Antiparos, Greece
Our trip comes to an end with a breezy morning on the little island of Antiparos, less than a mile away from Paros. We also take one last look at our favorite town on the entire journey, Parikia, filling our stomachs with fresh seafood and our minds with infinite gratitude.
For the final day of our trip, we had planned to take our rental car to the island of Antiparos, less than a mile west of Paros. I had mapped out a driving route around the little island that would take no more than 90 minutes to circumnavigate. But after 10 days of sightseeing, we began to downshift our aspirations to ensure we took the time to enjoy the glory of Greece. We left the car on Paros, hopped aboard the ferry, and sailed across turquoise waters to the Paros’ tiny neighbor in just 15 minutes.
Less than seven miles long and three miles wide, Antiparos has shared much of its history with its larger neighbors, Paros and Naxos. Once called Olilarus, or Oliaros, the island was noted by several ancient authors, including Pliny the Elder. The Community of Antiparos was formed only in 1914 and was promoted to a municipality in 2010. About 1,200 people live here today, working primarily in tourism, fishing, and farming.
The ferry took us to the main settlement at the island’s northeast end, the closest point to Paros. As we walked toward town, we came upon a restaurant that had found an eye-catching way to advertise the house specialty, fresh-caught octopus.
We turned down the town’s main street and walked past quiet shops and dozing animals. A couple of painters re-applied whitewash to one storefront, getting ready for the summer season ahead. But otherwise, the pace of the place was languid and peaceful — just what we needed after a succession of energetic itineraries.
On our way back to the ferry, we stopped at Nautica Coffee & Bites for some simple but delicious pasta dishes and Mamos beer.
Last Look at Parikia
We spent our final afternoon in Greece strolling through Parikia once more, taking in the beautiful town from different angles, and stopping for cocktails at a cafe overlooking the water. Of all the cities we visited on this excursion, with their many monuments and boundless moments of history, we felt most at home in Parikia.
Dinner at Mira
That night, we walked along the waterfront in town, lined with bright restaurants in full swing. After perusing several menus, we settled on Mira, a seafood spot with a variety of fresh catches. We tried the Parian caper spread with mashed potatoes, peppers, olive oil, and lemon; fresh steamed mussels with herbs, ouzo, and lemon thyme; and a sea bass filet baked with fresh thyme and vegetables. We paired it all with a Peloponnesian Chardonnay.
The next morning, we would be all business once again — packed, off to the airport, catching flights to the mainland, then through Germany and home to California. But that was for tomorrow. In this seaside restaurant — with local delicacies on the table and a light spring breeze blowing, all on an idyllic island in the middle of the Mediterranean — we had found no better place to be here now.