Lefkes, Paros, Greece Day 1, a Picturesque Village in the Greek Isles

July 5th

Just like that, what we came here for was complete, and what was left was our holiday to the greek islands. We had a taxing travel day that involved every mode of transport and much reading and writing. To bridge the gap and summarize the rather mundane but necessary day, we did the following. Taxi from our hotel to the bus station, bus from Patras to Athens, taxi from Athens bus station to the port, stopping for some Indian food for lunch. Boarded the ferry, and four hours later, we arrived in Paros! 10 minute walk from the port to our hotel room, beginning at 7am we arrived around 7pm and collapsed on our beds in exhaustion and great relief to be where we've always dreamed. I was so excited for Paros because I heard this island was beautiful and offered more low key vibes. Perfect for a mother daughter trip. We grabbed dinner nearby our hotel and and returned to sit on our patio with the sea view before calling it early and getting some much needed rest. And that was our travel day! Now to the fun part, Paros exploration.

July 6th

We wanted to make the most of our day today as we only had a few full days on this island! But first, a morning run to explore the island day 1. Having felt so good after the run in Patras, I wanted to continue the habit in Paros. However, the terrain was very different and there was no good route that I could follow. I also got a later start and the heat got to me quickly so I turned around much earlier in the run than I was hoping, but still proud that I got moving and elevated my heart rate! And spoiler alert, that was the last run of my trip lol.

When I got back from my run, starving, we walked along the main stretch and had breakfast at a nearby restaurant, Nysea. I was nervous that I wouldn’t find anything here, but I ended up getting a tortilla with tahini, granola, and sweetener. I picked the place, and I didn’t realize until now that mom has pretty much let me pick everywhere we’ve gone, but I do make sure there’s something I know she’d like. It’s funny because I’ll say, “ooh they have omelets” and then she ends up ordering the omelet. It's either that I know her so well or my recommendation queues her up to craving it. The crepe I had was so filling that I saved half for breakfast the following morning and it was the perfect breakfast with a beautiful view of the sea. 

We headed back to our hotel and went to the reception, doubling as the concierge of the gift shop right below our hotel that the owners also ran. Our place, Alexandra’s Rooms, is run by Alexandra herself and is one of the kindest owners. She told us when checking in to come to her for anything, so when we learned from our Irish neighbors that she gave them a map and tips, we did the same. I had a general idea of what to do on the island, and she validated everything I was thinking. We spent about 10 minutes game planning and at the end we had a marked up map and set an agenda for the next three days on this island. This alone championed her high in my books, I was appreciative for the help organizing and prioritizing what to see on this island as it was much bigger than I was expecting.

My mom and I made the most of our time on this island, but if I could do it differently, I would recommend renting a motorbike or an ATV to get yourself around the island. Even a rental car would be a great option and I know that it is very affordable to rent for a day or two. Both my mom and I were hesitant to get behind a wheel (although it was second nature to me after Asia to get around an island on a moped) so we played it safe by using public transport. The bus was a great second option. It was reliable, clean, and went to the main spots on the island. So, although we didn’t have our own wheels to explore the island, the bus did get us to where we wanted to go. 

The plan we had set for today was visiting the village Lefkes in the center of the island. We got ready to go, packing everything for a day out, and then made our way to the bus station. We bought our tickets, waited about thirty minutes for our route to head out, filling the spare time with some shopping at the nearby stores and debating about grabbing a coffee at Gregory’s. The sun was beating down on us, already this early in the morning meant that it would be even more prevalent as the day went on. But, we wouldn’t let the heat stop us from exploring Paros. 

The bus ride was simple, climbing up the hill and navigating between villages until finally reaching the one we had set to see. I was so excited to walk around this town. I imagined it to be a quaint, quiet, and beautiful village tucked away from the hustle of the towns by the port. And, it was exactly that. 

We ran into very few people as we strolled the streets and alleys of this town. Choosing the direction on whether it was shaded and if we’ve gone done it before. With the slightest inclination to make our way to the church of the town and the lunch spot we had in mind. Otherwise, the entire day we walked with no direction and intention, except for seeking out the beautiful homes nested so perfectly in this town. To explain the town is best done through photos, scroll through the many below to get a glimpse and feeling of this town.

We did make a stop for some lemonade to cool down and take a seat after walking around in the sun. It was right outside the church and so was probably one of the most picturesque corners of the village. A table shaded by the brilliant pink paper flowers, a wheelbarrow of oranges, and the church all within view. Cooled off as much we could be from the ice cold beverage, we got up to continue our wander, gander, and meander. We walked up the steps of the church, walked in of course, and around the grounds. Behind the church was a cemetery, and a view of the mountains and ocean. Taking a couple steps further around the church was a beautiful view of the city. The white homes stacked on one another. Every step you took offered a new and even more wonderful view of the island that encapsulated the very image of Greece.

We stayed in this square of the town far longer than I was expecting but to no complaint, it was absolutely beautiful. Approaching lunch, we stumbled on a grandma, mom, and daughter run restaurant and knew that we had to eat here. And once again, we had a lovely view of the city. What made this place so great was the sweet grandma serving as the sole waitress, taking her time to go around each table, reciting what was being served for the day. The family prepared it all in their home, some batch prepped savory pies, pastas, salads. All using local ingredients, hence why the paper menu they gave us was no source of truth as they did not have all the ingredients needed to prepare some of the dishes listed out. She only rattled off about 5 options, nervous that there would be no vegan, but thankfully there was a rice, tomato, and eggplant dish that she held the cheese for me and it was immaculate. My mom got the pasta alfredo, also praising it’s deliciousness. It took some time to get in our order, wait for the food to be specially prepared, and request our check. We got to step inside the kitchen to go to the bathroom along with pay for the meal, it was so cool to get a glimpse at a Grecian home and to see where they cooked the meals for their restaurant. Yummy smelling kitchen is the name, and if you find yourself in Lefkes, Paros, Greece, I would recommend this above all I did here.

It was top of the afternoon, the heat getting to both my mom and I, and having seen most of the streets as the town was not very expansive, we made our way back to the bus stop, timing it out well for when the bus was set to make a stop here. I picked up some postcards at the shop that we bought our bus tickets, finding a card that could depict the beauty we saw today. 

We got back to Paprika at 4pm, and thought we might as well start exploring our town. But first, a refreshing beverage. We stopped at Brother’s Cafe, a seaside restaurant that had a variety of drinks. Mom got an iced coffee and I ordered the fresh sour cherry juice and it was amazing. I loved admiring the view and being close to the water while trying something new, never having fresh cherry juice before! We were overly confident on what we’d be able to do yet this afternoon in the heat. We did get some shopping done, both of us looking for jewelry to add to our collection, but soon the fatigue overtook us, that we made our way back to our hotel to rest for a bit and decompress after a long day on our feet. 

Our hotel had this adorable patio area with the comfiest sofa chair. We were planted there for a couple hours, a view of the water and our books in hand. We stayed until the evening arrived and we got hungry, so we got dressed up and went into town for dinner. I was craving falafel and hummus and found some Mana Mana, a restaurant in town and shaded by trees and enclosed with no sun exposure. We were in the middle of the main walking strip but it was one of the cutest parts of the town, so it was a lovely spot for dinner. 

Again, timing it out well with sunset, we finished up right as the sun was setting, and heading to the lookout point that we saw the staircase towards earlier in the day, but now was for us to first see. Not only was it the most perfect sunset lookout point, there was a beautiful church atop this hill, and steps that we sat on as we watched the colors of the sunset grow deeper and more vibrant. The cool air filling the night, giving relief from the warm day. The town was welly lit and busy, this was the time of day that everyone came out of their enclaves to participate in the city life. We walked around a bit more, but it was getting pretty late that we made our way back and called it a day, a good first day on the island, getting an authentic and true glimpse of life on a greek island.