Category: Greek Island villages and towns (page 27 of 33)

2012 holiday report: Hopping over to Paros

Share

A late afternoon view of Piperi beach and Naoussa Bay on Paros

I got this great late afternoon view of Naoussa bay and Piperi beach just by walking a very short distance down the road from Hotel Manos after my arrival on Paros

 

[This is the latest segment of a report about my 2012 holiday in Greece. Previous reports described my 8-day vacation on Mykonos. You can access those reports by clicking here.]

 

Tuesday, May 22 2012

 

Second chance:  After eight fun days on Mykonos, I “hopped” over to Paros, the second island destination of my 2012 Greek holiday. Paros actually was supposed to be my third island, after visiting Ios for a few days, but Anna and some of the guests at Hotel Tagoo had persuaded me to drop Ios from my itinerary and spend more time on Mykonos instead. (I’d been having such a good time on Mykonos, they didn’t have any trouble twisting my arm. In fact, I would have stayed on Mykonos the entire time had it not been for the fact I already had bought a non-refundable flight from Paros to Athens.)

 

 

I travelled to Paros on the 14:55 Flyingcat 4, which was almost completely booked for the second year in a row. In 2011, we had waited until we arrived on Mykonos to buy tickets for our ferry trip to Ios (the next stop on the route, after Paros) and, to our chagrin, discovered that economy class was sold out with only two seats remaining in business class (which of course we booked on the spot). This time I made certain I booked my Paros ticket online well in advance. I was glad I did because, once again, economy was sold out and only a handful of seats remained in business class. The SeaJet2, which departed the Mykonos Old Port 10 minutes before us, was nearly full, too. The Flyingcat4 left Mykonos a few minutes behind schedule, but gave us a smooth ride to Paros and arrived at Parikia port nearly on time around 16:00.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

Pages: 1 2

Pic of the day: Fira, the capital of Santorini

Share

Fira, the capital of Santorini

Fira, the capital of Santorini, basks in the glow of the evening sun shortly before sunset during one of our visits to the island

 

What’s cooking in Kokkari?

Share

 Buildings along the harbourfront at Kokkari village on Samos

Mountains provide an impressive backdrop to the scenic town of Kokkari on Samos …

 

 

Harbour view of Kokkari village on Samos

… situated about 11 kilometers from Vathi on the north side of the island  …

 

 

Harbour view of Kokkari village on Samos

 … next to a sheltered harbour where dozens of bars & restaurants along the water’s edge …

 

 

Signs along a row of restaurants in Kokkari

… all engage in eye-catching competition to attract the attention — and business — of the throngs of thirsty and hungry tourists who visit the village each day

 

 

Sunbathe, swim, eat & repeat:  Two impressions have stuck in my mind since we visited colourful Kokkari village on Samos three years ago.

The first is the picturesque beaches that bookend the village: Long Beach on one side, and two back-to-back beaches called Small Lemonakia on the other.

The second is the rows of restaurants lining the town’s sheltered harbour as well as much of the length of Long Beach. It’s almost impossible to walk more than a few steps without passing a waterfront café, bar or taverna, or signs pointing the way to dozens of different places to eat and drink. There are myriad restaurant ads and menus attached to posts and walls, and dozens of sandwich board-style signs scattered along the narrow lanes and footpaths.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

Pages: 1 2

Pic of the day: Pothia port on Kalymnos

Share

Arriving by ferry at Pothia, the port town of Kalymnos island

A view of Pothia, the port town on Kalymnos island, from an approaching ferry

 

Syrtaki dancing on the Mykonos waterfront

Share

Syrtaki dancing on the Mykonos Town waterfront

Skandinavian Bar posted this photo on its Facebook page today with the caption: “World record in Syrtaki dance now in Mykonos!!!”

 

 

syrtaki dancing Mykonos

This photo of the line of syrtaki dancers was posted on Facebook by Kelly Goletsou

 

 

This video of the syrtaki dancing was posted on Facebook by Maria-Antonia Georgakopoulou

 

 

This video was posted on YouTube today by Ioanna Samiotaki

 

 

 

Meanwhile, Hotel Jason posted this video on its Facebook page today  …

 

 

syrtaki dancing mykonos

… along with this photo showing the dancers from a different perspective

 

 

This video was shot from the same vantage point as the photo above. It appears on the YouTube channel for John van Lerberghe.

 

 

 syrtaki dancing Mykonos

And this photo was posted on Facebook by Ioanna Samiotaki

 

2012 Greek holiday: Mykonos visit winds down

Share

Mykonos Town panoramic view

The view from the hill: A panoramic view of Mykonos Town and its harbourfront and Old Port areas on May 21 2012. Click on the photo to view the image in a larger format.

 

 

Monday May 21 2012

 

Familiar patterns: Things weren’t looking very promising for my final full day on Mykonos. The weird up-and-down weather hit another “down” cycle, bringing overcast skies in the wake of a gorgeous sunny Sunday. Good thing I had not been planning another beach day, because I would have felt pretty bummed out by all the clouds and the threat of light rain. But I didn’t need more beach time and was content just to start walking and see where I would wind up.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

Pages: 1 2

Pic of the day: Church of the Panaghia at sunset

Share

A sunset view of the Church of the Panaghia on the mountainside above Chora on Folegandros

A sunset view of the stunning Church of the Panaghia, which clings to the steep mountainside above Chora on Folegandros

 

Pic of the day: Kokkari’s Long Beach

Share

Long Beach at Kokkari village on Samos

The long pebbly arc of the aptly named Long Beach is one of three separate beaches at Kokkari village on Samos

 

 

Older posts Newer posts