“A new report on the benefits of extra-virgin olive oil shows a surprising result - olive oil actually changes the way human genes work, reducing the risk of heart disease.”

Read more on her blog which also contains links to more about olive oil and the Mediterranean diet.

In other words, since revenues are up and expenses are down, Greece only spent 12.10 billion Euro more than they had coming in versus 20.05 billion Euro for the same period last year.

Everyone here is very curious about what will happen as the tourism season ends in September.  Uncertainty is always bad for business and we have a very uncertain future on the Greek islands at this time.  Stay tuned.

I just realised that I have not taken many photos this summer.  We are not doing or seeing anything that is different, I am afraid.

This is a different view of Club Med 2 that visits Aliki about three times per year.

Our island is so full this weekend it is easy to believe we are the centre of the Greek world.  Though I have not heard anything lately of other celebrities.  Even Tom Hanks sitings have been few this year.

A couple of days ago we read that  a small airplane with six Israeli security police onboard crash landed on Santorini.  There were no serious injuries but I wondered what kind of spy adventure was going on.  Then we read that Israel’s PM, Benjamin Netanyahu, was meeting Greece’s PM in Athens and that seemed to explain it.  Maybe a short holiday on Santorini on the way to Athens.  But now with Papandreou on Paros why would they meet in Athens.   Hmmm, maybe there are other spies or celebrities around or is this speculation a symptom of island fever?

What do you want out of life?  Do it better on Paros.

One reviewer had this to say: “When I agreed to read and review Cafe Tempest: Adventures on a Small Greek Island I did not know it was an expat slice of life read in the voice of a main character who, among other things, is writing about yoga mantras. Had I known that, I’d have rejected the book out of hand, thinking it yet another “me and my feelings in a land of wacky, colorful locals” story. And that would have been a shame because, what do you know? I rather liked this book.”

Read more from this reviewer here or read more at the publisher’s site here  Or USA readers can use the link below on the left for Powell’s Books and Europe readers can use the one on the right for Amazon U.K.

If anyone has read this book, please comment here.

This week the travel search site Skyscanner.net highlighted a potential solution to packing light:  Nakation.  That is travel to clothing optional or naturalist locations.  They published a survey that indicates 2% of their respondents booked a naked vacation just to avoid paying hefty baggage charges.

We do live simply here on Paros.  Maybe we should carry it a strip, I mean a step, further.

Read about Nude and Topless beaches in Greece

It reminds me of watching an old Madonna movie, Body of Evidence, because it was full of scenes from our home town of Portland, Oregon.

Anyway this video was done by a group of students from the School of Informatics of Indiana University.  Their objective was to document the connection between agriculture and tourism on the island of Paros.

Search this blog for more of my comments about the food and drink of Paros.  Now my slogan of Do it better on Paros can be Eat better on Paros!

Φαγητό του Παρελθόντος: Τροφή για το Μέλλον / Food of the Past: Nourishment for the Future from Parosweb on Vimeo.

The two photos here came from Tony McCarthy who lives in Waterford, Ireland and visits Paros often.  For more photos including our former house and store please go to Chuck and Claire’s European Adventures

There is more about Chuck and Claire on Paros  Here

And more about our Irish connection:  Naoussa on Arthur’s Day

and  Irish Women with Foreign Partners

Would you believe this pub is a celebrity hangout.  Jeremy Irons has brought his friends Kevin Costner and Leonardo DiCaprio and others.  It is known in Dublin as the place to be seen in West Cork, perhaps because it is the waiting room for the very popular Annies Restaurant.

Not quite to the day, but last July I started looking for a new template in order to do a major up date to my major web site, www.ParosParadise.com 

Today it was with great trepidation that I pushed the Publish button to upload the new 50+ page site.  Wonder of wonders, it worked without a hitch—that I know of, touch wood.

True I did no work on the project between November 2009 and May 2010, but it has been my major focus over the past few weeks.  I now have a modern site with much more emphasis on photos of the Greek islands.

It is not yet complete, of course a good web site never is, as I have a punch list of at least 50 items that still need updating and improving.  Most of the content was just cut and pasted from the old site.  Please notify me of any errors or glitches that you see as I might not notice them.

My next focus is to see if my up-dating eliminates the dreaded Google Page Rank 0 that I received two years ago after many years as a PR 3 and 4.  Also, I hope to blog more often . . .

This is just one example of the type of quality events held on Paros each summer.

“Vassilis Tsabropoulos belongs to the elite of European piano soloists. He has given piano recitals in international centres of Europe and America, participating in important orchestras with renowned conductors.”

However, what makes this concert outstanding is the location:  an open air theatre at the beach!  Its all in the atmosphere of a Greece idyll.

Read more about typical summer events

Read about Taste the Place

Now the Nikos Kazantzakis Museum in Myrtia, Crete, near Iraklion has opened a permanent exhibition on Nikos Kazantzakis.  He lived a fascinating life so I am sure this museum would be worth a visit. 

While I found Zorba the Greek a great read with insight to Cretan culture, most of Kazantzakis’ literature is heavy going. For a quick and easy lesson buy the video.  Cheers.

First, the National Archaeological Museum has added these two Kouros-style marble statues, dated to the 6th century BC to their display.  They were recovered just a few days before in a sting operation involving two farmers near the site of ancient Nemea.

The damage observed on them, cut limbs and a head is recent, probably caused by excavation machinery, although archaeologists said the statues will be restored in full.  They are 1.82 and 1.78 meters tall and unique in that they are almost identical works sharing the same facial characteristics.

A previous post on this subject:  Where Men Walked 3000 Years Ago

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The Athens Metro (Subway) is destined for major expansion in both the near and long term regardless of economic turmoil.  Imagine how many artefacts will be dug up there!  Actually you don’t have to imagine because much of what is found is on display in existing stations.

The new station in Holargos is due to open in June, while Agia Paraskevi will be ready by September.  Another six stations, extensions of the line 2 in the southeast and west, may possibly be added to the network by March 2011.  These are waiting the outcome of the Siemens bribery scandal before completing the electronic controls.

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The government giveth and the the government taketh away: The Athens public transport organisation OASA announced that it will scrap a special bus service providing tours of Athens' ancient sites for tourists as of June 1, due to low levels of use.

The number 400 'Sights of Athens' bus was an open bus that tourists
could use to visit each of the city's archaeological sites and museums
using an all-day pass.

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Finally, we have another Value Added Tax (VAT) increase on top of the one just last January.

The regular VAT rate on most goods will increase from 21 percent at present to 23 percent, while the reduced rate of 10 percent currently charged on a range of goods and services will be increased to 11 percent. The lowest rate of 5 percent will increase to 5.5 percent.

The increases will also affect island areas, where current VAT rates of 15 percent, 7 percent and 4 percent will rise to 16 percent, 8 percent and 4 percent.

Only time will tell how much of this is passed on to the consumer and how much absorbed by the businesses.  Greek consumers are well aware that higher taxes on business eventually come out of their own pockets.  I am not convinced the same can be said of voters in those countries such as the USA and U.K. that do not have a large un-taxed economy.

I have not yet seen the official press release (probably due to a journalist’s strike) but the BBC says “Greece says it will cover the extra costs for any tourists stranded in the country as a result of industrial action or natural disaster.”

It then quotes Culture and Tourism Minister Pavlos Geroulanos: “We are guaranteeing to pay any extra room and board any visitor in Greece pays even if stuck here because of a volcano in Iceland."  Of course, that says nothing of re-booking airline flights, which in my experience has been the largest expense.

So, I will follow this issue and keep you informed of details and developments.  My biggest concern is that this type of scheme will just highlight that Greece is a difficult country to travel in at this time. 

To which my response is:  It is no more difficult than normal.  There are always strikes in June and September; they are rare in July and August and are announced in advance so you can plan around them.  A traveller should build in flexibility when travelling internationally to handle unexpected occurrences in any case.  Also, demonstrations only affect certain parts of Athens and can be easily avoided as well.

Come to Paros and chill out.

That is what we are doing anyway.  Karin and I had about 6 weeks of hectic activity with three different groups back-to-back.  Then we took a week to recover and start watching the World Cup.  Now we are back into the normal summer routine:  a little work, a daily swim, socialising with friends and guests as they come and go plus the World Cup in tavernas.

The photos represent the three groups. Now that I am back in the groove I hope to write about them.

Now the International Congregation of Agia Sophia, a US-based group founded in 2005 with the purpose of returning the building as a place of worship for all the world's Christians, is planning on holding a liturgy there on September 17, the Orthodox feast day for Saint Sophia.

(Hagia, Agia and Saint are all the same word in different languages.)

The group has notified the Turkish government but I would not expect them to receive permission for this.  Nor, I think, would I like to see them succeed in their ultimate goal. 

When Karin and I visited Istanbul—by the way, many Greeks still refer to it as Constantinople and that is what the railroad signs say—we were impressed that this superlative structure could be so well maintained and displayed in the predominately Islam country.  The Christian mosaics are displayed as predominately as the Islamic art work.  We felt this public building gave us hope that Christians and Muslims can cooperate peacefully.

What do you think?  Comments welcome.

The 16 kilometre-long gorge starts at an altitude of 1,250 meters at the northern entrance in the settlement of Omalos and
ending at the shores of the Libyan Sea.  The actual walk through the Samaria National Park is 13 km long, but the trekker has to walk another three kilometres to Aghia Roumeli from the park exit.

This trek is only recommended for the experienced walker with hiking boots.  Also unless you take an escorted tour you have to be an adventuresome traveller because it is easy to miss the ferry and bus connection back to Chania, the nearest city.  This happened to Karin and I when we made the jaunt in 2001.  That was one of those days you can laugh about afterwards but was not pleasant as it unfolded.

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Part two of this post is follow-up on a previous post:  Another Paros Boy Makes Good in which I commented upon Greece government decentralisation.

Recently Yiannis Ragoussis, Minister of the Interior, etc. presented the “Kallikratis” plan for re-organisation of local government.  It is to create fewer municipalities with more power and funding, he says.

What was especially interesting to me was his admission that prior Socialist governments were part of the problem as well.  Here is the quote from the Athens News Agency: 

"There is now a general awareness that the wasteful, clientist,
centralised and inefficient state is the cause of the Greek problem as we experience this today," he said.

I think we are seeing the evolution of major changes in Greece.  Who said, “We are living in interesting times.” ?

Thessaloniki is not on the main tourist route for Greece.  Yet there is a lot of interest and value there to see.

Now the city is trying to make is easier and more pleasant for pedestrians to get around the downtown area by excluding cars on Saturdays between Noon and 7 P.M.  I hope it works and gets extended.

ANA-MPA photo / S. Barbaroussis

Karin couldn’t resist swimming in the sea on a warm April afternoon.

She claims she wasn’t cold.

I stayed on the shore and took artsy photos.

April shadows will bring May flowers.

Now Denise is sponsoring a Paros visit by Mimi Santapa, an internationally celebrated Tango instructor from Buenos Aires.  Mimi has been teaching for many years in Argentina, USA and Europe.  She was recently invited by UNESCO to teach in Paris.

On Paros the lessons will be from 21 through 25 April at 15:00 and 21:00.  Each session will be 10 Euro or 3 for 25 or the best deal:  a pack of 9 lessons comes with a full kilo of Denise’s gelato!  Contact Denise at parosgelato at hotmail for bookings and location.

For tango on Paros in the summer read about Ballroom Dancing

                      Do it better on Paros

Now you can buy a monastery on Paros for half the price of an island.  Today I got an email notice of a 14th Century Greek Monastery for sale.  When I went to the company’s web site I couldn’t find the monastery but I did find an island off Voutakis beach near our village of Aliki.

There is a different Paros monastery that I would guess is available as well.  We walked to it a couple years ago with friends.  Here is Karin’s photo journalism account:  Walk to Aghios Ioannis Klidonas 

So here is your chance to counter those wealthy Greeks who are exporting their cash out of the country.  Buy island property while the market is down.

Cheers,

So I was quite surprised to see that the beach club there—long noted for wild music and parties—had been enlarged and that the beach umbrella stands were all set up for this season.  One never knows what is actually happening behind high-sounding press releases, I guess.  Maybe it means the music will be more conservative.

Anyway we had an enjoyable time hiking around and eating our lunch to the sound of water lapping on rocks.  We were offered a beer by some young men who were barbecuing a lamb on the shore.  They had come from Athens on the yacht in the photo.  On the way home we noticed a great many family gatherings which is the traditional way the Greeks spend Easter.

++++++

Anyone who will be near Athens this 16-20 June should check out the 2nd Annual Athens Fringe Festival.  In addition to the more traditional music and stage performances the program includes bar poets, concerts in galleries, dance lessons, juggling, photography and film festivals.  Even the shops are getting into the act with White Night in Athens, whatever that is.  Most of the performances are at the Technopolis theatre in Gazi.

Of nearly equal moment is that we were able to collaborate on a project that I have wanted to do for years:  prepare a comprehensive list and description of Paros beaches.  Karin wrote most of the text and I inserted relevant photos that I could find.

Please take a look by clicking the NEW! tab above.

If that doesn’t work try this link:  [www.parosparadise.com]

All corrections, opinions and comments are welcome.  Please comment on your favourite Paros beach.

Chuck and Claire are an American couple that recently retired and are travelling around Europe in a camper van.  Karin quickly found empathy with their journey and became a pen pal with Claire.  While passing through Greece Chuck and Claire decided to park their van and ferry to Paros for a few days.  We are so glad they did.

I won’t put any excerpts of their visit here.  You must go to their blog to see the photos of Paros in March:  Our Greek Island Idle

Enjoy

In fact we were so busy that my Prague blog is quite empty.  But Karin did quite a few photo journals that I eventually hope to include there.  So if you are interested in Prague check our CzechMates in another month or so or just watch here for a bulletin.

On Paros the sign of a new year beginning is not the Easter clean-up, which starts in earnest next week, rather it is the Art Appreciation series by IPAC—International Paros Art Circle.  I have written about this before.  To find these just search IPAC in the search bar at the top of the page.

Here is this year’s schedule:

This spring there will be a new series of Round Table Talks,
each one having a different speaker and theme.
They will start at 7.30 pm with a 40minute lead-in Talk
followed by discussion.

We hope you will be able to attend these interesting evenings, with lively conversation and discussion.

There will be cheese and wine to follow.

There is no charge and you do not have to be a member of IPAC,
just someone who enjoys art, creating it – or both.

The Talks and discussion will be in English.
Wednesday 17th March   Ramona Ghika, BA Hons Ceramic Design, Central St. Martins College, University of the Arts London

Subject: Endless Creativity:

Inspiration is everywhere. And if you don't see it, look again!

Wednesday 28th April  Ben Nash, Cartoonist
Subject: Sex, Death, Money & Madness:
Human frailty in the world of cartoons

Wednesday 5th May  Subject: will be announced

Please come and invite your friends. Everybody is very welcome.

at Apothiki Art Center in Parikia, 7.30 pm

Yes, Paros is busy in its own relaxed way.  We are looking forward to a lot of visitors to share it with.

Cheers,

She is offering the following:

• Plan Your Trip to Greece -  Plan your trip to Greece with these tips for Greek travellers
• Learn the Greek Alphabet in 8 Three-Minute Lessons - Learn the letters of the Greek Alphabet quickly and easily with these fun, easy lessons.
• Learn About Greek Mythology - Learn about the Greek gods and goddesses in this easy e-course on Greek mythology.

Think Greece  --  Have Fun  --  Sign up here

Yet some of my photos and some of Karin’s are as good, I think, as this year’s winners.  So, maybe in 2010 . . .

Here is the number one winner in Greeka’s contest.  They won 4 nights on Mykonos.  There are lots of other prises as well.

This is my favourite of the top twenty because I know how difficult it would be to get this shot.  It is in 9th place.

Here is the link for all the winners.  Any photos up-loaded to the site will be entered in next year’s contest.  So pick your best and send it in.

A big decision has been in the making over the past few months in our house by the sea. Deliberations going back and forth, with discussions of personal dreams and desires. Which has been fun in a way, because these "meetings" required only my husband and I and usually a couple glasses of ouzo!

It all started last year, in fact, with our 10 day trip to Prague for the Christmas Holidays...and it was Love At First Sight for both of us! When we left, I dragged my feet, cried a few "real" tears, and vowed to come back. Michael, as always, was a bit more quiet about it all, but actually his mind started thinking...slowly at first, but gathering momentum as the year passed. A busy summer came, and fall and winter were before us.

Now as wonderful, lovely, etc as life can be here on this beautiful island of Paros, it has one BIG drawback. When the tourists go home, and the island belongs to the locals again everyone sighs a big sigh of relief. For a couple of months we really enjoy the peace and quiet….the empty roads….the empty beaches. Then reality hits us....when the shops close, restaurants close, friends go back to their "other" homes in various places...and we are suddenly left with what feels like: nothing. OK, the scenery is still to die for, but culturally, it is about a 0 on a scale from 1 - 10! We have no TV (long, technical story – others on the island do) and we can only read just so many books. And how many times can you walk around the island….talking to the sheep?

That is the time a person starts dreaming their dreams...of getting off the island and finding some culture that inspires! But where? As everyone knows, the economy this year sucks so it has to be someplace close to home and not so expensive to get there.

Turkey was an option, as we travelled there last year and thought how much we would enjoy going south, to Bodrum perhaps, and stay a month or two. But somehow that did not appeal as it really is not that much different weather wise to here. (Is it possible to admit that we get tired of sun every day? People who live where it is cold and grey would never say yes to that!) Then, in a flash, we both looked at each other and said, "PRAGUE"! It just sounded and felt SO right.

From Michael again:

So this Thursday, Thanksgiving in the US but nothing here, we are on are way off island until March. I will be keeping up this blog as I find Paros and Greece items to write about—probably about the same frequency as I have the last few months. But even better, Karin will be joining me in writing about our Prague adventures. Those readers who have seen her past photo journalism efforts know they are in for a treat.

Please add this link to your readers, RSS, bookmarks, favorites, whatever you use: [www.parosparadise.com]

The report below, lifted directly from Athens News Agency, indicates that it is almost time to go back.

Ski resorts in northern Greece ready for first visitors

Maintenance work in most of the ski resorts in the northern part of the
country has been completed and all the facilities are ready for
visitors, as the first snow has started to fall in those regions.

The Mt Voras (Kaimakcalan) crown in the prefecture of Pella is already
covered with snow and temperature has dropped several degrees below
zero. The ski resort will be in full operation after the maintenance of
the ski lifts is completed.

In Naousa, the "Tria-Pente Pigadia" ski resort is ready for winter
sports lovers, while the first snowflakes are being expected at
Vigla-Pisoderi ski resort in Florina, northwest Greece, which usually
opens by mid November.

Ready for the tourists is Seli in Imathia Prefecture, while the ski
resorts of Vitsi in Kastoria Prefecture and Elatochori in Pieria
Prefecture, as well as Vasilitsa, Lailia and Falakro in the prefectures
of Grevena, Serres and Dramas respectively, are also preparing for the
winter.

Our May 2008 photos of Arachova are at:  [picasaweb.google.com]

Our Delphi photos are at:  [picasaweb.google.com]

In just a few minutes I put together the map below.  It is a customised version of Paros showing a couple of my favourite beaches as well as the private villas that we have for rent.

I am going to have fun highlighting more of Paros’s features.  Please comment with what you think I should show.

Cheers

View Paros Hospitality in a larger map

Last Thursday there was a handover ceremony in Athens's Olympic Stadium attended by dignitaries of both Greece and Canada.  The flame is headed to Vancouver, Canada for the 2010 Winter Olympiad—and Paralympics.

The flame reached the stadium after a circuit of Greece starting in ancient Olympia where the lighting ceremony was held last week.  It won’t reach Canada until taking a circuit of the world.

In 2004 the flame was on Paros but my photos are of backs of heads of the crowd and the feet of the runners.  So here is a dramatic photo of a statue of ancient Olympia during the 2007 wild fires.

Photograph: Petros Giannakouris/AP

Now fast forward to this week when a friend shared their harvest of walnuts and chestnuts.  We looked askance at the chestnuts and decided to use them as autumn decoration.  Then a few days later I received a news item from the ANA:  “Annual Chestnut Party begins in Kavala”  This inspired me to do a little research.  I found that they can be prepared any number of ways.  Since it is still too warm for a fire and the barbeque is a hassle, I opted to steam a few of the chestnuts.  Twelve minutes later we dipped them in melted salted butter and gingerly took a nibble.  Eureka! they were quite good.

I also learned the chestnut has a long and noble history.  The tree is considered the tree of Zeus and Alexander the Great planted them during his travels as a substitute for grain.  Many cultures have followed suit as they grow well on mountainous terrain.  So in October many northern Greece communities have Chestnut Festivals.  The one in Kavala is said to consume 5 tons of nuts and 1,000 kilos of wine.  I think that may be an exaggeration on the chestnuts but not the wine.

Photo from Eternally Cool Net

The greatest addition is a series of competitive rallies. Called ScooterGiro Cyclades, it is a competitive Time, Speed, Distance road rally, conducted in the spirit and traditions of classical road rallies. Participants will ride three measured distance courses on Paros and three on Naxos. There will be trophies for each island as well for the combined Cyclades Champion.

Visitors can buy a package tour including accommodation and some meals; locals can enter the competition on their home island. Scooter enthusiasts who want to enjoy the Greek islands without competition are welcome as well. For all the details or to contact the organisers see their web site: [www.scootergiro.com]

This event reinforces my belief that whatever your interest: Do It Better on Paros!

P.S. Al and Ardy are also putting together an Italian ride in June featuring a Vespa factory tour. More Here

It turns out she couldn’t remember because the answer is None. Or as another blog put it: The Greek Non-Breakfast

The writer there explains that traditionally the Greeks would have a quick cup of something warm like tea and then pack up some cheese, olives and bread before heading off to work. Now we always see the Greeks around a pastry shop between 10 and 11 A.M. The big meal is about 2 P.M. followed by quiet time until 6. At least that is typical on our little island.

So we served the popular favourite: yoghurt, fruit and honey with local, fresh-baked bread and coffee. The Americanised version of a Greek breakfast--except the Greek yoghurt is much richer.

Besides being a local Parian, Ragoussis is better known for his approximate five years as Paros Mayor.  His election threw out a long-term administration and brought in many reforms.  He was quite popular and was known for accomplishing many improvements in island facilities and administration.  Although our new airport and Parikia by-pass road seemed to die during his watch.

Its interesting that he is in charge of decentralisation in a Socialist government.  In my experience leftist governments are strongly the opposite.  Maybe it is political double-speak.  We shall see.

Ragoussis is also described as a senior party member and has served as a minister in former PASOK governments.  I am sure it will serve Paros well to be so well connected.

So we parked our scooters at the end of the road to Tripiti Beach then headed across a farmer’s goat pasture and up the hill to the cape.

As we looked back at the beach we saw a group of about eight senior citizens (that’s about all you see around in late September) enjoying the beach and snorkelling.  It looked tempting but we were on a mission so we kept trekking along the goat trail across rough rocks.

We skirted a few high cliffs that had Karin on edge.  He he. Then in the distance we saw what looked like a cave but with sunlight beyond.

Sure enough as we got closer we saw first an indentation in the hillside that turned out to be a big hole.  There were numerous caper bushes growing around the edges but I am sure no one would be interested in picking them.

This photo shows the hole side of the arch that we saw from the westerly shore.  In effect the hole was a cave that caved in.

Its always a joy to discover something new on a Sunday walk.

(Don’t forget you can click on the photos to see them more clearly.)

Now that will change as a friend who has been coming to Naoussa for 30 years introduced us to the Meltemi Taverna.  Its located on the marina pier; just turn left at the bridge.  By the way most of the tavernas as you turn right on the pier have the reputation as tourist traps.  But if you continue to the right around to the old harbour you will find some very good, if high end, restaurants.

I tend to judge a taverna by the quality of its giant beans and its stifado(stew); both were excellent at the Meltemi as was everything else we had.  I can’t comment on the price because I am sure our host got a special Greek price; I know I was shocked at how low the total was for food and drink in Naoussa.

At a quarter to 8 I started talking about a new holiday that I predict will be as big as St. Patrick’s day all over the world.  September 24 is Arthur’s Day and 2009 is the 250th Anniversary of the founding of the Guinness Brewery in Dublin, Ireland.  World wide at 17:59 GMT people raised a glass of the dark stuff in a toast to founder, Arthur Guinness.  All heads certainly turned when we did the same in the middle of a traditional Greek taverna.  I don’t know what the proprietor thought of me bringing in my own black cans.  Guinness does go well with Greek food but we can only get draft in few places during high season, so the widget cans have to do when we want to reminisce about Ireland.

P.S.   I had a left over can so the next night I made a Guinness and maple syrup sauce to glaze salmon steaks.  It was quite good but the best part was it only took 1/4 of the can which left the rest for the cook.

“To get people excited about the Sydney International Food Festival and celebrate international food, national flags of participating countries were recreated using popular local foods of each nation.”

More eatable flags at Toxel.com

Anyway Greece has now opened to the public one of the sites where these events actually happened:  Theopetra Cave in Trikala prefecture near the famous Meteora.  This site, well known in archaeological circles, has been excavated since 1987.  Artefacts have been found dating from between 50,000 BC and 3,000 BC.  They include stone tools from the Palaeolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic, pottery from the Neolithic, plants and seeds that indicate diet as well as skeletons from 15,000, 9,000 and 8,000 BC.  Rich diggings by anyone’s standards.

The cave has a large entrance that opens to a large rectangular chamber of 500 sq.mtrs (5,000 sq.ft.).  It is the only known site that contains evidence of two major cultural transitions:  the replacement of Neanderthals by Homo sapiens and the change from hunter-gathering to farming.

So Greece is not only the birthplace of democracy and western civilization; it is also a home town of humans.  Wouldn’t you like to attend a family reunion here?

Facts from ANA

When we turned off the highway and into the main village square we discovered a sound system and chairs being set up for a concert that evening.  So we decided to kill some time and wait the hour or so before the music started to see if we wanted to stay.  There is a local group that we don’t particularly care for, but a friend had told us they liked this one. 

A Greek village welcome

To start we walked through the narrow footpaths—no cars allowed—admiring the details of the old, traditional Greek village.  Around one corner we were suddenly looking through a large glass window at an open hearth oven as a man and woman were loading several pots of various size and shapes into it.  Karin used a little Greeklish to discover that this was a community oven that would now be sealed for 12 hours until Sunday morning.  The main thing being cooked was Revithia, a bean soup, that is best when baked in this traditional method.

Well used oven

When we finished wandering the streets it was dark so we headed back to the main square and went into the one village taverna for an ouzo.  Just as we finished we heard the music starting so quickly grabbed the free suma and nuts on offer and sat down.  We were surprised to see not only a friend from Aliki who plays the drums, Yannis Paroussis, but also another friend and hotel owner, Ioannis Xydis.  We knew he was an ex-professional singer but had previously only heard about his impromptu performances after the fact.  So this was to be our first time hearing him perform.

Ioannis Xydis in Prodromos

We were shocked.  He is very good!  I won’t give a concert review but this group of about 5 musicians and another 5 singers put on a fantastic show full of Greek themed music without much of the heavy folk music that we usually hear.  The audience was really into it and several gave impromptu dances which were also good.

Feeling the music

This group is good enough to be performing at a night club with a cover charge and expensive drinks.  Here we were in a pleasant village square full of people who knew each other and served free drinks and snacks.  Thank you Paros.

That changed this morning when we noticed a tall column of dark smoke beyond our hill.  The strong North wind was blowing it out to sea before it came our way.  Karin had plans to visit our friends who lived on the hillside so she hopped on her scooter and headed out to take a look.

She managed to capture some of the drama with her camera.  The fire was above the Glifa beach, about 5 kms from our home.

Approaching the area.

At first the fire was far away.

But in just a few minutes it jumped up the hill.

Getting close; time to leave.

Helicopter to rescue.  We saw two helicopters and four airplanes dumping water.

As far as we know there was no homes burned or injuries on Paros from this fire that lasted a couple hours.  Later as Karin was watching the water planes refill from our friends hillside terrace she commented what a dangerous job for the pilots.

This afternoon we read in the news that sure enough a water plane pilot was killed in an accident this same morning off of Cephalonia while fighting a fire there.  We owe more than we can ever repay to fire fighters.

Though I must say that the village street cleaners do clean it regularly starting in May.

We are not sure what the purpose of this machine is but there does seem to be more sand and less rock above the water line than before.

Perhaps they were getting ready for the visit of the Club Med ship.  Early Wednesday morning Karin was sitting on our veranda reading.  Then she went inside to prepare her breakfast.  When she came back out to eat it she was surprised by this view.

If she hadn’t seen it in previous years she would have thought it was plunked down by a time machine as there was no sight or sound beforehand.  Again it looms much larger than the photo indicates.

The above photo is before the group “L’anima”  arrived.

We were glad we did; this was one of the best string quartets that we have heard in years of attending concerts in three countries.  There was no program so I can’t tell you about the group or the music they played other than it was obviously very well done. (If you can zoom in on this poster it has some information.)  It seemed their instruments had better tone than others that I have heard.

This photo is of the moon rising over the south end of Paros.  Why is it always smaller in photos then in real life?

The location and atmosphere might have had something to do with the enjoyment of the music.  Although I was quite annoyed on a few occasions when some of the crowd to my left and rear, my good ear side, thought it was an audience participation event and proceeded to hum to familiar tunes.  Believe me, their voices were not in good tone.

Not only was this high quality concert free but the committee served free wine—out of glass bottles, not the typical plastic jug.  Then to top it off when we went to the Nautica Cafe to have an ouzo while waiting for the ferry home they served an antipasto plate with it.  This used to be traditional but lately the cafes and bars have cut costs by serving nuts or nothing.

My conclusion:  Everyone who visits Paros should make a jaunt to Antiparos.

MarineTraffic.com tracks a great many sea-going vessels around the world, including all of the Greek island ferries.

Features include:

Location and speed of ships

Live web cams of ports, showing ships in sight

Photo gallery of ships, yachts and the like

Ability to search boats by name

Browse around; its fun. 

Since I live about 20 minutes from the ferry port I use it to make sure the ferry has left its previous port.  The only drawback is the ferry speeds are given in knots while the Google map is scaled in miles and kilometres.

The photo is of the Rodanthi which I am meeting about 4 A.M. tomorrow.  When I first came to Paros 9 years ago this was a standard ferry.  Now it is one of only two or three old and slow boats still in service.  Very hard to judge it’s arrival time.

Hmm, maybe this is the excuse I have been looking for to buy a Blackberry, Palm or what have you to track the boats live from the port as well as at home.

The leads all did a credible job but it was obvious that some of the supporting cast was forcibly recruited.  Over all the costuming, music and presentation were well done which made it an enjoyable show.  The Elizabethan-style juggler stole the show, however.

In the advance publicity one of the players commented that as they rehearsed they understood the meanings of the English words and phrases but when they read a Greek language translation it lost meaning because of the different style of expression between Greek and English.  This cultural difference is something we experience every day.

As usual we capped off the experience with a gelato from Gelato Sulla Luna.  The pistachio was heavenly; made on the premises.  Do visit Denise there and say hello from Michael of Aliki.

A smoking ban went into effect throughout Greece on Wednesday,

prohibiting smoking in all enclosed spaces and public services.

The law also prohibits the sale of tobacco to and by minors, the use of tobacco products in all enclosed public spaces, airports, public transport stations and on public transport means, snack shops, etc.

I first saw something last winter about this law but had not paid attention thinking that there would be more in the news.  I have not seen anything until now.  To me that indicates that enforcement will be quite lax, as it usually is on most regulations in Greece.

Also I do not see it making much difference on the islands.  I was here two years before I ate inside an enclosed restaurant—that was during our first winter, I admit.

Photo is of your typical smoking section on Paros.

So we will see if the passing of new laws spoils our Greek island paradise.

Facts courtesy of ANA.

While we personally seldom spend more than 24 hours in the Athens / Piraeus area this sounds like a good deal even for two days.  We find we are hesitant to take unfamiliar buses because they may turn the next corner and go a different direction.  With this ticket you just get off at the next stop and take a different bus—a nice adventure of discovery.

The old one day, all mode ticket only cost about 3 Euro but included only one trip to or from the airport.  So you couldn’t pop into Athens during an airport layover without buying two tickets.

This new tourist ticket also includes the tram to Glyfada and Piraeus as well as the Bus 400, which is a hop on, hop off service for the major attractions.

We have found Athens a terrible place to walk due to cars blocking the footpaths.  Now you can take the Metro, or bus, or tram, or train everywhere and don’t need to walk.  Cheers!

We stayed in the port town of Adamas but found the fishing village of Pollonia more pleasant; it reminded us of our home village of Aliki. 

Other pleasant places were Plaka and Tripiti which overlooked a Roman theatre which overlooked an ancient port.

I won’t post photos here of the two areas that one always sees in articles about Milos, Sarakiniko and Papafragus, but we did go there and enjoyed the experience.

The highlight for me was the Mining Museum and the abandoned sulphur mine (see previous post for photo).  The latter is difficult to find over rough and not clearly mapped roads. (Clues are to keep going straight and watch for signs reading Thiorichia in Greek letters.)

If you are into buying property on a Greek island, Milos should have some cheap places left because more than half the island is remote and undeveloped.  A lot of the rest is wind swept with open mines, so you need a tolerance for dust and in places the slight smell of sulphur.

At the abandoned sulphur mine—the workers just up and left one day in 1958 when they found out the owners were bankrupt—I was fascinated by all the volcanic rock and minerals of infinite variety and colour laying everywhere. 

We were also intrigued that the island has countless caves that were adapted for current use by the inhabitants.  

Among the minerals being actively mined to this present day are bentonite, perlite, kaolin, and baryte.  Look them up, if you want to know more.

Another highlight of our Milos visit was a meal at the O! Hamo taverna.  We have never seen anything like it in Greece for charm and character.  Then we were pleasantly surprised by friendly, efficient service and to top it off, the food was great.  I strongly advise any island hoppers who are getting tired of the traditional taverna to make a point of discovering this place at the edge of Adamas.  Its a place to write home about!

The first is Firaplaka on Milos.

The second is an abandoned sulphur mine on Milos.

This is the village of Vathy on Sifnos.

The old and new plus ever-young Karin in the ancient village of Kastro on Sifnos.

Technorati Tags: Greece,Cyclades,Milos,Sifnos

IF YOU MISS IT.....4 SHURE YOU REGRET IT FOREVER. SLAMMER BAR..... THE 1 AND ONLY..... THE MOST FAMOUS BAR IN THE CENTER OF THE VILLAGE. TRY THE REAL SLAMMER AND GET READY TO PARTY.

Or how about the epitome of Ios:

THE PARTY PLACE AT MYLOPOTAS BEACH. GROOVY....COOL....FUNKY.... NEVER MISS THE WET T-SHIRT CONTEST. FOR SHURE YOU´LL FIND THE BEST LOOKING T-SHIRTS ALL OVER THE WORLD. NO FAR OUT - NO IOS!

In my opinion Ios is for the under 25 crowd to burn them selves out in a few nights and then come to Paros to recuperate.  We have something for everyone—including wild jam-packed beach bars and all night night clubs—but on Paros there is more.  Browse our web site to see what.

P.S.  The Ios Pass is another example of someone being creative to support their Greek island lifestyle.  More ideas here.

What makes this blog worthy is that Anna Vissi will be including Paros in her concert series this summer.  She opens 29 June in Athens but most other venues and dates are not yet firm; they include Thessaloniki, Sifnos and Santorini.  I am sure they will be posted on her web site:  www.annavissi.net as they become available.

In the mean time enjoy some of her music from [www.amazon.co.uk] Sellers</a><img src=" [www.assoc-amazon.co.uk] width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />">Amazon:

The Greek island of Chios has recently announced a new soft drink named Mast.  The islanders call mastic, the active ingredient of this new drink, the gift from God.  It already flavours many products, mainly chewing gum, liquors and sweets.  It is also used in many cosmetics for its soothing benefits.

The mastic “Pistacia lentiscus” is an evergreen shrub of the Pistachio family cultivated for its aromatic resin mainly on Chios in the eastern Aegean.  Within the European Union mastic spice production on Chios has been granted protected status much like a grape varietal.  Although the plant is native to the Mediterranean region only the mastic trees of southern Chios weep the mastica resin when their bark is scored.  The island’s production is controlled by a co-operative of medieval villages.

The aromatic, ivory coloured liquid is then sun dried into a brittle, translucent solid.  When chewed the resin softens and becomes a bright white, opaque gum.  Chewing the gum is said to soothe aching stomachs.  People of the Mediterranean have used it as a medicine for gastrointestinal ailments for thousands of years.

Claims for mastic include cholesterol reduction to lesson high blood pressure and heart attacks.  Mastic oil also has anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties.  Oh yes, it cures bad breath too.

So, if your corner store doesn’t yet stock Mast, come visit Greece.  If the wine and the mastic does not cure your ailments the light and the air will soothe your soul.

This post was re-written from a Press Release through Athens News Agency.

Photo from here.

It was served as a starter/appetiser at a fish taverna to a tour group of Vespa owners.  We were along for the ride.  I would say the dish was well received although a few were not brave enough to try it.

I enjoyed it though I would not rave about it.  It seems that most delicacies, such as caviar, are an acquired taste.  Although I was so involved in the gastronomic experience that I forgot to take a photo.  This one is from Italy but looks exactly like what we were served.

Sea urchin is quite popular in Asian cuisine, including sushi.  Several organizations are studying how to commercialize its aquaculture. 

When I first arrived on Paros it was not uncommon to see piles of sea urchin shells left by fishermen who had harvested the delicate innards.  The last few years, however, the eatable variety has been scarce.

Here is a recipe from an Oregon State economic project:  With the roe from a dozen sea urchin use salt, pepper, lime juice, butter or olive oil. Sauté while stirring gently at very low heat.  Cool and serve with crackers or toast.

Enjoy!

They are calling for new logos to be submitted by professional designers, advertising companies and the like. Then the public will be able to vote on three finalists. Watch this space for a link to the yet to be created voting web site. The winning designer will receive 20,000 Euro.

Even better, those voting will be entered into a draw. Fifty winners will receive two round-trip tickets each for OA flights in Greece or abroad from October 1, 2009. So start day dreaming about where you want to fly.

During Olympic Games season the organizing committee is very zealous about only allowing sponsoring companies to use their name and five interlocking rings symbol. The Greek airline, however, appears to have an equal claim. In any case they are insisting that the rings remain part of the new logo. That appears to be the only restriction.

For more information designers should contact Marfin, voters should follow this blog. I will post the link as soon as it is announced.

Read more about Marfin Investment Group and Olympic Airlines

Get your own DVD here:     

[parosparadise.blogspot.com]

This year’s broadcast comes from Moscow, which was last year’s winner.  The first round of preliminaries was Tuesday, the second round tonight, Thursday and the finals on Saturday.  Yesterday I discovered this fun gadget from Google:

You can click on the links for YouTube videos, official sites, and the like.

We find it quite interesting that Turkey and Norway are running neck and neck with Greece a distant third.  Last years 100% telephone voting was extremely disgusting because of fans voting for their neighbours instead of the music.  So this year 50% of the votes come from a panel of judges.

We look forward a thrilling finale!

Update:  Alexander Rybak charmed the viewing universe and won by the greatest margin ever.  Norway was not our favourite; we liked both Iceland who came in second and Azerbaijan who placed third.  It was gratifying to see results based upon merit although regional voting was still noticeable.

There are regional cuisines in the US such as southern and tex-mex but even more so in Greece with a geographical area about the same as a mid-sized US state. Here the regional differences developed in ancient times when travel was limited. Now an organization has been created to promote the gastronomy of the Aegean islands. Their new web site is:

[www.aegeancuisine.gr]

This group has also published a book by well known Greek cook, Diana Kohyla. It presents recipes and traditional products of the southern Greek islands.

Here on Paros our most successful workshop has been Greek Farmhouse Cooking with Eddy. He offers one day classes for the casual tourist as well as intensive three day sessions for the dedicated cook. Read more at

[www.parosparadise.com]

So combine farm produce grown for taste rather than ease of transportation, traditional home recipes and motivated chefs and the result is well fed islanders and in my case a pot belly.

Of course we had some very good meals in the US as well. The exception that proves the rule is steak—here they do not age the meat or cut thick steaks. The photo is of New York strip steaks rubbed and grilled by our friend Andy at his home in Oregon.

Not only do we each have new computers and a new device to watch computer downloads on our TV, we also have lots of new clothes and many items of our favourite foods.  For instance we can get peanut butter and maple syrup on Paros but only at speciality import stores and at “special” prices.  One delicacy that we can’t get here is Beaver Horseradish Sauce, a national brand made in our home town of Beaverton, Oregon.

The photo above is just a portion of our bounty.

The major surprise we received when we looked over our veranda was our artichoke crop.  We left large plants with no buds but returned to prolific bushes.  Along with fresh local beets they made a great lunch today, especially with a touch of Beaver Horseradish Sauce!

We were also pleasantly surprised with the abundance of blooming flowers around our house.  It’s good to be back.

(Please click on photos to enlarge.)

Do you know what RS:X Class is?  Neither do I, but it is going to be big on Paros between 25 April and 4 May.  Nea Chrysi Akti, better known as New Golden Beach, is the site of the 2009 RS:X Youth European Championship.

So this is an RS:X windsurfing board being ridden by Laura Linares of Italy.  She is the 2008 Youth European Champion and a Five times World Youth Champion.

Rather than me blather on about something I know little about—I go windsurfing once a year, weather permitting—check out the official site at [www.rsxclass.com]

All you really need to know is to head over to New Golden Beach during those dates to see world class windsurfing by young men and women.  I suggest you park at Golden Beach and walk the 5 minutes to the venue as the road is narrow with very little parking.

Or I have a villa to rent that is about a 15 minute walk.  See [www.parosparadise.com]

">[http%253a%252f%252fwww.ParosParadise.com&mkt=en-us&FORM=LLWR">] Technorati Tags: Rs:x,wind surfing,youth,Greece,Paros,beach

Every visitor to Paros has seen the Venetian Castle in the town skyline near the port.  It is constructed from pieces of ancient temples and local stone.  At the museum in Aliki you can see what it looked like in it’s 15th century heyday.

A very small percentage of Paros visitors have even known the museum exists.  That will change now due to a new web site by the founder’s daughter, Katrina.  She is a talented artist who has done an excellent job of describing her family background and picturing the development of her father’s accomplishments into a major attraction that is waiting to be discovered by a wider audience.

The founder, Benetos Skiadas, is an unparalleled artisan and craftsman who has poured his whole life into creating museum pieces of stone and wood.  To me the overwhelming feeling was how could one man do so much of such variety.

On the left is a close-up of one of many ships.  Each piece is assembled individually, all the lines to the sails actually work in their tiny pulleys!

On the right is an historical well and other exhibits in the background.

Words can not do it justice, you must tour the web site now and the museum when you visit Paros.

In addition to my full service Paros site I am also an affiliate for VillaRenters with a separate web site for renting private houses anywhere in the world.  Take a look at [www.GreekIslandTravelGuide.com]  

Last week I saw a press release from a competing company that really impressed me.  It featured a villa on our neighboring island of Antiparos.  (I have been blogging a lot about Antiparos lately.  Does that tell you how much I like it?)  So for the sake of journalistic fair play I will give a plug to the company.  After all this Windmill Villa accommodates up to 14 people and rents for a seasonal range of £8260 to £10,780 per week.

If your holiday budget is a little less than this then take a look at my villa page.  We range from 420 to 1,545 Euro per week.  The latter is the high season rate for 4 bedrooms, 2 baths at the beach accommodating up to 10 people.  It is a remodeled Greek farm house and includes broadband.

Don't procrastinate, however.  Despite the slowdown our high season is almost fully booked.  We have plenty of availability for June and September which is the best time to visit the Greek islands anyway.

See you soon!

P.S.  For a follow-up to our traditional kite flying on Clean Monday see Karin's photo essay on Picasa.

Someone in Aliki must like to organize festivals because they just added a new one to the year's calendar.  This one is obviously strictly local, just a neighborhood gathering.  In the USA it would probably be called a block party.

Anyway we had a good time.  Tomorrow we go fly a kite.

The link is:  [www.ParosParadise.com]

BEFORE  Photo

Lately, however, the electrical was acting up.  I could start out at night with a working head lamp but usually not make it home with one.  Also more pieces were falling off due to corrosion and sun-dried plastic.  I could envision hitting a pothole and having the bike dissolve to a pile of rust with me on top of it.

So I went shopping.  My head was turned more than once by some classy looking scooters--I am a senior citizen after all.                                                          

Then I was all set to buy a new gray colored Honda motorbike with full injection and other electronic features when the salesman made the mistake of pointing out a slightly used Kawasaki KazerR that was substantially cheaper, came with a one year guarantee and was blue.                              

I bought it.  I will save for another story how it took three weeks of nearly daily dealing with government bureaucracy to get the title transferred.  I guess I will have to get used to the idea of riding in style rather than nursing along a piece of junk that is old enough to be in a museum.

AFTER Photo

Technorati Tags: Paros,motorbike,scooter,Yamaha,Kawasaki,Kazer

  Update:  I learned from the first comment that this group wants to keep a low profile for their strictly local activities.  So I have edited this post a bit.  It is too late to retract it, I am afraid due to some of my automatic publicity.

Let me say I never buy bootleg CD's or DVD's--the itinerant vendors are in constant flow in any resort area--but my conscience was clear in attending this free showing.  If any readers are entitled to royalties of this film, first, congratulations, second, leave a comment and I will gladly pay your share for this group of 30 or so viewers.

This photo shows Karin and a friend boarding the local ferry for the six minute jaunt.  By the way there is an inside lounge which no one uses in the summer but all 10 passengers shared it for this trip as there was a cold North wind blowing.

I thought I would take a candid photo of the snack bar and some of the patrons but I was a little too long in focusing.  However I did not spend enough time composing.

The venue was the common room in the primary school.  The walls were lined with historical photos, probably from the 1960's as the young girl sitting on her mother's lap in the center photo had brought a fig tart to share.  I especially enjoyed the photos of the bakery in action because we have such romantic notions of these small ovens shared by every group of houses.

Probably the best part of the experience was the pre-show dinner we had at Pandalis's Taverna.  We had very simple grilled chicken skewers but his tomato and mayonnaise type sauce was the best I have ever had.

Oh yes, the film was terrific.  We thoroughly got into it.  I think the depiction of life in India while following the adventures of two young boys was quite well done.  It was graphic yet not as brutal as I have read in other accounts especially of the criminal underworld.  There were no scenes showing the lifestyle of the middle and upper classes, however.  Since I spend a lot of time on a computer I enjoyed the few scenes that showed a very large call centre in action.  We highly recommend this movie even if you have to watch it in an ordinary cinema.

Wednesday we received this notice from the Parikia community hall: 

Archilochos Society invites you to a pure fun Carnival Party
this Thursday 19 February, starting at: 21:00 until late!
Carnival mood, dance & songs in Brazilian tunes.

Everybody tries to brighten up the winter and let loose before Lent starts.  Patras in the Peloponnese area of Greece lays claim to the largest celebration in Europe.  These two photos are from there ( [www.patranews.gr] )

I saw a news item that church authorities had petitioned the courts to stop a float in the Patras parade that depicted the recent church/government land swap scandal.

The first day of Lent is known as Clean Monday (Kathari Theftera). Read more about the day and other Greek festivals on our web site or see photos in several  blog posts by searching "kite flying".

We have at least two parties this weekend so I am off . . .

Cheers!

Andreas Vgenopoulos

This week it was announced that the Marfin Investment Group has entered the picture.  They are a very well heeled (Arab money) company, Cypress based I believe, that has a track record of money making companies.  They are also politically connected as shown by last year's deal in which they bought most of the government's share of the phone company and then resold it to Deutsche Telecom against the unions' strong objections.

Some of the companies with a local connection in which MIG owns large stakes are:  Delta Dairy, Chipita chips, Goody's fast food, SingularLogic and our favourite Blue Star Ferries.

The dark cloud on the horizon is that the MIG chief executive met with the Socialist opposition and promised that if they won the next election (they are leading the polls) MIG would back out so that the airline could again be turned into a featherbed organization.

The executive, Andreas Vgenopoulos, is quoted:

"We want new planes, good service and an Olympic Airlines that will
make us all proud, and we will achieve this if the tender is complete."

He went on to say that the existing employees were the obligation of the government although they would create numerous jobs for new and existing employees.

Of course, Paros will lose its subsidized air service but I think it will be worth it to pay more for dependable schedules.

What do you think?  Comments welcome.

Until I get my photos better organized here is a blog of Greece Images that are truly terrific.  You don't normally see black and white in this land of blue and gold so I chose this one to show.  Most images on the site are quite colorful.  [greekimages.blogspot.com]

This my blog post number 400.  I have not been able to think of anything special to commemorate it.

Then this morning I saw an announcement for embedding Google news.  I decided to give it a trial although I am not a fan of unfiltered news.  I never watch TV news; I select which stories I want to read from the internet or newspapers.  To me TV news is a daily dose of poison dominated by disasters and negative speculation by alarmists.  O.K. moving on . . . check out the news feature near the bottom of this blog.  It is filtered for these key words:  Paros island,Greek islands,Greece,expatriate

For this 400th blog on Blogger I should also comment that as a host Blogger is improving all the time.  I have wanted to change to WordPress because it is more adaptable and has more features available.  Lately I have been composing with Windows Live Writer; it is much better for composing photos and texts than the regular Blogger editor.  So no major changes in the foreseeable future although there are many facets that I am not satisfied with such as the Archives organization.

Next post will be more on Greek island life with photos, I hope.

We just watched this farcical musical for the second time and really enjoyed the comedy and the Greek island scenery set to Abba music.  Evidently brides-to-be want their weddings to also be full of fun in the sand and surf with romantic dinners and dance parties.  The island named in the movie does not exist so just about any Greek island will do, including our Paros.  Santorini is the most popular wedding site as well as the most expensive.

The next cinema due out to hype the Greece travel market is My Life in Ruins starring Nia Vardalos of My Big Fat Greek Wedding.  This one involves the trials and tribulations of a travel agent escorting a group around Greece who falls in love with the bus driver--I home the flick is better than the story line.  The many producers include our neighboring Antiparos homeowners, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson.

The modern grandmother of Greek island romance is Shirley Valentine.  That classic can be blamed for many Brits and others moving home and hearth to the islands.  So why don't you view it and start packing your bags.  We would love to share our piece of Paros paradise.

Cheers,

"BloggersBase is a citizen journalism magazine powered by YOU!"  In other words a magazine like format in which bloggers and readers vote on articles and posts--and, of course, win prizes.

It is new and has some growing to do, but I like it.  Check it out by clicking the banner, then we both win.

Cheers,

Karin got up before the sun this morning. She was inspired to document its arrival and enthused "Can't you hear the music!"

Our weather has been mixed lately: both heavy rain showers and sun breaks with lots of clouds between. Last night lightening and thunder passed through for a few minutes; we felt it necessary to disconnect our umbilical cord to the world, also known as a DSL modem.

Karin entitled this composition, Rock on Rock

You have to click on the photo to see the petite Karin on our favourite trail.

This photo is of the village centre across the bay from the trail.

Our end of the island is perfect for trekking along the coast line.

Here is a survey that I am sending out and getting good response to. Feel free to contribute your ideas.

Dear Paros Painter,
I am writing to everyone who has enquired about art workshops on our Greek island. The light, air and scenery here are still incomparable for painting, yet as most places around the world we are expecting a difficult 2009. We hope to make the best of it by offering affordable opportunities for each of you to enhance your art.
You can help make this happen by taking a few minutes to respond to just 3 survey questions.
1) Are you seriously considering travel to a distant workshop in 2009?
2) Which month from April through October is for best for you to attend a workshop in Greece? Would you pay a premium for July and August high season?
3) Which is your preferred style of workshop -- plein air, oil, water color, portrait, landscape, studio ? Please feel free to combine and elaborate.
Any other comments or questions about Paros workshops are welcome.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Best Wishes,
Michael
Paros Hospitality Art Workshops
P.S. Due to preliminary interest we have scheduled Plein Air with Ron Johnson for 17 - 23 May, 2009. Read more at [www.parosparadise.com] or email for a Detail Sheet with all the particulars.

Technorati Tags: Greece,Greek island,Paros,painting,art,workshop

Below is what I wrote to a single, retired man who already lives simply in another country:

Off the top of my head I would say the following is a minimum budget for subsistence: In Euro per month

Rent on one bedroom flat within walking distance of shops and restaurants: 200

Electricity w/o heat or air conditioning 30

Telephone/ADSL internet package 50

Groceries 200

If you choose your flat wisely you will not need air conditioning because of breezes. Heating by electricity could run more than 300 Euro per winter; by oil easily 100 Euro less; wood about the same as oil. You can get better but not cheaper accommodation if you invest in transportation.

Of course most people will want and can afford better than that. Many wealthy people live well on Paros as well.

Yesterday I discovered another blogger who took a more extensive approach to comparing the cost of living between New York City and Athens. I would guess the results would surprise New Yorkers but not Athenians.

The article is too long and involved to summarize. I will just quote two items from her chart: in Euro

Athens New York

Haagen Dazs (500 ml) 6.32 3.07

Rice (500 gm) .55 .67

See the entire article and chart here:

[livingingreece.gr]

I always welcome emails about expat life; please write with your specific questions.

All in all 2008 was a good year; I can only hope 2009 will be at least as good.

We had a quiet New Years Eve at home. The lone local taverna that is still open hosted a holiday banquet but we did not feel up to extended partying.

Our highlight was a visit to our door by two kalanda singers. If you don't know what that means, you can research Greece festivals on our full service Paros web site.

Cheers,

Technorati Tags: New Year,festival,kalanda

This photo is in the new Nissos Mykonos ferry of Hellenic Seaways.

Meanwhile the Paros ferry situation is looking very good. There are over 23 ferries per week from Piraeus to Paros and back in January with two new routes. One by Zante Ferries which may not continue into the summer and one by Hellenic Seaways which should be permanent as that company seeks market share from the popular Blue Star Ferries.

These two photos show the nearly empty Blue Star on the day after Christmas. This is only the second time I have been on a Paros ferry that was not busy, even in the winter. Summer visitors would definitely not recognize all the empty seats; then there are loose chairs set up in the hall ways.

Technorati Tags: Paros,Greek islands,ferry

Last month when planning our 8 day trip to Prague for Christmas the best flight from Athens had an early afternoon departure time which meant either an overnight hotel stay in Athens/Piraeus or taking the morning Olympic flight.  The pros were the airport is only 3 minutes from our home; the flight is only 20 minutes long; the cost is less than the hotel and ferry combined.  The con is Olympic Airlines.

We have always advised travelers that they are difficult to deal with because they allow over-booking by passengers and travel agents so that they show full when they are not.  We also knew they are strike prone because the employees are objecting to EU mandated privatization.  We knew flights were often canceled for unknown reasons so we very carefully watched the weather and the news stories.  Yesterday I rode over to the airport and asked about today's flight.  I was answered with a shrug and a comment that they know nothing about tomorrow today.

Sure enough we show up ready to go 45 minutes before and the airport has an eerie feeling; no activity and a group of workers lounging over the baggage equipment smoking and chatting.  The flight has been canceled supposedly due to a mild breeze from the "wrong" direction.  I am guessing more likely due to somebody not wanting to come to work that day.

Now we are taking the evening ferry to Piraeus for midnight hotel arrival and noon departure for airport where our "best flight" is now very expensive due to change charges.  And our holiday in Prague is one day shorter.

I would appreciate comments from anyone who has anything good to say about Olympic Airlines.  If I asked for negative comments I am sure I would be flooded.

Sunday evening was warm and calm so we drove our scooters into Parikia for the annual tree lighting. It is quite the cultural event with the whole town turning out. Our highlight was the live creche. It was very symbolic; the angel was being angelic, Mary was being accommodating and the wise men were wrestling.Do notice the live sheep in the background. ]]> http://www.parosblogs.gr/Paros_Paradise_Blog/2008/12/06/Parthenon_without_scaffolding Paros Shepherd c c According to a recent news article all modern photos of the Parthenon are about to be obsolete.

From the Athens News Agency:
Parthenon restoration completed: Scaffolding will be removed from the Parthenon Facade during the next few days and visitors will be able to view the restored largest part of the marble roof with its friezes that made the monument, the work of the architect Mnisiklis, renowned in ancient times.

It seems that whenever and wherever I travel there are major structures with scaffolding around them. I guess it is good that they are being worked on; yet it never seems to end.

Please comment with your experiences. Especially if you know of a major attraction that has scaffolding removed. ]]> http://www.parosblogs.gr/Paros_Paradise_Blog/2008/12/05/The_5_best_things_to_do_in_Prague_|_Venere_Travel_Blog_[del.icio.us] paroshep c c ]]> http://www.parosblogs.gr/Paros_Paradise_Blog/2008/12/03/Paros_Video_Game Paros Shepherd c c Villa Randiana one morning.

If you are young enough to see the whole video let me know if I am in it or not. Most likely I am on the cutting room floor as I am too old to be handsome and too young to have an interesting face.

Enjoy: [www.loveatfirstsite.gr]

Warning: It is quite large so very slow loading. ]]> http://www.parosblogs.gr/Paros_Paradise_Blog/2008/11/30/Chiclet_-_How_to_build_small_buttons_for_your_Blog_[del.icio.us] paroshep c c ]]> http://www.parosblogs.gr/Paros_Paradise_Blog/2008/11/29/Thanksgiving_Day_on_Paros:__No_such_thing. Paros Shepherd c c Thanksgiving is an American holiday and the Americans are thin on the ground in Paros. So Karin and I created our own celebration.

We had a cooked breakfast then rode our scooters to the other side of the island for some shopping and a hike up a hill to an old monastery, Ag. Antonios. After lunch in a gourmet sub shop we headed home and took it easy for the afternoon.

The prices are Euro per litre.