Parikia, Paros

May 15, 2018

Today is another travel day. We’re leaving Naxos on the afternoon ferry to Paros, our overnight stopover on our way to Andros. Our ferry leaves at 2:25, and walk-ons are supposed to arrive a half hour early. That leaves us the morning for a short bike ride, as long as we’re quick about it. We get as early a start as we can, showing up promptly at 8 for breakfast on the balcony overlooking the city.

We make it out the door by 9:30,which by our standards is pretty good. Our ride gets off to a slow start though, because the stairs haven been paved over during the night. Rachael carries up the luggage and I the unladen bikes, and we reassemble at the top.

This isn’t the half of it. They continue around the corner.

Our ride today is like a shorter, easier version of yesterday’s: another pup tent profile, with a twelve mile climb up 1,600’ followed by a 12 mile descent back to the port. It’s a good shape for the conditions - as long as we’re paying attention, we should be fine in getting back in plenty of time for our departure.

We enjoy a pleasant ascent: generally not too steep, and it’s not too hot out yet. Things are definitely starting to warm up though. I imagine that in a couple of weeks we’ll be straining to get out the door earlier in the morning.

The scenery is of course beautiful as we climb. as we get nearer to the mountains we get steadily improving views of the active white marble quarry far above us.

Melanes, the nearest of the interior villages

In yellow poppy country. Horn poppy country, more precisely - a new species to me. (Credit: Bill Shaneyfelt)

On the ascent, we get good views of the marble quarry.

Not far from the summit, we pass the Naxos Marble factory. Rachael continues on with the climb, but I have to stop for a look. I’ve never seen a marble mill - how could I not stop?

Over the top, we enjoy a quick hairpin drop and arrive in the touristy mountain village of Halki, where we stop and look around a bit. It sees a bit of tourism, and has some of the feel of Apeiranthos. We’re not really here for a look today though - we’re just passing through, with a ferry to catch.

Now this looks like a real hairpin turn.

On the way down, we ride again down a beautiful road that we both remember from our first visit to Naxos, nine years ago. Coasting down through a string of whitewashed villages with brilliant pink oleander lining the road - it’s really a wonderful ride.

We make it back to port at about 1:15, with just enough time to stop somewhere for a quick lunch. We pull into the same waterfront cafe we ate lunch at two days back, order our sandwiches, and a half an hour later head off to the port and queue up to wait for the ship to arrive. It does, promptly, and departs again five minutes later.

I remember this delightful road below Halki, dropping through the Potamia villages. For some reason, when I think back on our first visit to Naxos this road is the first image that comes to mind.

Back at the ferry terminal, leaving Naxos

Arriving in Paros an hour later, we bike gradually uphill the short mile to our hotel, where we lie around and relax for a couple of hours until it’s time for dinner. The WiFi is fairly weak in the room so I head downstairs to the lobby and catch up on the journal over a large glass of fresh squeezed OJ. It’s nice to have a relaxing afternoon, almost a rest day.

Near sundown we walk down to the port, navigating our way with the cellphone through another maze of whitewashed alleys and tunnels. parikia, the port town and capitol of Paros, has some of the same character as Naxos. Along the way, we stumble across Panagia Ekatontapiliani, the Church of a Hundred Doors. I haven’t done my homework and didn’t know this church was here, but it’s the most important Byzantine church in Paros and one of the most important in Greece. It’s reputed to have been established by the mother of Constantine the Great in 326 AD. As we walk by, we hear a monk inside chanting.

Panagia Ekatontapiliani, the Church of a Hundred Doors

Dropping through the alleys to the waterfront, supper-bound

The lanes back from the waterfront at Parikia have a similar character to those at Naxos. Beautiful there, beautiful here.

On the waterfront, we have a date with the past, and a do-over opportunity. On our first visit to Paros we ate dinner on the waterfront, and experienced what we both recall as the best sunset we’ve ever seen. It was really astonishing, watching the sea turn an incredible gold. It about killed me though, because I had forgotten to bring my camera.

So here we are again, same waterfront and I’m pretty sure the same restaurant. Sitting here again, looking at the sea and back up the hill at the dominating Church of Saint Catherine, with tall palm trees casting shadows against the walls beneath it, with the balconies above the street full of people sitting down staring out at the sea, sharing the same spectacle - it brought back so many dormant memories. This is one of the things I love best about travel, the way new experiences resonate against and reawaken ones from the past.

We didn’t get the same sunset this time, but it was still beautiful. And the meal was great. The total experience was great. We both feel so lucky to be doing this again.

Not the phenomenal, once in a lifetime sunset we remember from our first visit to Paros, but good enough.

I was hoping to see this, because I’ve been wondering about the streets. Hard to believe they’re all painted by hand, but that’s the story. They do it each year.

Overlooking the sea from the church of Saint Constantine

The alleyways have emptied by the time we walk back to our room.

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Ride stats today: 26 miles, 2,400’; for the tour, TBD

Today's ride: 26 miles (42 km)
Total: 629 miles (1,012 km)

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Suzanne GibsonCool map! And of course wonderful pics and narrative. Makes me want to take off for Greece, maybe without my bicycle though. But then it wouldn't be the same.
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6 years ago

Scott AndersonYup. I just had to bring in the tech support team (Rachael) to help me figure out how to copy the text.
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6 years ago