Its 1979 and I’m living in Athens and working as a live in Au Pair for a Scottish-Greek family with two boys age 5 and 10. They are a busy family and as a result I spend a lot of the time with the boys moving them around between their (divorced) parents and in between their holiday houses on Patmos and Paros. I have MANY wonderful memories from those days. The houses were typically Cycladean – white with blue shutters and doors and very simple. Eating was mainly outdoors and with a very bohemian group of potters, artists and cheffy types. Long tables laden with large platters and bowls of local produce – the sweetest tomatoes, local lamb, lemons and figs from our trees and our neighbour’s olive oil. Nothing flash but eye opening for me and a lifestyle I fell in love with. For 40 years I was too scared to return to Greece and especially to the islands in fear that those memories would be tainted or spoilt but I decided I didn’t want to put it off any longer and I am SO happy I didn’t. Paros is busier and more populated than back then but it still carries the essence of all I remember, and life still revolves around friends, family and food – traditional and local for the most part and most definitely seasonal. I loved every minute of our time in Paros and many memories were unlocked from the recesses of my brain!

I managed to find an airbnb as close as possible to those simple houses we lived in and in the best position overlooking the ocean and the sunset. It was up a steep set of stairs but we found a back way to get to and from the local restaurants and cafes which saved us from a heart attack every night climbing up them! It was a simple little two bedroom apartment with a great balcony. We had a little restaurant right next door to us whose kitchen opened from 6.30 until midnight meaning there were often people there until 1 or 2 in the morning but mostly it wasn’t too intrusive although I’ve decided drunk women of a certain age are the absolute noisiest of all humans!!!

We stayed in Parikia which is the main port of the island and where I lived all those years ago. The old town is a labyrinth of alleyways with crazy paving and whitewashed buildings swathed in vibrant pinks and reds of bougainvillea and little shops and cafes were wedged into the smallest of spaces with brightly painted tables and chairs spilling onto the pavement – a perfect spot to watch the world go by. Church bells pealed and people chattered in many different languages and we enjoyed that special holiday feeling you get in a beautiful and unique setting.

We ventured out to Naoussa – the other main town of the island – to enjoy a day at the beach and lunch next to the ocean. Literally by the ocean! Eating octopus and drinking chilled wine next to the blue sea lapping the shore is a memory for the ages. We caught a boat to a nearby beach where we swam in the crystal clear water and sunbaked on warm rocks. A local ‘entrepreneur’ was asking $50 an hour to rent a sunbed and a brolly so we did what we did all those years ago as backpackers and went au naturel! The land surrounding the coast was as dry as I remember with only a little greenery around the houses and with rather barren land in between. The wind plays havoc on these islands and nothing seems to grow over 5 feet and everything has a bit of a jaunty lean!

Another day trip was spent in Antiparos, a 20 minute boat trip away, a smaller quieter but equally pretty version of Paros. It was like going back 50 years and very relaxing (maybe why Tom Hanks has a holiday house here) – you truly feel displaced from real life! For us that meant walking around the island and eating and drinking yet again before braving the boat back to Paros in a very high wind on a choppy sea. I was a bit scared that our little wooden ferry wouldn’t make it but apart from getting drenched we all survived to tell the tale! If the winds had become any stronger they would have cancelled the boat apparently and then goodness knows what we would have done!

The food we had on Paros was amazing – loads of fish and seafood for me and the MOTH enjoyed his favourite moussaka and gyros, all pretty reasonably priced and eating outside at a taverna full of families and tourists alike under the stars on a balmy evening was all we could have wished for. Our location right on the water meant we were spoilt for sunsets which were spectacular.

We also caught a bus to the other side of the island, venturing inland to a hilltop town called Lefkes which is authentically Greek, quiet and charming. It was nice to see a few trees and meander through the narrow alleyways until we reached a lovely shady square and enjoyed a delicious lunch, zucchini fritters, souvlaki and greek salad followed by portokalopita – the famous orange cake of Greece. Delicious and addictive!

As our time in Paros came to an end I was grateful that my memories had not only NOT been ruined, they had been enhanced. We both thoroughly enjoyed our time here and our fitness improved with all the hills and stairs we climbed! A little balance to all the yummy food consumed hopefully. Our next stop was Mykonos where we were meeting up with the MOTH’s sister and hubby and treating ourselves to a hotel stay. We caught the fast boat which only took us about an hour and powered through the choppy waves like a hot knife through butter! On to the next stage of our Greek Island Odyssey…..