Paros
We awoke to cloudless skies and calm seas as we headed south to the Cycladic island of Paros, pulling into Naoussa Bay, with the town of Naoussa visible in the near distance. We found ourselves surrounded by the gentle hills of Paros, dotted with whitewashed houses and dominated by the peak of Profitis Ilias. Our morning offered something for everyone: some of our number went kayaking in the bay, others went swimming from a tiny beach below a rocky hill filled with wildflowers, others went for a walk on the hills beside the beach, and some caught up on their reading aboard ship. A peregrine falcon passed overhead at one point, and some of our kayakers spotted sea urchins.
In an era when piracy is again in the news, it was sobering to learn that Paros fell in 1537 to the notorious Turkish pirate Barbarossa, who killed or enslaved all of Paros’s inhabitants. Our arrival, happily, was a good deal less dramatic than Barbarossa’s, as we took our Zodiacs ashore at Naoussa to begin our exploration of Paros. Naoussa is full of charm, with a gorgeous harbor, whitewashed houses, winding streets and a small waterside Venetian fortress. There was time to wander the streets before we began our short drive to Parikia, the largest town of Paros.
Our drive took us over lovely terraced hillsides, once devoted to the cultivation of wheat, barley, potatoes and tomatoes, but now largely uncultivated or given over to olive trees. We stopped at a marble quarry, the source of the prized marble of Paros, translucent through six centimeters of thickness. When the Parthenon and other buildings of the Acropolis in Athens were built, the Athenian marble sufficed for the buildings, but only marble from Paros would do for the statues and ornamentation.
Our short trek to the marble quarry also gave us a chance to admire the incredible profusion of plants and wildflowers, including broom, mallow, sage, mallow, thistles, thyme and even a few orchids.
Arriving in Paroikia we spotted the masts of Panorama, which had come round to meet us. But before returning to our ship we enjoyed yet another great walk with our guides Sophia and Laura. We explored one of the most remarkable churches of the Greek islands: the Ekatondapyliani, built originally in the sixth century and subsequently added to in a variety of styles. A gentle uphill walk brought us to the Venetian kastro, or fortress, with walls partly built from columns from the temple of Athena — looking for all the world like a Louise Nevelson sculpture, and demonstrating yet again that what’s old is new and vice versa.
Back aboard ship, we enjoyed a great recap by Michelle about the mastic tree and its many uses, complete with samples of mastic liqueur and sweets!
Because the ship remained in port overnight, some of us were able to head back to town for a nightcap. If anyone stayed out until the wee hours, that will have to remain our secret.
We awoke to cloudless skies and calm seas as we headed south to the Cycladic island of Paros, pulling into Naoussa Bay, with the town of Naoussa visible in the near distance. We found ourselves surrounded by the gentle hills of Paros, dotted with whitewashed houses and dominated by the peak of Profitis Ilias. Our morning offered something for everyone: some of our number went kayaking in the bay, others went swimming from a tiny beach below a rocky hill filled with wildflowers, others went for a walk on the hills beside the beach, and some caught up on their reading aboard ship. A peregrine falcon passed overhead at one point, and some of our kayakers spotted sea urchins.
In an era when piracy is again in the news, it was sobering to learn that Paros fell in 1537 to the notorious Turkish pirate Barbarossa, who killed or enslaved all of Paros’s inhabitants. Our arrival, happily, was a good deal less dramatic than Barbarossa’s, as we took our Zodiacs ashore at Naoussa to begin our exploration of Paros. Naoussa is full of charm, with a gorgeous harbor, whitewashed houses, winding streets and a small waterside Venetian fortress. There was time to wander the streets before we began our short drive to Parikia, the largest town of Paros.
Our drive took us over lovely terraced hillsides, once devoted to the cultivation of wheat, barley, potatoes and tomatoes, but now largely uncultivated or given over to olive trees. We stopped at a marble quarry, the source of the prized marble of Paros, translucent through six centimeters of thickness. When the Parthenon and other buildings of the Acropolis in Athens were built, the Athenian marble sufficed for the buildings, but only marble from Paros would do for the statues and ornamentation.
Our short trek to the marble quarry also gave us a chance to admire the incredible profusion of plants and wildflowers, including broom, mallow, sage, mallow, thistles, thyme and even a few orchids.
Arriving in Paroikia we spotted the masts of Panorama, which had come round to meet us. But before returning to our ship we enjoyed yet another great walk with our guides Sophia and Laura. We explored one of the most remarkable churches of the Greek islands: the Ekatondapyliani, built originally in the sixth century and subsequently added to in a variety of styles. A gentle uphill walk brought us to the Venetian kastro, or fortress, with walls partly built from columns from the temple of Athena — looking for all the world like a Louise Nevelson sculpture, and demonstrating yet again that what’s old is new and vice versa.
Back aboard ship, we enjoyed a great recap by Michelle about the mastic tree and its many uses, complete with samples of mastic liqueur and sweets!
Because the ship remained in port overnight, some of us were able to head back to town for a nightcap. If anyone stayed out until the wee hours, that will have to remain our secret.
