Day 2 – Paros: Lost in Parikia & Naoussa nightlife
Stelios got up at 8am and took a dip in the ocean at Piperi beach behind our hotel. I slept in a little longer and got up around 9am. We went downstairs to take advantage of the hotel’s complimentary breakfast. This was no American continental breakfast with bagels and cream cheese – this was a FULL SPREAD. I’m talking eggs, sausage, fresh veggies over pita bread, croissants, Greek pastries, and of course my almond milk frappe. We sat on the balcony and took in the view chatting about our adventures last night. Meanwhile the hotel set up a motorbike rental for us & they said it would get delivered to the hotel by the time we were done eating. Luckily Stelios had his motorcycle license AND international driving license so we could upgrade and drive a bike instead of just a scooter. Basically the bike is just faster and bigger for two people.
Travel tip: You need a motorcycle license AND international driving license to rent a motorbike in Greece. Otherwise you can drive an ATV or scooter.
We rented the bike for 40 euros a day, for 2 days, but the rental guy said we could easily extend if we need. I have a feeling we will. It was only my second time on a motorbike – the first was with my uncle Richie when I was 7 and it was just 1 lap around the neighborhood so does that really count? Not gonna lie I was a bit nervous in the beginning, holding onto Stelios harder than I probably needed to, but once we got going it was EXHILARATING and I was loving it. I felt like Amanda Bynes from What a Girl Wants when she hops on the back of the British guy’s motorbike and explores the city – except this was better because we were on an island and I was with Stelios. It was a moment I’ll never forget.
Travel tip: Motorbike, scooter, or ATV is definitely the best way to explore the island (forget renting a car).
We cruised down to Santa Maria Beach & surprisingly it wasn’t crowded at all. The beach was beautiful & we got a front row lounge chair for 40 euro. We split a club sandwich & some fries to munch on. I sipped on a glass of Greek Rose and Stelios had a Mythos beer. The water at this beach was crystal clear blue, you could clearly see your feet through the water – it was stunning.
Around 2pm we decided we had enough of lounging at the beach and headed back to the hotel. We showered, got ready, and took the motorbike to Parikia to get a quick bite and explore. Lunch was just OK but the view was great. (Is there ever a bad view in Greece? Probably not) Also it was Mesimeri (nap time when everyone takes a break/siesta between 4 and 7pm) so half of the restaurants were closed. After lunch we wandered the back streets of Parikia. It’s similar to Naoussa in the sense that everything is connected and you can easily get lost. So thats exactly what we did – we got lost in Parikia, but in a good way. We stumbled upon an Alexander the Great monument, a famous church/castle, went around it up some steps and to our surprise ended up at a stunning view atop a church whose foundation were stones from the historic Temple of Athena. Pretty cool! Some other tourists passing by were nice enough to offer taking some pics.
We went back to the hotel around 7pm to relax and get ready for dinner. On the way we missed the turn but decided to keep the theme of getting lost in Paros and took the long way home. We went down a beautiful mountain terrain where you could see the rest of Paros below.
Fast forward to dinner – we ate at Stou Fred, an intimate hidden restaurant in the heart of Parikia. The chef was French, and his dishes were inspired from all over the globe. There’s only 1 seating the entire day at 8:30pm and it had a maximum capacity of 30 people. We were in for a treat. Once we were seated Chef Fred came over and introduced himself to us. He was surprised and pleased we found the place because it’s mostly through word of mouth so not many American tourists go there. He explained tonight’s meal was a 5 course dinner & there were two different options to select from. He recommended we each order 1 option so we could try the whole menu and that’s exactly what we did. I’m happy we took his recommendation because with each course we got to taste 2 dishes and every course we each liked different ones more than the other. But the winner for us both was the Tarako pasta — it was Italian pasta served with a side dish of 5 fresh ingredients that you mix in and melt together including 2 types of fish roe, daikon, wasabi, and ginger. We also drank the best bottle of Greek wine that we’ve tried so far on the trip. Overall 5 star experience.
After dinner we took a taxi back to Naoussa and went out to hit the clubs. We started at Linardo, which had chill house dance music – but no AC, just the breeze from the sea. After an hour we popped next door and tried Agosta. This was where the party was at. It was LIT playing all 2000s-2010s dance hits and the crowd was a mix of local Greeks, French tourists, and Americans. We stayed out until 3am partying then finally called it a night, but the city of Naoussa was nowhere near done. I couldn’t believe the crowds of people all ages roaming the streets hopping from bar to bar still ready to keep the party going. Europeans seriously know how to party. On the walk home we stopped at Pita Frank for the traditional Greek drunk food – AKA Gyros. It was delicious. We finally went to bed at 4am, I was praying I wouldn’t be hungover in the morning after 6 shots of Mastika, 1 margarita, and the bottle of wine we had at dinner. At 4am we got back to the hotel and knocked out. Let’s see what tomorrow brings.
