You could easily take all summer just to tour the Cyclades Islands by hopping from one island to the next on the ferries.

Each island is charming in its own ways even though they all have the ubiquitous white buildings with blue framed windows & doors. Another icon on the islands is the paving stones outlined in white accented by intense fuchsia, crimson, or purple bougainvillea bushes. It feels like a summer dream come to life.

On Paros the most charming small town we visited was Naoussa. In many ways, it reminded me of Mykonos, so it’s easy to see why Paros is becoming more popular.

I happend upon one shop that catered to local artists by providing them a perfect place to sell their work. One of the shop’s proprietors was very kind & offered me a small bouquet of local wildflowers while I browsed the shop. I couldn’t resist buying s painted gourd which resembles a chicken.

Like many islands across Greece, Paros has another icon…windmills. Here is a little history about them:

Some windmills have been renovated to cater to tourists. The most famous ones are located in Mykonos; but, Paros has a few nice ones as well.

While on Paros, we stayed in Parikia. Near the ferry boat dock, we visited an amazing Byzantine church called the Panagia Ekatontapiliani or the “Church with a 100 Doors”.

It was built in 326 AD before Constantine the Great proclaimed Christianity as the the Roman Empire’s official religion ranking it among the oldest churches in Greece.

Here is a brief summary about why this church is renowned:

According to legend, the original church was either constructed by Saint Helene herself or Saint Constantine, the first Emperor of Constantinople, after the oblation of his mother.

During her journey to the Holy Land to search for the True Cross upon which Christ was crucified, a storm brought Saint Helene to Paros, where she promised the Virgin to build a church if her quest was successful. According to one story version, her quest was successful, so Saint Helene returned to Paros & built this impressive church. Another legend version claims the church was built by her son Constantine the Great after her death & it was dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin.

The name Ekatontapiliani means the Church with the Hundred Doors. According to tradition, the church has 99 doors & a secret door will open when the church of Hagia Sofia in Constantinople becomes Orthodox again.

Unlike many visitors to the Greek islands, we don’t come for the beaches; but, rather, to enjoy the culture & history.

One day we walked the Byzantine Road which was made from marble over 1,000 years ago. First, we drove to Prodromos from where we walked the old road to & from the attractive hilltop town Levkes. It was about 2.25 miles & took us a leisurely hour and a half to walk it each way. Due to the ravages of time, the road is no longer paved the entire way with marble.

To find the starting point, we enjoyed strolling through beautiful small Prodromos.

The walk is a a great way to enjoy the Greek countryside on a sunny; but, not too hot day.

The marble from Paros is very famous & is known as Parian marble.

We were kind of able to visit the ancient quarries from where this marble was extracted. I say “kind of” because most of it is closed to visitors due to the inherent danger from being in caves which have been mined since the 5th Century BC.

Mining stopped in the 7th Century & resumed for a short time in the 19th Century before stopping for good at this location.

I stopped by a local artist’s shop next to the ancient quarry & bought a few small pieces he had carved from this marble. When you hold it up to the light, it is transparent.

On our last day we took a very short ferry ride to Antiparos for a quick walk around the port town Chora. It’s another lovely typical little island town.

Some years ago, this quiet island known for its laidback vibe caught the eye of Tom Hanks & Rita Wilson. It is reported they have owned a small vacation home here since the early 2000’s.

On drives around Paros, we also saw these lovely scenes.

If you love or even just like cats, then you will be happy in Greece. There are many, many kitties here. They are just part & parcel of what makes Greece be Greece.

Almost every small Greek fishing village comes with two elements. First is the docks for the fishing boats. The second is restaurants lining the harbor. Each restaurant has almost the exact same menu with typical Greek dishes & of course, they offer seafood. So, you basically just pick the restaurant with the seating you prefer.

Another lovely vacation in the Greek Islands ends with a beautiful sunset.