Paros is a quiet island…but a great one at that. We are in the little town of Naousa. The beach in front of the place we are staying is the Gulf of Naousa near the Kolympitres Beach. So beautiful with the aqua colors amoung the midnight blue ones.

The little town was close to the port where our ferry docked. It was full of outside cafes, restaurants, and bars. I thought there were more than Mykonos, but then again I could be totally wrong. But everyone was out enjoying themselves in the sun.

For dinner I had an amazing pork dish, with orange and ginger, and what I thought were orange wedges. Out waiter, who was from Bulgaria- and told us we had to go to his country- told me I had to eat them. What a taste! I asked the manager how they were made: you cut them in half, scoop out the orange, purée it with ginger and some licquor put it back in the orange halves and let it sit in the fridge.

He gave us a sample of the local after dinner drink, a Greek sweet liquor called Mastika, or “the tree.” Seasoned with a resin with a slightly pine or cedar like flavor of the mastic tree. A small evergreen tree only found in the Mediterranean region. I asked him if this was the liquor they use for the oranges, and he smiled and told me yes. And I had a good pallet. That made me laugh.

Had to leave for Athens. Going to be back there for 2 days.