THE GREEK WEDDING

Paros is definitely a very special place for me. Back in 2019 I actually had the opportunity to study abroad on this Island at HISA International School for Art and Cycladic Culture. It was an absolutely incredible experience and I made some pretty amazing friendships and memories while I was on the Island. One memory in particular that stands out to me is actually at this church.

This is the Holy Church of the Virgin Mary Ekatontapyliani. It is a Large Byzantine-era stone church that is said to have once held the true cross of Christ around 400AD. The true cross of Christ was allegedly stolen by pirates soon after. As a Christian though, it was an incredible experience to be somewhere the felt so connected to my Savior. Speaking of my Savior, prior to my trip to Greece in 2019, I was desperately praying that I would get the opportunity to photograph a real Greek wedding in Greece. Little did I know, there was a family on the island that was also praying for a photographer.

As I was walking to the market one morning, I saw one of my professors calling to me from this church.

“Reyna! Come quick! Is your camera charged?"

“Yes! What is going on?”

“My friends are getting married and they have no photographer, would you help by taking some pictures!?”

It was absolutely magical and such an amazing cultural and learning experience. The bride and groom spoke no English and I did not speak a lick of Greek, so my professor stayed by to assist us in translating. She also explained to me the cultural significance of many of the events as well. I think I was picking rice out of my hair for the rest of the week, but I was so happy to do it. What a miracle that I was able to bless this couple on their wedding day and that they were able to bless me with such a beautiful opportunity.

Of course when I took Jake back to Paros, I had to show him this church.

PAROS 2022

I had SO much fun showing Jake around the little island that I called home for a summer. Paros is not very large and you can easily travel the entire island in a day. Transportation is also very easy on the island and you have lots of options (bus tickets for around 1.5, rental car for about 30 dollars a day or 4 wheeler for about 20 dollars a day). While we were on the island we rented a 4 wheeler and also took the bus. Neither of us are very confident in our abilities to drive a manual car in a foreign country so we opted not to drive.

On the first day we went to Kolympethres Beach, which is one of my favorite beaches on the island! It has some incredibly cool rock formations and can be a little more private than some of the other beaches on the island. Although I will say, that one of the wonderful things about Paros is that it is not as touristy as most of the surrounding islands which is great! I also want to say that it looked like they were building some new resorts in that area when were visited so it might be a little bit more busy now! Maybe those would be cool resorts to stay at!

Another stop that we made on that first day was Naousa. This is definitely one of those post card places to go and see. When we visited it was uncharacteristically cold and windy so I didn’t get very many great photos this year, but I promise it is worth the visit! Something to try while in Naousa is the octopus! Warning! It is kind of rubbery.

If you are thinking of planning a trip to Paros and want some advice, reach out and I would be happy to give you some more specific tips! But for now here are a few other things that I just loved in Paros

Favorite Restaurants: