Parga in Spring
Our home for the week was the delightful Irini Studios and we were made to feel very welcome by our hosts Christos and Irini, within minutes of arriving we were chilled!
So as to not waste any of our precious week we headed straight down the gentle hill into the main resort taking in all the stunning vistas, narrow lanes, glorious bougainvillea and the aromas of cooking, tempting us to an early dinner. No complaints, we’d had an early start and were ravenous – but still didn’t manage to clear our plates!!
Next morning we headed back down to the front and, facing the sea, saw the Venetian castle up a steep hill to the right of the harbour that begged exploration. It was a little hard going underfoot but we eventually climbed all the steps and rough pathways to be rewarded with outstanding views over the whole coastline. On Tuesday we joined a boat trip to Paxos and Anti-Paxos, visiting the stunning turquoise waters of the smaller Anti-Paxos first for a cooling swim and snorkel in the crystal-clear shallows before continuing on to Paxos. After a mooch around the harbour and alleyways behind we chanced upon a terrific little taverna where we enjoyed a delicious Greek lunch, except for Bobbi who was delighted to find strawberry and Nutella calzone pizza on the menu. Apparently it was delicious but looked completely disgusting, yuk!! After clambering around on the rocks, eel and crab spotting, Chris and Bobbi decided to go snorkelling again before we had to rejoin the boat for the return sailing to Parga.
Once back in Parga we ventured down the back streets and chanced upon a salon offering fish pedicures. Bobbi took a bit of persuading to give it a try and I honestly can’t say it was very relaxing because it was so ticklish having our feet nibbled by fish but we had a good laugh and came away with fresher feet! Two days relaxing by the pool gave us a chance to chat to lots of the other guests and it was clear to see why many keep returning, I’ve no doubt we will too. But two days is long enough to sit around and on Friday we headed off to Albania for the day.
And what a surprising place Albania is! The scenery is stunning, very mountainous with lush, verdant valleys awash with purple flowers with the dark green and yellow maquis on the hillsides, gushing rivers and vast lakes covered in lilies, it really was a joy to behold. Rural Albania is as I remember parts of Bulgaria 30 years ago, a simple life with little in the way of luxuries, unless you count a horse a cart! The main reason for our trip was to visit Butrint, in Butrint National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Built, occupied and added to variously by the ancient Greeks, Romans, Byzantines and Ottomans it makes for a fascinating slice of history. Saranda, on the other hand, close by on the coast is mostly very modern and a sweeping beach resort. Unsurprisingly, it wasn’t very busy, tourism being still in its infancy but I can imagine it is very popular with the locals in the height of summer.
Our favourite family excursion was on our final day when we visited Necromanteion and the Acheron River Gorge. Necromanteion, according to mythology, was an ancient temple dedicated to Hades, god of the Underworld and said to be located at the meeting point of three of the five rivers in the realm of Hades. One of these, Acheron, where Achilles was given his immortality, was where we were off to next.
The Acheron River and Gorge offered a splendid respite from the heat of the day as we waded through the ice-cold water up the river towards the gorge. I didn’t manage the gorge but Chris and Bobbi went a long way up, both paddling and swimming against the fast-flowing waters. The scenery was natural beauty, simply stunning and we all said that when we return we’ll go back and do it again. There were lots of activities to try such as horse-riding and rafting and we’ll hire a car next time so that we can spend a full day there. Relaxing over lunch, right by the water’s edge, was blissful and I’m surprised the area wasn’t heaving with visitors – but delighted that it seemed undiscovered by the crowds.
We’ve already decided we’re going back again next year, same time, same place, perhaps we’ll see you there?
If you’d like some help planning and booking your Greek odyssey then do please get in touch.