13 pictures I took in Lefkes and Parikia, Paros (April 2023)

One of our days in Paros was spent in large part participating in a cooking class where I didn't take any particularly post-worth pictures. Then I also had to work a few hours. So my photoroll from Paros is not as rich as what I have from other islands. But somewhere during our visit we had a driver take us into Lefkes and Parikia to freestyle explore a bit.

Lefkes is an inland village, set up a bit higher on the island. Again, we were there late April, so very early in the season. Only a few restaurants were open. Minimal shops. But it's easy to picture the charm of visiting when things are a bit more lively. Lot of winding little alleys/streets and stone staircases to blindly follow. A nice counterpoint to Naoussa, which is a new development that can feel a bit curated for visitors with every detail perfectly in place.

Parikia is the older port town and was my favorite part of Paros. It definitely has its tourist-friendly charms and plenty of restaurants and shops to enjoy and explore. But it also felt lived-in. At least in comparison to Naoussa, which has almost pure vacation vibes (nothing wrong with that, just different).

Scenes from a visit to Paros, Greece (April 2023): Ferry over and initial arrival

After our stay in Naxos it was time to move on to Paros, which is just a short ride by ferry. My photo instincts were starting to wake up a little bit and I captured a few shots leaving the port of Naxos.

That's the Portara off in the distance.

Ferry seats were pretty comfy. Also nice that this particular boat was not exactly packed.

Solid concession options. Not super necessary given it is a 30-45 minute ride. Don't think I even bothered with a coffee. But for those on for the longer ride continuing to subsequent islands, very nice to have it at your disposal.

When it's time to disembark you receive a cheery salute. Thanks for the ride, cap'n.

Car picked us up at the port in Parikia and brought us to our hotel for the next couple of nights. We stayed at the Kalypso. I did not grab any pictures of the entrance, but you can get an idea of it via the street view below.


I did grab some shots of the entry area / 'lobby' for lack of a better word. Rustic casual, but nice.

Room I got was pretty austere, but fine. Odd choice of lavender as the accent color. Like a deliberate departure of everywhere else in the islands that feature some combination of white, blue, and earth tones. Not sure the lavender really works. But the view was nice.

Kalypso was maybe 8-10 minutes walking from the center of Naoussa, so I went for a little walkabout to get my bearings. Snapped a few pics. Nice holiday apartments, curated alleyways oozing the boutique and taverna vibes. Positive first impression.

Mykonos, Greece: Scenes from a visit in April 2023 - Part I

Next in our tour through the Cyclades after Naxos and Paros was Mykonos. Prior to visiting I did not know much beyond its reputation for parties and beach clubs. I learned that there is definitely more to experience than Super Paradise.

We stayed at the Elena Hotel, which is an easy walk from the center of town. Once again I took too few pictures. It's a nice little 3* hotel. They were (maybe still are) renovating in stages. The newer rooms are terrific value in a nice spot that offers easy access to the shops and restaurants of downtown while still being set just far enough away to be very chill. The two pics I did take are one view of my more basic older room (with the modern interpretation of a chicken/rooster painting) and the outdoor area where you can eat breakfast, sit with a glass of wine, or take a picture of your sneakers.

(Borrowed this next shot from my colleagues who posted it to the group chat. Think you can tell those aren't my fingers on the keyboard.)

Eventually I got up and walked around a bit. Managed to take a few shots of the surrounding area generally before meandering down to get a view of Little Venice.

At some point we set off on a catamaran cruise over to Delos and Rineia. This was generally pleasant. However, as Mykonos is known as the Island of the Winds and it was late April, it was honestly a bit chilly despite the brilliant sunshine. I mostly curled up trying to stay warm. Snapped a couple of shots of the sheep on Rineia, which is uninhabited aside from the shepherds.

Last pic for this post because it doesn't really fit anywhere else is a beer I ordered during dinner at m-eating, where we had a lovely meal. Trust me. And the beer was pleasant, too.

Photo post (mostly) of a catamaran tour in Milos, Greece (April 2023)

Milos was an interesting island to visit. Definitely different than the others we had just passed through (Naxos, Paros, and Mykonos). The sense I came away with is that you need a few days to really do it well and comfortably. I personally would aim to stay near Pollonia, which struck me as having the best overall vibes. Definitely a vacation spot with beaches and small hotels and holiday apartments. But it also had a least a couple / few streets with some restaurants and coffee shops. I would also want to have a car rental to get around. Or, more precisely, probably a 4x4 rental to access some of the more remote parts of the island. We stayed in Adamantas, which was logistically convenient but a little less charming.

We were not in Milos very long, but had a full schedule to cover a lot of ground. Arrived by ferry at 8pm and went immediately to dinner at Mikros Apoplous. It's well-reviewed and I was happy with my meal, but I played it simple with salad and beer. My colleagues, however, were more adventurous with some kind of seafood dish which disappointed.

Packed it up right after dinner because we had an early bell to answer for a 6-7 hour catamaran ride around the island, with Milos Adventures.

As you can see in the stream of photos below, it was cloudy. Not too cool, as I recall. Maybe mid 60s. The scenery was in turns dramatic, serene, spectacular. Braver souls hopped off for some swimming and cave exploration. I kept my butt on the boat. Overall an experience I recommend. Just dress for the weather. Or visit Milos later in the season. Or both.