Originally, we had planned to spend a night in Paros, though since we were behind schedule by the time we reached it, we skipped our day there and headed straight to Antiparos. Antiparos is “unspoilt” as was quoted to me twice by my guidebook, and my good friend Kathy, a Greek-Australian (interestingly, if you have been following my blog from the very beginning, I originally met Kathy on my first trip to Europe and we still stay in touch- I will even be seeing her in America in a few months). To get to Antiparos, you must take the ferry to Paros, then hop on a bus to a small “city” at the end of Paros. I use the work city loosely, because as far as I could tell, the bus pulled up to a ferry, and that was all there was of the city. Anyways, this ferry was the best deal we got during all of our time in Greece- it was a car ferry, but it carried passengers, and only cost 0.60 cents for a 6 minute trip. On the way back we swam the distance with our luggage to save the money- just kidding. But we could have.
To your left, you’ll see the rare lone picture of me without the benefit of any pretty scenery in the background. You’ll have to trust me when I say that this was on the ferry ride over. I actually had a nicer picture, but this dude tourist insisted on standing at the front of the ferry and enjoying the view and the breeze and subsequently ruining my glorious and inspired photo.
Antiparos is what you would call a family island (ironic, when I explain our events later in the day). There were some tourists, mostly families, not many single tourists. In general, there weren’t many tourists there. I imagine during high season there are more. Again, we benefitted from travelling in the low season. The hotel we stayed in there was one of the nicest in town, and it was only 60 euros per night. It also had a lovely porch on the front where we sat and watched people go by. In general, a car came by every five minutes or so, and most of the time people strolled in the street or rode bicycles.
We enquired from our hotel manager as to a good beach to head to. He replied, “Well there’s one to the right- close, but touristy. There’s one farther to the left, past the campgrounds, that’s nicer- I prefer to go to that beach.” So we headed that way. Getting there, Darden and Leah informed me that apparently he had something else that I had missed- “They wear less clothes there.” Turns out, it was a nudist beach. We set up camp on the periphery of this beach. There was a volleyball net set up- for nudist volleyball, I guess. There was also an older gentleman flying a kite, wearing a shirt, but nothing on the bottom. We tried our best to concentrate firmly on our books, and do a little swimming. Before we left, we chatted with a nice older British man, who had searched for the beach by walking along the entire shore of the island. He too didn’t seem to have been informed that it was a nudist beach. Just because it was asked of me when I told this story, most of the people on this beach were older- 40+, deeply tanned, not in the best shape.
After this adventure, we went shopping. Darden bought earrings from a Danish man who had moved to Antiparos years ago. He informed us that Tom Hanks and Madonna had both bought land on the island. I don’t doubt that fact, but I was more skeptical about his claim that Tom Hanks was coming back “next week.”
The next morning we had to leave, sadly, though we left with a delicious breakfast (included with our hotel stay). We were seated, and the hotel manager kept bringing us food- all told, we received a loaf of bread, butter, coffee cake, boiled eggs, yogurt with honey, orange juice and coffee. Leaving, I had time to reflect on our trip there on the 6 minute boat ride back to Paros. Antiparos was a lovely island, very relaxing, not the place for partying or museum hopping, good for a quiet day of sitting and watching the locals and tourists stroll by, good for shopping and a little eating, and perfect for some nudist beach tanning.
In the next instllment, you’ll hear about our trip to Naxos and Santorini.
5 comments:
Hi Emily, The Danish guy "Jesper" was right about Tom as he has now been heer a couple of days, but the Maddona thing was a rumour that was going around last year. But glad you enjoyed our Island
OMG! This is hilarious! So..did you join in and strip?
Photos of Antiparos look beautiful. Must add to my "must see" list.
Hi
Was in Antiparos at the time of your visit and actually on the beach that you visited (my wife recognised you from your picture and the fact that you were one of the few who were not nude on the beach).
Don't know who would tell you that there was a 'city' outside of Parikia, as Parikia, Naousa and even Antiparos are at best, little 'towns'. Antipaors is a family isle and the only irony, is that it has one of the few official nude beaches in Greece. Am I to assume that by 'family' you mean something that would not offend the likes of grownups like yourself? If you'd spent a little more time there, then you would see that there are indeed a lot of families on the beach, European families with children, naked European families with children who don't need anything other than the sand and sea to entertain themselves all day long. The beach is also one of the nicest ones on Antiparos and has a lovely shore line, great views out over to Paros and is within walking, wading and swimming distance of the uninhabited island of Diplo opposite.
It doesn't surprise me that you were asked the question 'what were they like on the beach'. Your answer was quite correct however, 40+, tanned and not in the best of shape. Mind you, by that comment, you just alienated at least 50% of the people that were there, including myself and my wife. Wonder what your response would have been if they were all gorgeous, young, fit individuals? You see, people who sunbathe naked are just doing that, there is no hidden agenda and no hang ups. It is generally others that see something when you are naked, not you.
The island may not have an abundance of museums, but if you look and read closer, you will see a lot. If you are in London, visit the Greek rooms of the British Museum and I think you will be surprised, nay, shocked at how many ancient and significant artefacts that have come from the tiny island of Antiparos. As for the partying, well, if you took a right at the 'Square Bar' you would find a handful of bars that host many a party well in to the early hours. We spent three evenings going off to the 'Doors Bar' only to return home at 6.00am. So, it is all there if you dig a little deeper and spend just a tiny amount more time ingratiating yourself in the island and the people rather than observing from the outside for a day or two.
Reading on, one other issue, reading...
'For those of you who have wondered about the reading level of the average European traveller, look no further than the hostel bookshelf!'First of all, the percentage of reading material in German, French and English, is about right, this is a European country. The fact that you can't read German is a poor complaint. I would also guess that the 'Hotelier weekly' would probably be some advertising bumph that the average Greek hotel owner has been sent, are not interested in and then put out for the sake of putting out. Surely you have been to a doctor or Dentist waiting room and seen some of the trash that is put out there?
When you come without sufficient reading material, don't you think it a little rich to complain that the only free books on offer were those that you were not interested in. If you wanted a good book, then go and buy one from one of the many book shops on Paros or even the 'book exchange' on Antiparos. I also don't know how you came to the conclusion that all these trashy books were from the Europeans. I think you will find that the Cycladic Islands, and in particular, Mykonos, Santorini, Paros and Naxos are frequented by many, including your own kin from the USA and from my experience, they too, leave trashy novels behind.
As for us, my wife and I value our books and bring them back with us. Maybe not the definitive example of 'European reading', but some of our recent holiday reading goes as follows, 'A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini', Michael Palin Diaries, the Python Years' 'Barack Obama, Dreams From my Father' and 'After Dark by Haruki Murakami'
And not one fairy baby in sight!!
Hello anonymous,
I just wanted to address some of the criticisms you made in your note. First of all, this is a travel blog- it is not meant as a statement on behalf of all Americans who travel in Greece. Thus, if you find offense with my statements, please do not take this as an example of perceived American bad behavior. It is simply my point of view. My travel blog was originally made for friends and family, though recently it has been found and read by people who I do not have the chance to meet- which, although it is a pleasure, it does not facilitate the explanation of my blog- without knowing my sense of humor (sarcastic, with a frequent desire to poke fun at myself and cultural assumptions about travel) it may be possible to take offense where I do not mean offense. I will not address every criticism that you made, except to note that I was only in Antiparos for two days, and, obviously, it is not possible to get the full flavor of a place in two days. I appear to have missed out on some aspects of the island, and thank you for telling me more about what it has to offer. As for the reading material post I made, I referred to Europeans because 90% of travelers to Greece are Europeans- also, looking at the prices on the books, it is easy to tell which books come from Europe and which do not (due to prices in euros and pounds). I am obviously aware that there are some travelers who read good books (the books that you mention, as an example), but on the whole, bad summer reading material is a tradition in all countries- America, and ones throughout Europe included. Due to the fact that, undisturbed, I can finish a book in a day or two, I was not able to pack my backpack with the amount of books I would need on my trip, thus the need for book swapping. I would love to continue this conversation and talk about differences in our travel experiences, but as I was not given your name, I am not sure how to do that. As it is, I am sorry if I offended you, and I hope you enjoyed your trip in the Cyclades.
Emily
Hi Emily
I posted the comment anonymously, as that was the only way to do so without having to ‘register’ on yet another site. My comments were not criticisms, just comments on what you had written. I was not offended and did not regard any of what you said as ‘typical American bad behaviour’. As you rightly say, this is your blog, originally intended for friends and family, but put out there in the public domain, by you, so that ordinary people can also access it. People come across all manner of sites when searching in the ‘public domain’ and as such, yours is available for all to see. Freedom of speech means that your blog provoked in me a response, pure and simple. (People look at Tripadviser in order to get people’s opinions of a holiday or destination, yours is simply that).
I realise that you only had a short time in Antiparos, but you gave an impression that people like ourselves, who have been travelling to this place for the past 20 years or so, felt was slightly unjust and I just wanted to redress the situation. I know you did not tackle all my ‘criticisms’ but your original comment ‘Antiparos is what you would call a family island (ironic, when I explain our events later in the day)’ is slightly derogatory and gives the wrong impression to people about the place. What you obviously refer to is the official nude beach, and you seem to consider this one small beach where people can sunbathe naked as the very basis for your irony. Naked people do not a family island make, naked people mean (here comes stereotype) strange goings on. Now ponder this; how do you think the islanders might feel if they knew that people were suggesting this. If you go on to the beaches (even the naked ones) or walk down the main street of Antiparos, then you will see it littered with families with children, enjoying themselves on this beautiful island. If you feel uncomfortable with naked people, then that is for you to deal with, others don’t seem too bothered by it. And I don’t understand why you persevered on the beach and had to try and ‘concentrate firmly on your books’ if the naked people were such a distraction? I guess it must have been a novelty because it was different, but different doesn’t necessarily mean bad.
You redeem yourself with your book comment however when you go on to say ‘I am obviously aware that there are some travellers who read good books (the books that you mention, as an example), but on the whole, bad summer reading material is a tradition in all countries- America, and ones throughout Europe included’. Quite right, people from all countries do take ‘easy and light reading with them on vacation’, not just Europeans. For your information however, the pricing system doesn’t really count for anything. People stop off and pick up books from all sorts of places on their travels, they are then left, sold on or exchanged in various shops. I myself, have bought English books whilst away that have pound prices ‘stickered over’ with Euro prices and vica-versa, so it is not possible other than to simply generalise on where these books came from or who actually brought them. If spending any length of time in the islands, a good way to get through your reading issue is to buy a good book and if you can, exchange or ‘re sell’ it at a store once you have read it and if not, leave it for some other fortunate person to find. However, I once spent a few weeks travelling the Cycladic islands and managed to get through 13 very different and thereby, quite interesting books, simply by having the Gaul to walk in to various hotel lobbies that I came across and exchanging my book for whatever they had available. Not all were good, but it certainly helped me discover what I liked and didn’t like, good from bad and in some cases what I didn’t even know I liked.
So, once again Emily, thank you for your comments, and no apology needed as you did not offend me, I simply wanted to say ‘Look deeper and you may see something other than what you simply see with your eyes’. Good luck with your onward journeys.
Clive
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