Greece Post 2 – Parikia: A Classy Port Town

Parikia is a port town of nearly 3,000 people on the beautiful Greek island of Paros. We arrived there at 2am on the weather-delayed ferry from Athens. Hundreds of passengers poured out onto the pier. Our faithful Air BNB host was waiting for us and drove us to the small house where we would be staying. This is what the port looked like in daylight.

Parikia caters to tourists but is not crowded or gaudy. We certainly checked out the restaurants and enjoyed the food. Almost all the restaurants have outdoor seating and plenty of plants. This is not like New York, where you can only eat outside a third of the year IF you are lucky!

We saw cats everywhere in Paros, including in restaurants. They were patient and generally polite, waiting for a possible handout. We saw them later in Athens, as well. They were in the streets, in stores, even at the Acropolis and other historic sites.

Cats – it’s a thing in Greece. Apparently Greece is overrun with feral cats. Cats are not typically spayed so the number of kittens born multiplies quickly, and they are either killed or run wild when no one wants them. It’s enough of a problem that the European Union, of which Greece is a member, has been ordered to bring their animal welfare policies in line with the more responsible policies of the rest of the union.

We stayed five nights in this wonderful place, just a ten-minute walk from the port.

There were two terraces to sit in outside to drink coffee in the morning or wine at night, enjoying the beautiful Greek weather. It was hot but dry and the vegetation reflected the climate.

The inside was neat and well designed. The dominant colors are blue and white. Blue and white is a thing in Greece.

We saw white washed buildings against blue skies in Parikia and everywhere else on the island.

And then there is the very blue water surrounding Paros and all the other numerous Greek islands. Estimates of the number of islands in Greece vary from 1,200 to 6,000, depending on what land size one considers counts as an island.

Small wonder that the Greek flag, flying above this small chapel in Parikia across from the port, is blue and white.

A wide walkway along the water in Parikia is active day and night as people hustle to the ferry piers or stroll for the views across the bay or out to the ocean.

A ferry leaves the port at sunset. End of another sweet day in Parikia.