PC552 Paros 1 29/3/10
Wed - Arrived on Island
-- but everything closed ... "Who comes off season ?" ... Sunny, but biting wind.

Thu-

- everything closed for National day lacklustre childrens parades,

- After I continued walking west past some beaches .. to Pounda, where the ferry to the ajacent island leaves . It became a mega walk of 16Km as I decided to walk back via Butterfly Valley (a closed tourist attraction ) and over the hills.

Fri - Things looking up

- Firstly I checked into the camping at €5, and bought 1 litre of wine for €1.40. I decided to explore Lefkes the old capital in the centre of the Island so I took a bus there ... Medina like streets and views to Naxos Islands, but not a really interesting place. I ended up walking across the hills for 2 hours to reach some ancient Marble mines ... Where the Acropolis stones were mined. There are 2 45° shafts one has an ancient carved relief at the entrance. Hitched back to town...

- Problem is it is 20C in the sun, but there is a hell of a wind blowing and you feel it when you're walking hill tops ... Woke in the night cos so chillly

- Stomach problem seems to be getting better I have had no bleeding for 1 week.

- I hate white buildings clothes are black ...

Sat - Walk North East
- along the bay past Krios to the old lighthouse and up a hill to an ancient Temple of Apollo ... Not much to see I guess they carted the Best stones off to a museum.
Sun - Walked up ridge to south
- There's a large ridge on the south of town and there's a large illuminted building near the top .. A monastery no doubt. So first I walked up there. I wanted to get to the top of the ridge ..since I'd not passed a path I had a hunch there'd be a path the other side of the monastery, but as I was investigating they were closing the monastery so I went up through the monastery garden to come up the east slope of the ridge. At the top I found a path marked with red paint dots and I culd se a metal cross a good viewpoint ..as well as Parikia you can see 4 other islands. Turns out that red dot path does lead from the west side of the monastery.

- I saw some ruins maybe a windmill and an old lookout or castle from there I could see the tallest mountain with the TV towers etc. So I followed the red dots and the fortress like nunnery at the mountain base came into view. So I continued across the brush fields to the hamlet of Vouda. The nunnery building isn't so impressive up close it's only 75 years old. Not much to see & windy as hell.

- The website had a walk to the nunnery I could see their route came a much less direct route coming all the way up from the West side of the ridge and up a dry river. I could have gone back that way, but instead went back to check where the red dot route originated. Actually at the last houses the web route was also marked red and turned west to go back via the other side of that dry river, but I continued across the plateau to the cross. That's when I found the path went to the trees at the west side of the monastery. Since it was closed I came down an awkward route zig zagging through orchard terraces to the west. Eventually I came out at the edge of town where ancient ruins with a mosaic sit on the edge of a carpark.

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