What to Say … in Paros, Greece

There is a point when a writer in Greece sits down to write. And, she’s left with an impossible task.

What is one to say about Greece? How many writers have come before? Every single one, it would seem, from Homer to Renault, from Bourdain to de Berniéres.

I’m reading Corelli’s Mandolin right now, actually. And that’s not helpful, being so beautifully written. I printed out my own novel at home before coming here. I was going to read it once through. I avoided the pile of pages instead, justifying I had to pack. I stashed it away, lest the cat sitters find it. If they too have read Corelli’s Mandolin, I’m screwed.

Wait. Where was I?

Oh. Yes. In Greece. Trying to write about Greece.

It’s a country where it’s been fashionable to wash up as a writer since boats were invented to get here. One would not want to leave, to be certain. It’s relatively cheap, and it’s cheerful. A cast of characters make one apt to toss that previous novel and begin again here, where people eat dinner at 1am and don’t rise again until well after noon, tossing back thick coffee with nets over their shoulders, ambling towards the sea.

The sardines are sourced. Grilled. Shared. It’s 6pm at that point. Time to have a drink, yes?

We are staying in a very trendy, tourist-trafficked town called Naoussa, on the island of Paros. There are tiny laneways, exceptional restaurants, and lovely alcove harbors that you sort of stumble upon. Drinking here is an all-day activity.

Our third night was a hazy wash of ouzo and laughter with Gello, our server.

“My name is Gello … like the American Jell-O!” he exclaimed, his hands rising like trained birds.

“But …” his voice dropped. He leaned in. “It is spelled with a ‘G.’ Because I am Greek.”

That small bar where Gello works is called Karnagio, and I would start your day here, as the Greeks do––at 6pm in winter; or 8:30 in the summer.

The sun in Greece follows the pace of the people. She doesn’t go down until 10pm in July.

Karnagio is a tiny open-air bar right at the tip of a tiny harbor. You overlook small fishing boats and the famous Venetian Fort (constructed in the 15^th century) on one side. But, walk through the little bar to the back half, and your gaze is across Agioi Anargyroi Beach, to the classic Cycladic architecture. Ah yes, the reason all writers and humans come to the Greek isles––those darling, white, cube houses with the bright blue doors.

Paros has been discovered. You aren’t going to arrive and find yourself as swept up in the place as Homer or Bourdain might have, two decades or two millennia past. The shops are plentiful, and actually great. Paros gets it. You can find soft, silk Italian dresses, strappy leather sandals and exquisite enamel jewelry. The trinkets will be worn again once home. The octopus salad remembered fondly. The photos potentially framed or at least longed-for on Facebook.

However, Naoussa isn’t the only town on Paros. Rent a car (roughly $30/day) and drive up, up, up her gravel goat roads and you’ll find ancient monasteries crumbling on the hills, being eaten by bougainvillea so dramatic, you’d think a Southern garden club had been by in the last hour. There are beaches and beautiful restaurants, rocky coastlines and small souvlaki outposts.

There’s also Lefkes in the dead center of the island––a town famed for its impressive Agia Triada church, constructed of Parian marble in 1835 and for the 1,000-year-old Byzantine Road.

Here’s where I would advise spending time in Paros.

STAY: A few blocks past the main hub of Naoussa. Central Naoussa is bustling each evening till 2am

Anemomylos Residence – $200/night for a giant room with a hot tub and a deck

EAT: A lot and often

Taverna Glafkos – fresh octopus, bracing Sauvignon Blanc, a watermelon & feta salad with ripe tomatoes swimming in olive oil, plus a crazy-romantic location, on a very small harbor alcove.

Ydroussa – an upscale, romantic, candlelit garden with a gregarious Italian owner, who serves up delicious pasta and crispy pork belly.

Meat Bar – for a fourth meal souvlaki at midnight. Try and secure the balcony table and a round of ouzo.

To Balcony tou Aki – located on the southern tip of the island on Aliki Beach, this deck restaurant right at the water’s edge really impressed me. Dig into the Shrimp & Tomatoes over orzo, the stuffed grape leaves and the grilled octopus, which is hung out to dry in the front window.

PLAY: on beaches best accessed by ATVs

Kolympethres Beach – you can rent a pair of lounge chairs for $10, source beers from the same dude and take a very refreshing dip on this rocky, coveted strip of coastline.

Rent an ATV or Car and explore – in high season you might want to reserve in advance, but we didn’t need to. Naoussa alone has about 10 car rental places. Note: They did not ask us for an international drivers license here, but in Sifnos, we had to download one in order to rent a car.