Stratos Studios

Butterflies Valley

by SirRichard

Not far from Parikia there is a valley called Petaloudes where, in July & august, thousands of butterflies gather and cover all.
You can take a bus there. At the bus stop there is normally a local peasant waiting for tourists. He takes you up the valley in his pick up for 1 euro. Walking is about 20 minutes...

Paros

by Just_Jenny

"Parikia"

We left Santorini at Athinios bay, the port in Santorini and took the GA ferry to Paros Island. This was a slow ferry and took us approximately 5 hours to get there, however you can get a quicker ferry if you prefer not to wait that long. You can also get ferries to Paros from Piraeus the port at Athens, or you can take a short flight from Athens airport with Olympic airlines.

Despite our 5 hour journey, the ferry was great, with ample seating, toilet facilities, snacks and drinks available, our voyage was an enjoyable one. There was nothing better to sit, relax and the watch the world go by. This is also a perfect opportunity to admire the beautiful Aegean Sea while passing many Greek islands on the way.

We arrived after dark at Parikia, the capital and main harbour of Paros. This was extremely busy and alive with people, taxies, buses and bikes everywhere. I distinctly remember the smell of Souvlaki (Greek fast food and very nice too!!) as I stepped from the ferry onto dry land, making me instantly hungry! We headed to our hotel, which was quiet, clean and pleasant, and approximately a 10 minute walk to the centre of Parikia. After settling in, we decided to explore...Most shop were closed, however this is a lively island, with many bars, clubs and tavernas, all of which were still open.

My belief is that Greeks NEVER sleep!! Even at 1am in the morning is considered early by Greek standards!!