Made in Japan, Outsourced Globally

So... we didn't get to Santorini afterall (boo). But we still did make it to the Greek Islands (Yay!!!)

Randy and I escaped the smoggy streets of Athens, and made it to Paros after being air-born for 30 minutes. We landed. And it took my breath away...



(Mind you, these were views from our hotel room. Awesome.)


We enjoyed a Greek Anatolian lunch - Mmm... We couldn't believe how yummy and cheap it was.

We rented a scooter and ventured on the island, using a simple map as a guide and deciphering the road signs in Greek alphabet. The weather was pleasant, and the sun felt warm on my cheeks as we vr-r-r-ooooomed away.


Greek orthodox churches have a unique architecture of domes and ivory white walls.




Agean sunset


Greek windmills - an icon of the Cyclades Islands.


Spring flowers were in bloom. The photos do not do justice to all the colors that we saw throughout the journey.

We took the ferry over to Antiparos (just across the way) to go see the cave, but unfortunately it was closed (a cave? closed? yeah, the thought crossed our minds too). And it started pouring as we drove away from the top of the hill. We took shelter at a cafe to dry ourselves and drank our tea with Metaxa brandy (which we were starting to have a peculiar liking to).


The streets of Paros are distinctly painted in white and blue. A Mediterranean charm that makes you simultaneously smile and wince from the bright reflection of the sun. We saw some people painting the walls white, preparing for the rush of tourists as the weather gets warmer.


After consulting our Lonely Planet book, we decided to satiate our grumbling for seafood at a restaurant called Porphyra. Being only one of the few couples there, the owner poured his generous hospitality - appetizers and desserts on the house and even a little extra of the local wine to take back to the hotel.




On the last evening, we stopped by a traditional Greek restaurant. The owner of this restaurant is also an artist. (He drew his daughter when she was a baby. And the other woman? Well, that's a secret, he says ;)


Parikia at night. The ferries slowly arrived and departed from the pier.

More pictures here.

This was definitely the vacation island I wanted to be on. Beautiful blue sky, the jewel-like Agean Sea, and getting to know a little bit more of the island culture. Paros was quiet, liberating, and truly romantic.