Chapter 3 - Paros

Sunday – 9/14/08
Very warm & humid morning in Mykonos as we ready to go to Paros. The proprietor of the hotel is a native New Hampshire resident and tells us that the humidity gets on the power lines that are split from the heat and sun of summer. The moisture mixes with the dust on the lines and completes the break in the lines that causes the power outages. They had gotten a generator a few years ago.

We’re picked up for our transfer to Paros, scheduled for 10:40 am. Our driver, a Bulgarian man, dropped us off at the port with general directions to our ferry dock. We found our way to a covered, concrete seating area. While waiting for the boat, we got talking to an Australian couple. They were going to be traveling for 10 weeks in all, visiting Greece, Italy and other countries. I noticed they had fewer bags of luggage than we did! They told us of the hotel that they had stayed in while in Athens. She had done their travel planning and they ended up in a prostitute and drug addict area of Athens. The hotel had numerous guards with machine guns in front of their hotel. They stayed for the night, deciding that the guards would keep them safe!!!

Our ferry ran a bit late, but we were quickly boarded and took off. This “jet boat” was certainly quicker and larger than I expected. We dozed the 40 minutes or so & arrived at Paros in their busy port area. A rep met us & took us to our bus. Soon we were following a NE road that took us to our hotel, The Contaratos Beach Hotel. They certainly weren’t kidding when they named it. The 2 lane road was the only thing separating the hotel from the beach. Thatch-covered huts on the beach provided shade to the numerous lawn chairs set out for guests. There was also an eternity pool, outdoor bar, shower and Jacuzzi area on the hotel side of the road.

We waited to get into our room, about an hour. A young man came to walk us to our room, towards the back away from the sea. I thought, “Oh shoot, no nice view”! Up some stairs & he opened the door to a dark, cool room…smaller again in size like Athens. As he explained things in the room, he drew open some curtains to some French Doors & voila! A balcony overlooking the courtyard was revealed, with the frame of the doors framing a beautiful view of the Aegean!
Settling ourselves in, we decide to check out the area. Paros is much less developed and quieter too. Many people lounged on the beach & a few around the pool all soaking in the warm sun. It was hot, so we wore our hats and headed out in the general direction of “the shops” as directed by the clerk.
We stopped to have a gyro pita and a “milkshake”, although they sure could take a lesson in making milkshakes from any place in the US! Refreshed, we walked, and walked, but all we came upon were some quick-marts & a bakery. We bought a big jug of drinking water for the room. We picked up some bakery treats and headed back to the room for a nap. Upon awaking, we enjoyed a couple of the treats with nuts & honey in flaky pastry.

Then, we headed down to the beach to rinse off the day in the sea. We wore our water shoes! It was sandier here, though. After dipping a bit & then lounging on the beach, we headed up to the Jacuzzi hoping to soak Dick’s sea-urchin nabbed foot a bit. We couldn’t find the button to bubble the Jacuzzi. I then stepped out to ask for help from some folks sitting bar side nearby. That’s when I learned the lesson about marble…It is like glare ice when wet…As I turned away from them, my foot kept going and going until landing solidly on my left hip. I lay there, taking stock & decided that nothing seemed broken but was sure going to hurt tomorrow! I had twisted my R great toe too. Oh boy, how embarrassing though! A kind man poolside sat up and remarked that it was “a graceful fall…like a gymnast!”

After returning to our room for a clean up, we headed back up the road & found a rooftop restaurant to enjoy dinner. I had my first moussaka: a base of potatoes, layered ground meat, olives and peppers, in a gravy topped with a rich, creamy layer of cheese. Really delicious. We also had our first spanokopita, a wedge of cheese that is grilled to a golden brown. Also very good. Dick enjoyed a “beefburger” that turned out to be served without a bun, stuffed with red peppers and feta cheese. He really liked the potato slices that were a cross between wedges & chips. Of course, the view of the northern side of Paros, with the full moon overhead, really added to the ambience.

The electricity issue is a problem here too, though! The lights flashed a couple of times all evening. We walked back to the hotel & enjoyed a drink of ouzo and wine. As we sat on the veranda, the lights went black for a longer period of time. Our room lock was electric, so we knew we wouldn’t be able to open the door with the key card. They stayed dark for about 15 minutes. It was quiet & peaceful & the moon gleamed off the white marble and stucco buildings. As soon as they came back on, we headed for the room to get in before the lights went out again! A few more power failures occurred as we got ready for bed, but we were going to sleep anyway!

I awoke about 3am to find the power was out. It was cooler at night & I found my way around the room easily by the brightness of the moon on the white marble floor. A lovely breeze through the French doors keeps us comfortable all night and the power was back on in the morning…

Monday – 9/15/08
Awoke & decided we’d take a lazier approach to the day. Down for the continental breakfast that always proved to satisfy…not like the doughnuts & boxed cereal of a US continental breakfast.
TV still has little in the way of English-speaking channels other than CNN. Feel a bit out of touch…so will turn it all over to God!

Noticed the hotel offered Internet access, but it was 8 Euros! So I will wait until we make our way to Santorini tomorrow. We sit on our covered balcony. I write in the journal and Dick does Sudoku. We hear many German-speaking guests.
By the way, the bathing suit of choice for women is a bikini and Speedos for the men, no matter their age or size, with tops being optional! We wait until the afternoon and head for the beach, slathered in 30 SPF. Finding a couple of lounge chairs, we settle in for some sun, reading and Sudoku. I’ve brought Randy Pausch’s book, “The Last Lecture” along and am thoroughly enjoying it. I share some of the author’s reminisces with Dick. The writing style makes me laugh out loud often, and sometimes to tears. Really worth reading…

After a while, we cool off in the water. More people are laying in the sun than in the water! We watch a dog playing fetch in the water…picking up a huge rock and returning it to shore! After drying off a bit, we get an icecream treat at the bar area that has food items too. More showering & off to find some dinner.
We still try to find the “shopping” district, but think that the few Quick-marts are all that there is after walking and walking…Many of the restaurants don’t open until 7:30 pm & we were hungry at 6pm. We found a nice place with outdoor patio seating & I think we were the first customers of the day. They comped the meal with some delicious watermelon for dessert.

On our way back, the sun was setting & it seems more active in the neighborhoods. Soccer players practice on an Astroturf covered field. A new stucco building now had workers in it taking advantage of the cooler evening air. Music plays from outdoor speakers to invite people in to businesses. We return to organize for our transfer to Santorini in the morning.