Arokaria Notebook

Hiking & Herbs

Around the Island

Oregano, ready to be picked

It’s end of April and it is just the right moment to pick oregano, just before it starts blooming. The mountains around Lefkes are full of oregano as well as other herbs and flowers that can be found in the Cyclades in spring.

Hiking around Lefkes

Today we joined Christophoros from Paros Hikes on a botanical walk in the valley around Lefkes. For about 3 hours we walked around enjoying the beautiful landscape and view, discovering aromatic herbs, edible plants and wild flowers of Paros.

Hiking around Lefkes

We picked a lot of oregano, thyme, sage, herbs used widely in the Greek cuisine and we talked about the use and the therapeutic properties of the plants. The mountains of Paros are full of nature’s pharmacy’s pure products.

Cistus, a member of the rockrose family found in Paros
Bloomed oregano

After a walk full of colours and amazing  smells we stopped by the chapel of Analipsi for a picnic prepared by Christophoros. A bit of local cheese, some cherry tomates, bread, olives, fava with freshly picked oregano on top and some sweet red local wine and souma!

Freshly picked oregano for the fava

What a day! And what a great way to connect to the island and its beauties and appreciate the amazing views. A walk around the beautiful village of Lefkes is always a good idea!

Hiking around Lefkes

Back home I tie and I hang the oregano and the thyme in a dark and dry room in order to dry it! Seems like I am sorted for the winter.

NOTES

Paros Hikes offer guided walking, hiking and cycling tours around Paros & Antiparos. Join one of their hikes or get in touch and plan a hike according to your needs.

Walking around Ampelas

… a little fishermen village, on the eastern coast of Paros.

Coffee & Snack in Naoussa

After finishing off what has to be done, it ‘s time for a coffee and a quick snack, before leaving the village.

Paros on a motorbike

Getting around Paros by bike is easy, since its morphology and roads make it one of the most accesible and bike friendly islands.

Swimming from Paros to Antiparos

After about half an hour the swimmers started arriving at Antiparos, where they were cheered by the crowd

A Relaxing Day at Glyfa

After a couple of hours under the sun and a bit of swimming, we moved to the restaurant of the area, only meters away from the beach.

Autumn Sailing

The wind is perfect and the last bit of sunlight for the day makes the bay and Naoussa at the background look even more magical!

Hiking around the lighthouse

The monumental rock formations together with the low vegetation of wildflowers, herbs and bushes form a magical setting for an afternoon walk.

Greek Design on the Island – Accessories

Accesories, objects and jewelry which combine simplicity and forms deriving directly from the rich greek tradition

Sea kayaking around Antiparos

The sea was calm, so paddling was easy and relaxing, while the proximity to the surface of the sea gave us a unique perspective of the wonderfully blue waters of the Aegean.

Day cruise to Koufonisia

The flirt between the yellowy rocks of the islands and the clear waters of the Aegean sea results to various turquoise hidden paradises.