Parga 2019

PARGA OCTOBER 2019

PART ONE

See my other blogs by clicking links below;

HERE (Gran Canaria 2012)
HERE (Gran Canaria 2018)
HERE (Lanzarote)
HERE (Madeira)

HERE (Peak district walks)

HERE (Majorca)
HERE (Kefalonia)
 HERE (Fuerteventura)

HERE (Cyprus)

Why are we drinking a bottle of fizz??
Because we were married yesterday!!

Our Parga holiday had now become our honeymoon.

We arrived at Preveza airport at around 10:30pm and went to pick up our hire car. As Parga is about a one hour drive from Preveza , we'd investigated different ways to get there and back. No transfers (at time of writing), and a taxi was 100 euros each way. The car hire was 160 euros for two weeks, so a no-brainer!

It was obviously dark, and we could hear distant rumbles of thunder. We set off, the road was very quiet.

As we drove, the skies started to fill with lightning bolts & the thunder got louder. I remarked on the lack of street lights, but when we reached the outskirts of Parga, we soon realised that it was a total blackout, caused by the storm.

By now, it was also hammering down with rain of biblical proportions!! All we could do was try and find our hotel, which was called Akis house.

I was completely lost in the tiny back streets, unable to see any of the landmarks I'd been told to watch out for. In desperation, I wound the window down when we saw a woman hurrying along in the pouring rain.
"Akis?" I just said, she immediately said; "AKIS - IS HERE...HERE" pointing to a small hotel.
A guy came out, and we were quickly installed into a room and out of the rain.
HEY! Not bad at all (except we were in total darkness, apart from our phone torches. Ah well, could be worse, we thought.

All of a sudden POP! The lights came back on! The rain abated, so we decided to venture out to see if we could get a nightcap. Local time was ten to midnight, but our body clocks still said ten o'clock.

We walked tentatively into the bar, where about 4 locals and a barman were drinking (and smoking!!).

"What time do you close?", I asked.

"What time would you like me to close", the barman replied.

You'll do for ME!

Several Metaxas and beers later, we wended (and weaved) our way back to our hotel.

Next morning, the rain had stopped, and everything looked better.

The guy from the previous night came to our door and asked; 

"How long you stay?"

"Two weeks", was my reply.

"I have no booking for two weeks - are you with the wedding party?"

Well, we'd got married two days earlier, but we were alone.

We soon came to the realisation that something was wrong!

I asked if this was Akis, he said yes. We showed him our booking form (neglected last night in all the rain and confusion), and he exclaimed;

"AH - THIS Akis STUDIOS (pointing to the form)

...THIS Akis HOUSE !!" pointing to the floor.

Yes, you've guessed it - there are TWO Akis' in Parga, and we'd chosen the wrong one!

After calling Akis STUDIOS, & much phone chatter in Greek by the guy, he sorted everything out with the guy who owned Akis Studios and, thirty euros later for our one night stay, we were off!

When we got to the RIGHT Akis, it was GORGEOUS! This is the view of the pool (obviously). We settled in and unpacked.

We sat out on the balcony and met some of our fellow guests. They seemed like a nice crowd.

Next morning, the rains came back with a vengeance but, being British, our fellow guests went into town for breakfast, this is them enjoying the weather.

Later on, the sun came out and very quickly dried everything out.
There were several shrubs outside our room, and there were plenty of bees & wasps taking advantage.

Now - we really were beginning to experience;

'Pargadise'.

There was a small local beach called Piso Kryoneri, so that would be our first place to visit. A short walk of ten minutes saw us arrive there. It's a stony beach, with a couple of tavernas, one of which, the Golfo taverna, came highly recommended.

The beach is good for swimming, snorkeling and relaxing, not being as busy as the main beach. We ate a small salad at Golfo, and it was really nice. I'm so glad we did, because the next day when we returned, it had closed for the season!!!

As we were here late in the season, things were beginning to close down. It wasn't really a problem, as lots were open all the time we were there, but our second week saw about 3/4 of cafes, bars etc closed.

We were exploring and finding places that were a favourite to eat or drink or have good coffee. This place is called the Meeting Place. Very local, very laid back, and a free tiny mezze each time you bought a drink.

Just so you know...... :-)

After the rain, the wind. Warm, but quite strong.

It kept the beaches fairly quiet, but the forecast from now on was hot, hot HOT!

Two panoramas of the main beach of Parga.

Parga has no tall or huge hotels really, and we didn't see anywhere doing all inclusive. The upshot of this is, there are literally HUNDREDS of places to eat and drink. The local businesses are supported by this way of doing things, and I for one fully embrace it.

First picture is the south eastern beach.

(Click on either for a larger version)

Spin 180 degrees, and looking towards Parga harbour, landing stage and (on top of the hill) Parga castle.

Sue & I on the landing stage where all the trip boats and taxi boats berth.

Looking up to the Venetian castle from the landing stage.
You can find out about the castle's history if you 
click HERE

There was almost always someone fishing, either off the landing stage or the harbour wall. Thing is, all the time we were there, we never saw anyone catch anything?

As you will see, Parga town is a veritable warren of tiny back streets and alleyways. That said, you always feel safe, wherever you go.

Sometimes, it's just great to wander, even get lost! There are so many hidden delights in this place.

Even the paving is impressive.

Lots and lots of little shops abound in these back streets, more than enough to keep a browser happy.

Just one view of the streets.

Too pretty for words really!

SO many artisan shops, for both food and craft goods.

I can assure you, these tasted as good as they looked.

This cafe we stopped at on top had the most stunning views over the bay. As you can see though, not crowded or busy. I've been told it's a MUCH different tale in 'the season'.

Sue & I tend to come to these places at the end of the season. The weather is still great, but you don't get the hustle and bustle of high season.

A shady walk back down, but we were being drawn upwards more, towards the castle.

The plants and trees are also very thoughtfully done.

ALL HANDS TO THE PUMP!

Here we are at the entrance to the castle.

Spectacular views from up here!

Can never resist this shot (no pun intended).

Always good for a pose!

The harbour and bay.

There are some really nice, shady sections of the walk up and around the castle. As you top out, you get a view over the next bay called Valtos, and to Parga old monastery..

Looking back over Parga...

....and looking over Valtos beach.

Exploring the inside of the old castle.

They had great views, these castles!

Don't you just LOVE these red roofs?

After walking for so long in the sun, it was time for a cooling beer.

Might as well have a snack too then.

As usual here in Greece, they have a great talent for making yummy salads.

These stuffed vine leaves were some of the best I'd ever had.

TUCK IN!!

Looking up to Parga castle from Valtos beach. 

PROPER holiday skies now, and no wind.

We spotted this gnarly old tree.

Little bays like this always scream 'SNORKEL' to me.
We didn't do this one, but it wasn't for the wanting!

This is the old Vlacherna monastery tower you can see so clearly from the beach.

After all the exploring, it was time to head back to Parga.

A beer and a tapas in the Meeting House bar, then off to find ice cream to treat my lady.

Enjoy, darling XX

A quote from Alfred Noyes 'The Highwayman' comes to mind;

'The moon was a ghostly galleon, tossed upon cloudy seas'

No idea why, but there was a guy, like a DJ, playing music to anyone listening. On such a balmy evening, it was so relaxing and lovely.

Should be a great view from that balcony - better check it out!

Yep, a great view alright.

We found this lovely little tapas bar, right on the front, so we could listen to the music, take in the atmosphere (which was great), and have a little snack before heading back to our hotel.

PART TWO

Today the heat was really on, with full sunshine and high temperatures. Not the perfect day for long walks, but we had set our minds on visiting the Venetian castle, so off we set.

You can read about the castle HERE

This is probably the photo EVERYONE takes, but it's so good!

Standing on the ramparts gives this spectacular

 view over Valtos beach.

If there's a bell - it just HAS to be rung, doesn't it?

Thank goodness for shady paths.

Shade or no shade, we were ready for something with ice in.

That night, we returned to the Meeting House bar, and were treated to a lovely piece of cake as our free tapas.

Walking along the prom', we saw a guy selling cruises to the local islands of Paxos and Antipaxos. As it was the end of the season, he offered it to us for only 12 euros each, instead of 15. 

Well, we always love a bargain, so we bought tickets.

Here we are on the deck of our 'cruiser'.

After a most pleasant trip across to the islands, we stopped off for morning coffee. This cafe made use of pallets as tables!

Then, it was back on board to visit the blue caves.

Hmmm, don't like the look of those clouds!

We needn't have worried, the clouds soon passed, and we set off to explore the blue caves.

Ahoy there, shipmate!

Excitement mounts as we approach the caves.

They are only accessible by boat.

Slowly approaching the cave mouth.

There are several caves, but one is of particular interest, as this captain can JUST squeeze his boat inside, if the sea conditions allow.

Looks like we're good to go!

Slowly......steady.....

THIS is how close it was - the aerial caught on the roof!

Panorama of the caves as we leave for Gaios.

Great weather, calm seas - what more could you ask for?

(Well, maybe a few dolphins - but sadly, none today).

The boat stopped a couple of times at dreamy beaches to allow people to swim.

Gaios is in a small channel between an island and the mainland, easily navigable. Again, it's just too perfect for words.

Slowly cruising towards our berth.

Gaios is a sleepy little place, with not much to do, but hey! Who needs to be 'doing'? We just mooched around, looking at the boats and buildings and, of course, stopped in a waterside cafe for a drink.

Relaxing outlook.

The toilets were upstairs, and just look at this collection of stuff on the stairs - COMPLETELY unexpected!

We wondered what this (sorry for the bad picture) building was? Turns out it's an historic building , which has been renovated as holiday lets.

Feeling very chilled, we left Gaios, and headed back to Parga.

I can recommend this trip, but bear in mind, it was very quiet at this time of the year, so it wasn't crowded on the boat, which could make all the difference.

That evening, it was another stroll down into Parga to choose from the many places to eat and drink. We ate at a different place every night, and I have to say, we didn't have ONE bad meal.

PART THREE

We had a beach day today, on the small Piso Krioneri beach just across the road from our hotel. The first taverna we went to, Golfo, had now closed for the season, but the Atrium bar was still open - great!

With great views over Piso Krioneri beach, and the sounds and smells of cooking wafting over to us, I went to order.

Oh dear - the Atrium was closing for the season, and this was the last day! The smells we were getting was the food they were cooking for the staff, so nothing available for us. Luckily, the bar was still open.

It's a great shame they were closing, as this was an excellent place, with stunning sunset views.

Come on Susie, let's go and find somewhere to eat.

SORTED!

Got any bread?

This huge anchor is a focal point in town, right on the front by the harbour. I imagine it's up there with the most photographed locations!

This bar restaurant was slightly inland from the front. It was FULL of locals, so that's always a good sign.

We had the chicken kebabs - which were really good (and cheap too).

Another bar recommended to us was Johnny's bar.

Johnny had a great sense of humour

 (and the cheapest beer in Parga 'only two bloody euros' ).

AHA! Sue's found the 'other' Akis, the one we mistakenly stayed at on our first night.

That seemed a distant memory now, as we'd really settled in to the right place and were very happy.

If you, like us, enjoy exploring myriad back streets, this place is a paradise.

Talking of paradise - here was ours for our two week stay, Akis Studios. It's just opposite the Dokos Taverna on the main road.

Night time in Parga, I don't think I've ever been in a better place for sheer feel good.

LOADS of choice, and we always found it good food, wherever we chose to eat.

This was lamb stifado.

I CAN remember it was delicious!

We NEVER drink cocktails at home - but always love one at some point during the evening when on holiday.

Some weird and wonderful colours available!

This small cafe on the front had a stunning choice of treats, mainly sweet. Again, we're not usually inclined to sweet, preferring savoury, but these were just TOO tempting, and we took an assortment back to our room.

PART FOUR

We were told a trip to the Vikos gorge & Zagori village was a MUST while here in Parga. We had the car at our disposal, but after discussing it, decided that the professionals at Parga Travel would be able to take us to the best bits, no hassle, no getting lost or flustered.

At 55 euros, it wasn't bad for the whole day, so we booked. Again, it was touch and go, as there HAD to be enough people to allow the trip to go. We were lucky - JUST enough!

Next morning, we were picked up just across the road from our hotel, and set off on the long journey.

(NB on our second trip, we went to Meteora with the same company. A long but fantastic day - highly recommended).

We climbed right up to the top, and were rewarded by views over the huge Ioninna lake & Mahalas island.

Panorama of Ioninna lake.

The tomb of Ali Pasha.

Monodendri village, Zagoria.

We re-boarded the coach, and it took us to the village of Monodendri. This was a typical Zagorian village, very beautiful, very aesthetic and surprisingly, looked quite new? We were expecting olde-worlde buildings, but no!

The guide warned us that the paths all looked very alike, and we should be careful not to get lost.

We stuck with the main party for most of the time, then, on the way back, we errrr......got lost!

I blame the streets - they all look the same!

The views over and down into the gorge really hit you - BANG! They are obviously stunning, as it's the deepest gorge in the world (according to the way they measure it).

Every which way you turn, it's simply amazing.

The guide took us to this set of very old buildings, in which were housed religious icons.

The view up the gorge.

Stay away from the edge, darling!

You can hike to the bottom of the gorge, but that takes best part of a day, and today, we were just tourists!

A sweep of the gorge to give you an idea of scale.

The beautiful stone slates of the old building.

Inside the old museum building.

Inside the chapel

We spotted a path that was sort of closed off, due to rockfall,

So.......we went up it!

We were (of course) the only ones up here. The views are, if it's possible, even better from here.

Naughty girl posing on the edge.

The view back to the museum building from the 'naughty path'.

Safely back down, but by now the main party had headed back. NO problem, I could remember the way......couldn't I??

This was MY kind of spit - loaded with roasted chickens.

This sort of distraction wasn't helping us to get back to the coach!

More shots of the impressive Vikos gorge.

DON'T LOOK DO.......oh - too late!

After getting really disorientated, and worrying Sue to death, with dry mouths I finally realised where we'd gone wrong, and where we were. We were SO relieved to get back to the place where we were dropped off, we just had time for a cold beer and a snack.

After eating the famous cheese & spinach pies the region is famous for (they're OK, but I wouldn't rave about them), the coach left the gorge and we headed for the three famous bridges, Petsioni, Mylos and Plakidas.

There are NO railways in the Zagori region, so everything has to go by road. These bridges were built in the 18th  to allow provisions to get to all the surrounding villages. 

Old and frail they may look, but they are solid, and have stood the test of time. The stone arched bridges were built by benefactions from expatriate merchants in the 18th century and replaced older, wooden bridges.

We were allowed off the coaches to walk across the bridges.

They're impressive to look at from afar, but walking over them gives you a real feel for the ingenuity of the builders back then.

The Kalogeriko three arched bridge.

You can read more about this network of bridges 

HERE

This particular bridge is a popular place for wedding photo's, and we were lucky enough to see a wedding photoshoot taking place that day.

I had to put my own bride on the bridge too :-)

We returned to Parga, and visited our favourite little gyros bar. These were SUCH good value, and really tasty too.

You can see the gyros bar through the anchor!

A walk up to the Meeting House bar for a digestif Metaxa brandy before bedtime.

PART FIVE.

As the sun had been really strong the past few days, we thought a beach day was in order. We fancied some sand, so drove to the nearby Lichnos beach. The beach bar there was still open, and again, free sunbeds if you bought drink or food.

This is a PROPER lie and relax beach, so we did just that!

My little mermaid.

 Never able to resist water, especially the sea.

A gorgeous little old wine press at the side of the cafe.

Clean lines, great food, and very cold beer!

We ate here three times, and every meal was pure delight! This was a salad in a moulded bowl of edible cheese.

That night, it was the last (again, closing for the season) Greek night at the Dokos tavern opposite our hotel.

It was only our second visit, the first just being a lunchtime drink to introduce ourselves to the owners. Friends of ours couldn't speak more highly of this place, the food, people and entertainment, so of course, we just HAD to go.

The scene was set.

The usual Greek-sized portions (ie, HUGE!) came to the table as we were entertained by various musicians and singers.

I think we're going to need a bigger table Susie.

The fire dancing thing was new to us.

Of course, there was dancing on the tables....

.

....and the Greeks LOVE a bit of plate-smashing!

PART SIX

Yet another thing that was doing it's last gig was the train to Ali Pasha's castle. It left from the main beach and we were there TO RIDE IT!

As you can see, this is a short time before we were due to leave, and no-one else was there!!

Would they go if it was just us on the trip??

Luckily another couple (yes, just one) turned up, and we left for the castle.

The 'train' is a simple diesel engine decorated to look like a train. You see these things in lots of locations. They do the job.

This was our first distant view of the castle.

On arrival, the girl guide gave us all the information about the place and the man in very good English.

We were left to our own devices to explore the castle, which we did.

Another great day for views and sunshine, with just the odd wisp of cloud about.

As you would expect, more cannon.

As we always do, we went off on our own to explore further. The corridors and tunnels were a real pull for us, and we spent a bit more time looking at them than we should have. When we got back, we were slightly embarrassed, as the guide was about to leave without us, we'd been that long! 

(I don't think the other couple were as interested in the castle as us, so had finished looking around long before we had)

The train 'pulled out' and we set off back towards Parga, with a planned stop in Anthousa. 

Our plan was to exit the train here, and walk back to Parga.

This is looking back to Ali Pasha's castle. You can clearly see what an imposing position it commands.

This was the first thing we'd come to see, and it took a little finding! A local, who was English but had lived here for years, showed us the way.

I'm not sure it was because of the recent rains or what, but there was quite a lot of litter around, spoiling the effect somewhat. Even the odd tyre :-(

We tagged on to a tour, so got the full description of what the mill did in the past from the guide.

After a VERY hot walk, we reached Valtos beach.

The sunbeds and tavernas were a welcome sight.

The Captain's tavern, highly recommended - free sunbed with food and drink (but not sure if it's the same deal in the high season). We had a burger to share, something we very rarely eat, maybe two a year? This one was HEAVEN!! So much so, we ordered (and enjoyed) another one!

Time to catch some rays on sandy Valtos beach.

The view of the monastery, we'd be walking over that ridge back to Parga later on.

With perfect timing, we reached the ridge as the sun set over Valtos.

PART SEVEN

Lichnos beach day

To fully enjoy the brilliant warm weather we were having, we drove the short distance to Lichnos beach. Earlier in the week, we HAD tried to walk it, but got lost in the olive forest, so gave up. Also, it was far too hot to be walking, even with the shade from the trees.

(NB - we did the walk on a subsequent visit, and REALLY enjoyed it). You can CLICK HERE to access that blog.

The Coral taverna was now the only bar open here, but it wasn't a case of Hobson's choice, as this was probably the best bar. The food was up to usual Greek standards, beer a fair price, and again, free sunbeds!

You can almost feel the love in their food - although customers were few now. Every dish was produced with pride, and tasted fresh.

This tapenade (red stuff) was really tasty and addictive!

TA DA!!

A cheese bowl full of salad - HEAVEN!

Yes, the beer was COLD!

That night, it was back down into Parga to relax.

This bar we saw had a good balcony with views over the prom and harbour. However, it WAS the most expensive place we'd been to.

Inside was pretty slick, and the music was cool.

The following night, our last, began at Johnny's bar, where the beer was (again) 'ONLY TWO BLOODY EUROS' :-)

Then later, we wanted to eat at a taverna we'd seen LOTS of locals in on previous nights. It always seemed to be very busy, when other places were slack.

The impressive spits, full of chickens and other kebab type things.

We met David and his wife, having a last wander too. 

This holiday had been amazing, not just because my new wife was by my side, but the fabulous place, people and experience that was Parga.

Marks out of ten???

10/10!!!

Parga, we LOVE you!!