The Cyclades seem the epitome of the Greek islands with their white cube houses and sandy beaches and Paros is arguably the best of them all. Parians appear to have survived the marauding tourists that flock here each year. Gentle, rolling countryside, a wide range of beaches, glorious light make this a great holiday destination. The only drawback is the island capital of Paroikia which, despite many treasures around the old Venetian kastro, harbours a dismal, drab waterfront covered in copious amounts of scruffy concrete and lined with tacky tavernas, crappy cafes and dire cocktail bars.
The great long waterfront at Paroikia, the island capital of some 2,000 inhabitants, has little in the way of charm and even less of interest. Cheap cafes, tavernas, rent-a-moto and trinket shops concertina in both directions from the central harbour which has a tarted up windmill at its mouth. The harbour attracts around 30 ferries a day in season often appears bursting to the seams. To the east lies an unwelcoming swathe of asphalt and scruffy concrete generously littered with parked cars and lorries. The road bottlenecks at a narrow, dirty beach at Livadia, backed by tamarisk trees and a clutch of tavernas and bars, before fragmenting into a warren of one-way streets. To the west, a monotonous line of restaurants stand in line behind an even more monotonous sea wall until it all peters out at an unkempt shingle beach - a few old windmills lost among the flourishing fast food cafes. The town has grown fourfold in recent years and it shows.
Away from the waterfront, however it is a different story. Following the signs to the Traditional Settlement brings you to a wide square with a small triangular park and the remarkable restored cathedral of Ekatontachoni, the Archaeological Museum then a labyrinth of alleys jam packed with an interesting mix of shops, galleries, cafes and whitewashed houses, but strangely only a single supermarket. At its heart are the walls of the Venetian kastro marked on the seaward side by terraces of stone draped with foliage and flowers and inland by a 13th century Venetian castle and surrounded by dozens of picturesque churches churches stuffed with treasures.
Naoussa
Naoussa is touted as one of the prettiest fishing ports in Greece and
its picturesque reputation attracts camera clickers in their droves.
Sometimes tourists are so thick on the ground you literally have to
queue your way around the harbour in a shuffling crocodile. The port
village is cradled in a giant crab's claw bay and has several quays
awash with gaily painted boats and often strewn with fishing nets. The
remains of a castle built in the 14th century lie half submerged in
the sea forming a great backdrop for photos. In the middle of the bay
is a small island with a dainty chapel. Naoussa was one of the first
places chosen by the Greek government in 1997 for a general clampdown
on shoddy and indiscriminate building, too late to prevent the erection
of a shapeless suburb of tatty cement bunkers. Taverna tables spill
out onto the harbour to add to the general congestion and prices are
what you would expect in a tourist honey trap. The port is packed in
August when the villagers celebrate a battle with the pirate Barbarossa
with a torchlit boat procession.
Lefkes
High in the hills, the village of Lefkes spills down into the head of
a narrow valley. Marble paved streets and whitewashed houses are dominated
by the white marble Agia Triada built in 1830, with its bell towers
and recently repaved entrance. The steep slopes allow chimneys to appear
in abundance at street level and many have carved pelicans or other
sea birds perched on them. Lefkes means poplars and the village is a
leafy relief from the surrounding bare hills thanks to a patchwork of
pines, olives and cypress. When Paros was regularly raided by pirates
this was the island capital and, as a result, there are many fine houses
on the steep slopes which drop into a mesmerising warren of stepped
alleyways. Occasional shops offer wares a cut above the usual tourist
fodder with good local handicrafts, paintings and pottery. From Lefkes
you can take to the Profitis Ilias mountain which, at 2,500 ft offers
splendid views but is marred by an ugly communications tower at its
summit.
©2004 Odyssey Tours