Paros Shepherd Newsletter - March 03
Published 8 April 03 Please subscribe by sending an email with Subscribe as subject.
Greetings:
From Karin:
March is a landmark! We have come
full circle, being here on Paros one year now! (Actual arrival date -
April 4, 2002). My goal has been reached, my dream of living on a
Greek isle has been achieved! I feel so very, very lucky....
The first part of March was very
spring-like, with warming sun and longer daylight hours. Some days we
could actually sunbathe on the south balcony, however, in the office on the
north side, Michael still had his heater on! The fickleness of Spring!
The field flowers changed also; more red
poppies, and the daisies grew taller. Many other varieties of flowers,
of which we do not the names, are growing in the green fields in abundance.
Even the air has new sounds: bees buzzing, grasshoppers swishing by,
birds singing while building nests, and people becoming noticeably more
vocal and cheerful. What a day in the sunshine does for all God's
creatures is amazing!
We spent the first two weeks mentally
getting ready for our BIG move to our new site. Lots to do, lists to
make, ideas to pursue, with no real action taking place! This was
because it seemed too early to start packing, and I was going to make a trip
to Ireland to visit friends. We decided to cram it all into a few days
before the actual move! Which, in hindsight, actually turned out OK...
I found out what it is like to travel by
ferry in high winds....and also found out I make a fairly good sailor,
although, it is not something I would actively pursue! It is very
reassuring, however, to know that the ferries do take all the necessary
precautions for passenger safety - such as, we went to Syros Island and
waited for reports to see if it was safe to continue. It was, so
we went on to Pireaus (Athens Port). I must say, the chairs were
moving across the floor with the roll of the ship, and men sat in heavy
chairs up against the outside doors so they stayed closed and the cold air
did not come in. However, a few times I found it necessary to go
outside and get some of that air! Coming home again from Athens,
Michael warned me that it might be windy again, so I made plane reservations
on the little 20 seater Olympic airplane right in the travel agency in
Ireland the day before my flight.
As it turned out, the day was brilliant
with little wind, but I was elated that I opted for the plane trip.
What a wonderful experience! It only took 20 minutes actual flying
time (as opposed to 4 to 5 hours by ferry). My flight cost 92
Euro (including airport taxes - which hurt a bit as the ferry is only 20
Euro). But so completely worth it! We flew low enough to
actually see some wonderful large estates on other islands, hidden
beaches with no roads to them, even antiquities on hilltops. I felt a
bit smug when flying over the ferry I would have been on, chug chugging
along at it's snails pace! When we came in for a landing I could
see Michael dashing to the airport on his scooter! The plane flies
right next to our hotel, and many times I have gone outside onto the balcony
and waved at the "tourists" a friendly hello greeting! Now I
know it is quite possible they actually saw me!
The last few days saw us knee high in
boxes, moving in a rental car to our new hotel. We will miss Aliki and
the people we made friends with. Although we are now only 10 minutes
away, on an island as small as this, it feels further! Six kilometres
makes a world of difference! We will visit new shops, meet new people,
and go to Parikia more now. That will be fun, because Parikia is where
the action is! Aliki is a wonderful community, and if I were to choose
a place to have a permanent home, I think that is where I would look first.
So, now, that was our March.....and even
though it is the end of a cycle, it is also the start of a new one. I
will continue to write, but plan to make some changes.......hopefully ones
you will enjoy. Thanks for being interested in Aliki and our lives
there. We hope you will now enjoy learning about Marinio Hotel, and
our area known as Agia Irini. By the way, Agia Irini means Saint
Irene, which is Greece's patron saint. So, we feel extra blessed!
Yassis,
Karin
From Michael:
We are now associated with World
Choice Travel. They have a very
user-friendly site for searching air flights at the same costs as
Expedia, Orbitz and the other big companies and they also offer truly
discounted hotels and other travel Hot Deals.
Reach the system through our address:
www.ParosParadise.com/WCT.htm
Please bookmark it to try it out for your next travel bargain search.
At first glance it appears to be all for North America, but as you get
deeper many European and Asian values show up. We
appreciate your support.
Shepherd's "Beyond Paros" Travel
