked back at the beach we saw a group of about eight senior citizens (that’s about all you see around in late September) enjoying the beach and snorkelling.  It looked tempting but we were on a mission so we kept trekking along the goat trail across rough rocks.

We skirted a few high cliffs that had Karin on edge.  He he. Then in the distance we saw what looked like a cave but with sunlight beyond.

Sure enough as we got closer we saw first an indentation in the hillside that turned out to be a big hole.  There were numerous caper bushes growing around the edges but I am sure no one would be interested in picking them.

This photo shows the hole side of the arch that we saw from the westerly shore.  In effect the hole was a cave that caved in.

Its always a joy to discover something new on a Sunday walk.

(Don’t forget you can click on the photos to see them more clearly.)

Yesterday was a quiet day; a little on the warm side and humid.  Karin wanted to get out and do something but riding our scooters on the asphalt would be hot during the day.  So we decided to have an early dinner and then in the evening ride over to Prodromos, a small village that I had only passed by in the last eight years on the island.

When we turned off the highway and into the main village square we discovered a sound system and chairs being set up for a concert that evening.  So we decided to kill some time and wait the hour or so before the music started to see if we wanted to stay.  There is a local group that we don’t particularly care for, but a friend had told us they liked this one. 

A Greek village welcome

To start we walked through the narrow footpaths—no cars allowed—admiring the details of the old, traditional Greek village.  Around one corner we were suddenly looking through a large glass window at an open hearth oven as a man and woman were loading several pots of various size and shapes into it.  Karin used a little Greeklish to discover that this was a community oven that would now be sealed for 12 hours until Sunday morning.  The main thing being cooked was Revithia, a bean soup, that is best when baked in this traditional method.

Well used oven

When we finished wandering the streets it was dark so we headed back to the main square and went into the one village taverna for an ouzo.  Just as we finished we heard the music starting so quickly grabbed the free suma and nuts on offer and sat down.  We were surprised to see not only a friend from Aliki who plays the drums, Yannis Paroussis, but also another friend and hotel owner, Ioannis Xydis.  We knew he was an ex-professional singer but had previously only heard about his impromptu performances after the fact.  So this was to be our first time hearing him perform.

Ioannis Xydis in Prodromos

We were shocked.  He is very good!  I won’t give a concert review but this group of about 5 musicians and another 5 singers put on a fantastic show full of Greek themed music without much of the heavy folk music that we usually hear.  The audience was really into it and several gave impromptu dances which were also good.

Feeling the music

This group is good enough to be performing at a night club with a cover charge and expensive drinks.  Here we were in a pleasant village square full of people who knew each other and served free drinks and snacks.  Thank you Paros.