Paros... was closed

Paros is pretty quiet, and although it's refreshingly free of cruise boat touring parties it wouldn't be first on my list of the Cycladic islands to return to.

Parikia is the main port with the requisite fishing boats.

I quite liked this one - not sure if the sign means they do laundry as well as fishing, or just that their fish are very clean?

The town itself is flat but quite nice, with some lovely shops, artists studios and surprisingly good restaurants.

My favourite was a vegetarian restaurant I discovered on my last night run by two queens who'd done it up a la Rio meets Vegas meets K Rd. They insisted on giving me a guided tour of bathroom - which I must admit was pretty amazing. The food wasn't bad either! Unfortunately I didn't have my camera with me - they were the most exciting discovery I made during my entire visit.

The weather was pretty lousy so went to Aliki, the next port down the coast, for a dive with an Italian marine biologist who trains dive instructors in her spare time. Pretty amazing to see bits of 2,500 year old amphora lying around the sea bed. For obvious reasons again I didn't have my camera on me, so you'll just have to take my word for it.

Sayonara Santorini

I so didn't want to leave but Nikolas had an entire wedding party checking in and turfed me out, so it's off to Paros I go. As I flew to Santorini I decided to get the ferry to depart - leaving from the port is quite spectacular as the island literally rises straight out of the sea.

The ferry called at Naxos on the way - a very cute little fishing village.

And a rather impressive ruin as you sail into the port. Although I suspect there's not a lot else going on...

I arrived into Paros just as the sun was setting... to discover my 'traditional house' in the old town was so traditional it had a cockroach the size of a small domestic cat presiding over the bathroom. By this time it was dark so I braved the night and swiftly checked into a much better class of establishment at first light. I don't do cockroaches!

Doorways of Oia

I know, I know, it's soooo cliche...

but you try being here and not taking endless photos of doors!

OK here's some bougainvillea for some light relief...

Does a door looking from the inside out count? This is inside said favourite jazz cafe. Could almost pass for a Vermeer painting.

And today's random wackiness - a boat abandoned on the side of the road at the top of a very big cliff with only a distant view of the sea.

The hip guide to Oia (aka how to avoid visiting cruise boat tourists)

Following on from yesterday's theme, this is the view from the little cafe where I have breakfast every morning. Greek yoghurt with honey, and espresso. Actually two espressos. Food of the gods.

This is my new favourite hangout where I have Greek coffee every afternoon, and sometimes after dinner with ouzo. They play wicked jazz all day through until midnight. I have developed an unhealthy liking for Greek coffee and Ouzo. Work will never the same without it.

And for a change of pace this place does great lounge/chill music until midnight.  Needless to say I'm a regular at all three and now they don't even ask me what I want when I walk in. Gotta love that! Or am I just that predictable?

And dear readers I do declare this is the world's coolest bookshop. It's run by an ever changing group of backpackers who work here in exchange for board (there's a small mezzanine floor with a mattress). When I first walked in there were three of them discussing philosophy. Oh to be 20 years younger!

It even comes complete with its own cat - but then again everywhere in Greece does.

Settled in!

This is where I'm staying. As with everything here else it's built into the side of the cliff - this is main stairway which all of the villas are off, with the pool at the bottom.

And this is Nikolas who owns it - it's been in his family for 50 years and now the whole family runs it. Mama and Papa sit on the porch every night - they don't speak any English but just say "ya sas" to everyone - so lovely.

This is view from my little patio - I took this just sitting at my little table doing my emails.

And this is the view from the pool. Seriously.

And here's one more stunning vista for your viewing pleasure, just to make sure you get the idea...

Stunning Santorini

So it's off the the Greek Islands I go. Well the Cyclades Islands to be precise. First stop Santorini - no this isn't it, it's some random island we flew over on the way there - but it is in the Cyclades group.

And I have to admit it. Everything everyone tells you about Santorini is true. It's so goddamn beautiful it takes your breath away. Even more amazing when you realise it's survived the biggest volcanic eruption in the history of mankind, and two major earthquakes, the most recent being the 1950s.

The results however are nothing short of spectacular. There are no beaches to speak of, and all the houses are built straight into the side of the cliff, carved out of the volcanic rock. They're brilliant for climate control - cool during the day as you're literally underground, and warm at night as the porous rock retains the heat.

I'd wouldn't really want to be around for the next shake though, it's a looong way down...

I never got tired of taking photos - everywhere you look is pretty as a picture, literally.

I still haven't worked out what these are - there's one on every island - and they've all been converted into different things. This one's a hotel, and I've seen one also as a tourist office. Maybe they don't know either and just build them to give the tourists something to photograph?!

Athenium

Athens is like some weird cross between Morocco, Cuba and Spain. The main tourist drag, Athenis, starts with a red light district at the top and finishes down in the main square at the base of the Acropolis. Traffic lights don't actually seem to mean anything and although the men stare quite openly, they don't touch. Takes a bit of getting used to though!

Alongside derelict buildings Castro would be proud of, like any ancient town the majority of the shops sell food and are concentrated around the market, which I didn't actually venture into given the rivers of blood coming out of it. Also scooter central - they're the ones you have to look out for.

I don't think however I'll ever get tired of olives and Feta cheese, which has name protection in the EU like Champagne and Parmesan, and which is sold pretty much everywhere.

Along with Ouzo, Greek coffee, knock off Louis Vuitton handbags (every woman under the age of 50 seems to have one), and of course cigarettes.

And nuts, spices, meat, fish, vegetables - the smells are amazing. And everybody smokes, everywhere, all of the time, even in all the shops, and if you're extra friendly they even offer you to sit down and have one with them!

And birds. Lots of shops selling everything from chickens to pigeons to budgies. I haven't seen them on any menus so I am rather hoping they are genuinely pets.

One of the best second hand junk stores I've seen in a while... I just couldn't figure out how to get anything home!

And then there's the just plain wacky - there's at least three of these shops in Athenis that sell nothing but religious acoutrements - communion chalices, incense burners, etc. Just what every home needs.

Ya Sas!

So here I am in Greece having decided to spend my last couple of weeks where the sun still shines. After negotiating the Athens metro, which is actually really good, I finally found my hotel but of course not after getting completely lost. Not advisable when nightfall is approaching and you're wandering aimlessly around the red light district...

Happily the hotel is great - see suitable fabulous image shot from the bar where I contentedly spent my first evening watching the sunset and the not-hard-to-take view.

Then off for regulation sightseeing to the Acropolis which is Athens' Eiffel Tower, ie. you can see it from pretty much everywhere in the city (shot here from the hotel bar - again).

Apparently it's been undergoing constant restoration since 1975 and having experienced Greek efficiency, it's no great surprise it's taken this long.

Up close it's a little like the Mona Lisa - all jostling tourists trying to get a photo. I saw one woman actually trying to take photos with her ipad. Madness.

They do however seem committed to the effort (the archeologists that is) and it's amazing to see the whole site littered with artefacts that have yet to receive attention - some simply roped off with bits of string, and others just literally lying around.

My favourite however was the theatre Odeon of Herodes Atticus which is on the same site. It's awe inspiring and they still hold live shows there, but alas not while I was in town.

And last but least - and an absolute must-see if you ever go to Athens - is the new Acropolis Museum. It's built over a working excavation of the old city and most of the ground floor is perspex so you can watch the archeologists working as you wander around the museum. Awesome. Best not to wear a mini skirt though...

Speaking of old...

I was invited to lunch by a friend of a friend who owns a small castle near Brantome in the north of the Languedoc.

According to him they're a dime a dozen, with no less than four like this in this area alone. Good to know they're available should one feel like undertaking a lifelong renovation project!

This particular one dates back to the 14th century and comes complete with it's own well and turret - clearly if one was a rich landowner one needed somewhere to lock up one's errant daughters.

And this was the original wine vault which Steve has turned into a pool house. Even if you do own your own castle I suspect the cost of stocking a cellar of this size is fairly prohibitive, unless you happen to own your own vineyard to go with it. Shame.