The true purpose of our trip to Greece was to join up with our friends, John and Luisa. They were on a month-long honeymoon in Greece (where John’s family is from), and we decided it was the perfect time to crash their holiday! We met up on the island of Paros, where we rented a beautiful house near Piso Livadi, directly across from postcard perfect Logaras Beach, for five nights. As soon as we disembarked from our ferry, we were welcomed with the sight of John and Luisa waving their arms to us from beneath a windmill. They had been gifted a car rental for the duration of our stay, giving us the freedom to repeatedly exclaim “we can go anywhere!”. Life was pretty wonderful on Paros. We were staying in our own mini-marble palace with views of the royal blue sea from our doorstep and shuttered patios, surrounded by a grove of olive and fig trees, grape and caper bushes, and a garden full of watermelon and cantaloupes for the taking. Greek speaking John eased all our transactions and was able to translate the tales of the many natives we met. Each morning brought treats of coffee and greek pastry (bougatsa!). We were in the wonderful water of the Cyclades Islands every day, and it was the perfect refreshing temperature to combat the heat of our final days of summer. Each perfect beach we visited had it’s own merits, whether it be golden sands, sculptural rocks to climb, mini tide-pools, or privacy. I cannot express enough how crystal clear and clean the water was, with great visibility, and no waves, so it was very easy to float in the salty sea. Stella and Gabriel spent their days with goggles on leaving raccoon impressions on their faces, as they searched for fish, shells, and sea urchins. Gabriel was obsessed with fishing and tried his luck with line and hook, his interest never waning despite his lack of success. When we could motivate ourselves to leave our comfy corner, we explored fishing villages (Naoussa, Piso Livadi, Paros and Antiparos town), strolling the waterfront and ancient fortifications to see the boats, sunset, and people watch. Other evenings were spent further inland, dining in hidden tavernas (Marmisa), or walking the old windy Byzantine way to churches, passing multiple cats and the resting elderly, through the mountain village of Lefkes. We slowed down over cocktails of ouzo, white wine and meals of calamari, octopus and various cheese spreads, sopping up olive oil and savory juices with fresh bread. When our time was up, we all bemoaned the fact that we did not have longer – more time to nap, to sunbathe, to float, to stroll, to eat a leisurely meal, to meditate over both sunrises and sunsets, and most importantly – to be thankful.
