Paros, Greece, Day 3, September 8, 2015

I am now driving almost like a local, assertive but not aggressive and taking the bends in the road as a challenge. I do however pull off the road to let cars pass if I get the impression that they don’t like that I am going the speed limit. Others just pass on the double line.

Today we went inland to Lefkes, a small town of 900, 300 metres above sea level. Non-residents are not allowed to drive on the few roads wide enough in the town and most paths are just two donkeys wide. It used to be the capital of Paros during the Middle Ages. The Byzantine church, made of white marble from a local quarry, dates to the 15^th century. 

We somehow found ourselves at the church then explored some more.

We parked near the top and explored the narrow paths with a photo op at every turn. 

 A fix me upper

 Stairway to heaven

Hotel

We were getting hungry and miraculously made our way back to the top where we found a restaurant overlooking the town with a beautiful breeze to cool us down. I was looking forward to roasted lamb but they only had lamb chops. I opted for moussaka while Jill had pork schnitzel with fries. We started with two Greek beers and a tomato and cucumber salad with green olives. The moussaka wasn’t great, but the schnitzel was outstanding. A generous portion of thicker than normal breaded pork and delicious fries that filled us both up. The tomatoes were so ripe and the cucumber tasted like it came out of someone’s garden. Greek olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper, delish. They played Sade as we ate, which was perfect. That combined with the cooling breeze as we relished the view was magic. We could not have been more relaxed and happier.

The views from Lefkes were outstanding. The terraced and divided hills told a story of days gone by. From Lefkes, we were able to see the more mountainous island of Naxos, the next and final stop of our adventure.

 The drive back to the port seemed a lot faster, perhaps because it was all down hill. We headed for the beach for a swim, a beach walk, and a short snooze while catching some rays. Lucky us.

Back home we snacked on olives, cheese, and Hungarian sausage with wine and beer. Jill beat me, once again, at Scrabble and complained the whole time that she had no vowels. That’s because I had them all.