Traveling to Paros, Greece

After our week-long stay in Crete, we hopped a plane and took off towards the lovely island of Paros. Upon arriving at what we thought were our hotel accommodations, we were told that our booking information was nowhere to be found! As it turned out, there are two properties in Paros named Margarita Studios, and we were at the wrong one! Fortunately, we had rented a car and only had to drive 20 minutes to the location where we had actually booked our stay.

Margarita Studios– Our B&B and Cooking Class!

Upon arriving to Margarita Studios where our actual booking arrangements where made, BOO BOO the dog immediately greeted us, and we sat down to a delightful meal of grilled chicken skewers and fried zucchini balls. Both were doused in a delicious tahini sauce, so much better than the over garlicky version that I typically taste in the USA. Barry had a beer from 56 Isles Microbrewery, which happened to be 5 minutes down the road from our stay, so you know where we went next after lunch!

Lefkes

We visited a charming hillside town towards the center of Paros named Lefkes, which boasts lovely views of the island. Walking around Lefkes, you will find cafes, tavernas, an ice cream shop, and a plethora of shopping. The whitewashed buildings had bursts of hot pink flowers cascading overtop of the archways.

Naoussa

Naoussa is an impeccably clean, white-washed town in Paros dotted with blue shutters and doors. This town is a maze of shopping, and the wares range from homemade leather goods, to unique, light and airy dresses, to jewelry. You could get lost in this maze and shop for days without coming across the same store twice! Outdoor eateries and cocktail bars were bountiful, too!

Craft beer and Wineries on Paros

Surprisingly, Paros has a craft brewery named 56 Isles, that I mentioned above, which had a very impressive list! We also had the opportunity to taste at two wineries,

Helping the Cat, Michael

As you may be able to tell, there is an overpopulation of cats in Paros (and on many of the islands that we visited in Greece). Some of the cats have owners, but most of them do not. By observing, it seems that all of the cats, with or without an owner, live outdoors only, which I imagine contributes to the rising cat population.

During our visit, we noticed many cats in need of medical attention. I happened upon a very sick tan-colored tabby close to our B&B Margarita Studios, and made it my mission to get him any medical attention that he needed.

A HUGE THANK YOU to FEP Veterinary Center in Naoussa for lending me a pet carrier to trap and bring in this sweetheart, now named Michael. They were able to neuter him and give him shots and medications to get him through his sickness.

And another HUGE THANK YOU to Martina at Cats Eden in Paros who looked after Michael after Barry and I left the island. Ironically, Martina knew this cat in past years… he was part of her rescue prior to escaping!

And lastly, a HUGE THANK YOU to Barry for his patience with all of the walks to find Michael, trips to the FEP Veterinary Center, and the trip to get him to his continued caregiver, Martina, at Cats Eden in Paros.

We will end with a few beautiful beach scenes around Paros…

Stay tuned for the final blog post in Mykonos, Greece!