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Visiting Relaxed Paros, Cyclades Islands, Greece

The Greek Island of Paros, Greece

BoomersNextStep travels to Paros, Greece of Cyclades Islands. We visited the old town of Parikia Paros and Naoussa with its charming fishing port.

Paros, Greece. A Greek Island that is part of the Cyclades group, looked a bit underwhelming when we arrived, but ferry ports are not usually attractive.

Among the throngs of tourists, we dragged our suitcases along the cobbled streets following the directions of “find the bank with a yellow sign in the town square then turn left”. Bingo! There was a yellow sign. The only splash of colour among a sea of white painted buildings with blue trim.

Traditional Windmill of Paros island
Traditional Windmill of Paros island

Relaxed Paros

Paros Island is laid back. Locals told us it is because it is built on a solid foundation of marble which grounds everything. We suspect it is because the tourism season has not yet begun in earnest.

Looking up at the old castle in Pariaka Paros Island
Looking up at the old castle in Pariaka Paros.

The old town of Parikia Paros was a delightful rabbit warren of narrow laneways, with shops, cafes, and homes, as it seems to be on most Greek Islands. We got the impression that the “old people” (yes, about our age) live in the old town but families live out of town or in another town on the island.

In the old town, we visited the Church with 99 doors. Legend has it that the 100th door will be installed when Greece owns Constantinople again. Given that they lost that city in 1453 you get the impression that history is neither forgotten nor forgiven.

A tiny Scoda car that we hired took us around the island of Paros. I mention its size because we were very grateful that we had such a tiny car when we found ourselves driving down a narrow street with barely enough room to get through, even with the side mirrors folded in.

We drove around the narrow streets of Leftas, but didn’t even get out of the car. Even in mid-June, before the rush of tourists that flock to Paros and all the Greek Islands during summer holiday time, we couldn’t find a parking spot that was within a reasonable distance from the main part of town.

Venetian fort in Naoussa, Paros Greece
Venetian fort in Naoussa, Paros

Naoussa was my favourite part of the island of Paros. It is a fishing port that has grown around an ancient Venetian fort that is easily accessible from the old town. Of course, the old town (white painted buildings, blue trims, narrow cobblestones, shops and restaurants) is charming and a lovely place to wander around.

Naoussa, Paros a charming fishing village.
Naoussa, Paros a charming fishing village.

We sat by the fishing port and watched the fishermen working through the day to prepare for their night’s work. Nets need to be untangled, checked and mended. Boats need to be cleaned. It seems it is an all-consuming occupation being a fisherman on a Greek Island. Some of them have been doing this very physical job for many years.

From Paros, we had an amazing day travelling by ferry to the ancient historical site of Delos and the tourist hotspot of Mykonos.

Also, check out my trip to Naxos – My Favourite Greek Island

Viator

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Jenni Proctor

Hi, I'm Jenni Proctor from Boomers Next Step. Remember when the formula for success in life was simply to strive for good marks at school, gain qualifications, get a great job, work hard and save for your retirement? Yes, I believed it too! For years my husband David and I wanted to develop a business that we could operate anywhere in the world, but both of us were educated to be employees.  We had entrepreneurial dreams and ideas, but still had employee mindsets. 14 years ago I took the giant leap!  I left my job in Education to start a business as a Career Counsellor and Coach, helping mature adults transition from one career path to another, and particularly from employment to entrepreneurship.  I had studied long and hard to gain new qualifications but sadly I hadn’t learnt how to market my new business. About 12 years ago we realized that we were not tracking well towards having the sort of retirement we wanted. We’d saved; we’d invested; and like so many other people we’d also lost some money along the way. It didn’t help that my business was not bringing in as much as I had been earning as an employee. Our dreams of extensive travel and helping our family were being replaced by a growing concern that we would outlive our savings. It seemed that a traditional retirement would not allow us to maintain the lifestyle we wanted. I love helping people plan the next phase of their lives, but we realized that was not going to be enough.  We needed a way to create an income stream that would pay for the travel and other lifestyle luxuries we wanted, that would provide mental stimulation, and would interest us both.

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