Hello from the island of Paros,

We arrived on Paros early this year….late January, in fact. Winter here is not harsh, but it is damp, wet and cold. Without heat other than two portable heaters, one in the kitchen and one in the bathroom, we survived…knowing that soon (well, in two months) life would be wonderful again. And now it is………

Life is good…..Lambs leaping in tall grass, goat herders calling to their flocks (and sometimes singing to them, too), church bells ringing from the top of the hill nearby, chickens, turkeys, and birdsong (with intense nest building included!) and the sea lapping over rocks at the beach…all sounds of springtime on Paros. Combine this with a background of blue sky with a few white clouds floating by, warm sunshine (finally!), and fresh sea breeze air……yes I did say Paros Greece, but surely I was wrong…it is PARADISE and probably as close to heaven as I will ever be. (I know I say this a lot, but it is so true, and so amazing that I have to say it yet once again!)

This particular spring seemed to come very quickly, and I am not joking when I say we went to bed one night with several layers of blankets over us, a heater on in the kitchen, with wind and rain at the window….only to wake up to a completely different climate! A cloudless sky, bright with sunshine that had real warmth in it, and a weather report of more to come! Fantastic!

We have now observed the local fishermen/farmers changing their daily routines. Instead of sitting in front of the kafeterions gossiping and playing with their worry beads, they now are on the quay painting their caciques (small boats) or mending nets while the farmers are seen preparing the ground for extended gardens. Speaking of gardens; our neighbors are already bringing us spinach, onions, dill and lemons…so I am not sure what else they are intending to grow, but they are out en masse; cutting and pruning and hoeing. One lovely crop that is now filling the local markets besides tomatoes are artichokes and always fresh free range eggs, so we eat very well. No cans for us! And the bakery…now there is a treat. Just the other day, on the way to a picnic, we stopped at the local bakery and chose way too many goodies! The assortment of breads and Greek sweets is just too difficult to choose from, so one tends to try far more than is reasonable!

Picnics are a great way to explore the beaches, collecting shells and sea glass from winter storms and then catching a quick nap on the soft warm sand. It is hard to imagine friends still experiencing snowstorms while we are wading in the water. O.K., I admit it is still too cold for me to go swimming in, but there is a man here who went in the other day! He dove in quite quickly and then continued in dolphin like dives until he warmed up, and then got out. No envy on my part, as thought him a bit crazy, but I know soon I too, will find that the water is delightful… that will be about June.

Tourist activity on the island is minimal yet, but a few tourists are around. Easter is usually the time the season starts and Greek Easter is later this year being on 1 May. But we are seeing lots of restaurants opening and winter cleanup going on. The beaches still need to be reshaped because the winter storms have brought a lot of seaweed and rocks. I personally have never seen this beach cleanup in progress; all I know is one day they need repair and the next day it is done!  Oh, the magic of Paros!!!!!! If this was Ireland we could say the leprechauns did it, but here????

In closing, I must tell you some magic my friend, Joyce saw yesterday. She was sitting on the porch and looked up only to see a HUGE land tortoise walking down the road! She said he was going at a pretty good pace, but she managed to get her camera and take a picture! He seemed nonplussed about it all! Another friend thinks due to its size, it must have been around 30 years old! Another bit of magic was when we both saw two exotic birds in the same road….and since Paros does not have many exotic birds, we figured it was a migrant and only stopped for us to admire it. The pair fairly large and had top feathers, long beak, red/brown body until you got to its tail feathers and wings which were like a zebra; black and white! We do not know what they are and do not know how to find out….so if anyone has any idea, please let us know. (Update:  We received several replies identifying the Hoopee.  Thanks to you all, especially those with stories of their own sightings.  The feedback was fun.)

And in closing, let me say that while spring is definitely here, we stopped in the middle of a card game last night because we heard CRICKETS! So I guess summer is just around the corner? Let’s hope we can enjoy the spring flowers a bit longer……..

All the best,

Karin

                                                Photos by Joyce Thrush, our housemate for the season.

A few words from Michael:

            This is year is quite a contrast from last, business wise.  We are filling up quickly for certain periods.  So, if you are thinking Greece this year, please get your bookings in soon.

            Also we have a new affiliation with Argus Car Rentals.  They have agents all over the world and a “Lowest Price Guarantee”.  So check them out the next time you travel, using this link please:  http://www.argusrentals.com/?affiliate=9802