antiparos

Take the ferry

We drove our four-wheelers/ATVs/quads into Paroikiá to take the ferry to Antiparos, but everyone there assured us it was better to take the ferry from Pounda instead. It is a 7 minute trip as opposed to a 20 minute boat ride, but that also means you have to be speedy when you snap your portraits in front of a classic waterfront asproxorio (white and blue village) from the top level.

In town

We had some trouble parking legally and safely, so don’t be afraid to ask for help. There are more Greek-only speakers in Antiparos than most of Paros, so if you’re in a pinch just point at your parking job and ask someone, “einai endoxi?” (EE-neh en-DTHAH-cksi). “Nai” (neh) is yes and “oxi” (OH-hee) is no. I also use Verizon Travelpass to access my apps while in Greece now, so my normal coverage pays for using Google Translate when all else fails.

We took some lovely photos of the Antiparos harbor with Paros in the background as the sun set on the summer solstice. Like almost any sunset in the Greek isles, it’s worth saving time in your schedule for a look. Then we ate a light family style meal of gigantes with tomato sauce, fried smelt, sun-cured octopus (a local specialty), and branzino with potatoes and horta (blanched or boiled greens).

Panageia beach

While Kolimbithres on Paros is known for its moonish rocks and white sands, Panageia beach on Antiparos is just as lush. Instead of lunar rock formations you’ll find small pebbles as the beach fades into scrubby forest, and the tide rolls gently in to greet you when you gently dip into the shallow sea. When we went there almost no people (unheard of on a beach in the Cyclades), and you could rent little bungalows right by the entrance. Madonna apparently has a beach house in Antiparos, so basically if you stay here you’ll be as cool as Madonna. Right?

The caverns

The view from the entrance to the caverns is absolutely incredible–which is great, because we drove all the way up there after the caverns already closed and only have scenic photography to show for it. Worth the likes, I guess. Avoid being like us and get there well before 3 pm so you can see some really old graffiti on an underground drip-castle in a mountain by the sea.