The Island of Antiparos

After spending time in Kastraki and visiting the clifftop monasteries of Meteora I decided to save Delphi for my next visit to Greece and head out to the islands.

I was intrigued by the mention in the Lonely Planet Greek Islands book of the great place to windsurf between the islands of Paros and Antiparos. I thought I had best check this out.

Traveling from Kastraki to Paros was a FULL DAY trip and did not reach the port of Parikia until nearly mid-night. When you get off the ferry people are gathered at the end of the docks with signs for rooms to rent. Running the gauntlet, I picked a woman and we negotiated terms. I was happy to have a place to rest!

The next morning on my way to the bus stop, I stopped at a bakery and bought a "spinach pie" which was still warm.......oh my gosh, was that delicious! Then, I found a gentleman at the dock who was selling fresh fruit; I bought some local grapes. While waiting for my bus, I was approached by a young man about a place to stay in Antiparos......word spreads quickly amongst the locals!

A bus ride and a short ferry between Paros and Antiparos, I left my backpack at this cute little place in Antiparos, and headed to the beach.

After swimming in the crystal clear turquoise blue waters, I pulled out the paints and sketchbook. What I learn was in the hot climate of Greece it is impossible to do a watercolor wash as the paint dries instantly! I painted quickly and then back into the water to cool off. What a life!


And you ask, did I go windsurfing? To be continued......

Kastraki, Greece

Meteora is nearly to the border of Greece and Albania. I took the bus from Athens and stopped at the end of the line which was Kastraki, a very cute little town. The bigger nearby town, Kalambaka, is where most people stay and take the charter bus to see the clifftop monasteries. I, of course, had to be different!

Kastraki won my heart. I stayed in a small family owned place with their own restaurant. Need I say, the food was outstanding?! The day I planned to hike up to the monasteries, it rained so hard this Washingtonian stayed inside to paint.

After having one of mother's fabulous meals, I sat at my table and drew the street scene. It felt like a pen and ink composition was calling......


And then I added the watercolors.

Greece Clifftop Monasteries of Meteora

A friend told me of a "must see" place to visit in Greece.

Six monasteries are built on natural sandstone rock pillars, at the northwestern edge of the Plain of Thessaly near the Pineios river and Pindus Mountains, in central Greece. Metéora means "suspended rocks", "suspended in the air" or "in the heavens above" and is one of the largest and most important complexes of Eastern Orthodox monasteries in Greece.

Preview of my next adventure.....







Yes, I am heading off to explore Greece for the next month.

Also on my "must see" list.....

Oia, Santorini where I will be staying for five days.



And a week on Crete in Plakias as a base for further explorations.



Who knows where else I may go?

I will have photos and watercolor paintings to share when I return.

Stay tuned!