Taverna tables in a courtyard next to the fishing harbour in Naoussa on Paros
Tag: Paros (page 5 of 6)
A butterfly rests near Agia Anna beach on Naxos island. This particular species has the hallmark characteristics of a Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui)
Winging it: Back in late April, when southern Ontario experienced an irruption of Red Admiral butterflies, I recalled the time our island bus tour on Paros skipped a scheduled stop at the famous Valley of Butterflies — because there were none to be seen.
That was back in mid-June 2005. We had signed up for a day-long Orbit Travel excursion that would take us to places right around the island, including an afternoon visit to Petaloúdes, the butterfly valley 6 km from the port town of Parikia. I’d read about the Valley in my Greece travel guidebooks; they described Petaloúdes as a Paros must-see attraction during summer months simply because of the staggering numbers of Jersey tiger moths that would swarm the area. We had been impressed with the Butterfly Conservatory near Niagara Falls, so we thought it would be neat to see an entire valley teaming with tiger moths.
Unfortunately, it was not meant to be.
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Paros’s Yria Hotel has a beautiful big pool that’s perfect for swimming laps …
… plus a comfy poolside terrace that’s perfect for lounging and relaxing
Dreamy setting: Our only visit to Paros, so far, was back in June 2005, but I still recall how relaxed I got chilling out on the beautiful swimming pool terrace at the Yria Hotel near Parasporos beach.
I remember getting a drink from the bar and plunking myself down in a big wicker armchair near the pool, where I quickly drifted off into daydreams while watching the thin beige drapes in the sheltered poolside lounge billow in the soft breeze blowing off the nearby sea.
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This Google map image shows Delos island’s location between Mykonos, right, and Rinia, left. Mykonos offers the closest and most convenient access to Delos, with ferry service from the Mykonos Town harbour
[Editor’s Note: Please see my Visiting Delos in 2016 post for current Delos information, including new ferry ticket prices and new fees for admission to the Delos archaeological site.]
Getting there from Mykonos: It’s relatively easy to reach Delos from Mykonos, which just happens to be the closest populated island.
Every day except Monday, when Delos is closed to the public, excursion boats depart the Mykonos Town harbour in the morning, and return in the early to mid-afternoon. Three different boats — the Delos Express, the Margarita and the Orca — offer round trips that typically depart at 9, 10 and 11 a.m., and return from Delos at 12:15, 1:30 and 3 p.m. I say “typically,” because the service depends upon both the season and demand. In May 2011, for instance, boats departed Mykonos only at 9 and 10, and returned at 12:15 and 3. In extremely windy or stormy weather, the boats might be cancelled altogether. You don’t have to return on the same boat that took you to Delos; you’re free to select whichever returning boat you prefer.
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Passing above the Paros port town of Parikia and surrounding area during an Olympic Air flight from Athens to Astipalea
In plane view: We have taken more than a dozen inter-island flights in Greece, but I’ve only managed to shoot fewer than 12 photos of the beautiful island scenery passing thousands of feet below us during all those trips.
The reason? On some flights, I was assigned the aisle seat, so it wasn’t possible to snap photos through the window. On several of our trips when I did get a window seat with Olympic Air, I got great views of a propeller and wing, but little else. And during several journeys with Aegean Airlines, stern-faced flight attendants demanded that I put my camera away, claiming “photography is not permitted during the flight.”
That rule seems to apply only to me when I pull out a camera while flying Aegean — that airline’s snotty flight attendants never seem to hassle other passengers about in-flight photography.
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