Big Apple comes to Paros

Some very dear friends of mine came for a short, short trip to Paros. Scott, my former roommate of two years from Brooklyn. Sara, his fantastic girlfriend and traveling buddy. Alexei and Katie, dear friends from Manhattan who made the foursome complete. I'm always appreciative of the friends who can make it to Paros, because I know the journey can be hell, and the destination can feel mysterious. While Greece sounds tantalizing, it can sometimes be hard to see the value from 2000 miles away. Gladly, my worldly friends committed way back in February, shortly after I had booked my own tickets! 

The 4 days in Paros of their 10 day trip to Greece went by faster than we could keep up with all the activities. My guests were inspired by some of the previous blog posts and facebook pictures they had seen, so they had a good idea of what to ask for in the short itinerary. The first night, we had a great dinner of home made gyros, followed up with exploring the town's nightlife. The next day we had a splendid breakfast setup by Jen and then made our way to the cliff jumps near the lighthouse behind Monastiri. I have taken many guests to this area and they were eager to try it as well.

Katie was the third lady to ever jump the cliffs and did it perfectly.

After plenty of back and forth, they all made it down in one piece. We then went over to Spiros beach for some lunch and a relaxing swim. We followed that up with a quick trip to Kolymbithres and then a wonderful dinner at Yemeni in Noussa.

Spiros Taverna

The next day we decided to take Captain Ben's daily cruise that sails around Antiparos and the nearby unmanned island, Despotiko. I took this trip a few weeks earlier and loved it, so was eager to try it again. While the wind was a bit heavier this time around, it was just as fun and we took a slightly different trip on the southside of Antiparos to stay out of the wind.

Captain Ben's Boat

Snorkeling by Despotiko

A night out for dinner of proper Greek gyros and then up again for a fun day at Farangas, Magaya, a farewell dinner at Bakalis and White Russians at the Pirate Bar.

 Scott, Sara, Stu, Katie, Alexei

Thus ended a wonderful trip where we packed about two weeks worth of activities into 72 hours. Our farewells included my promise to return to NYC for a visit soon and the couples to venture their way back to Paros again one year in the near future. I think there was a one week guarantee written in the verbal contract. I am already looking forward to it!