Arriving by ferry to the island of Paros, in between both Mykonos & Ios, we had the intention to spend a couple of days to just rest, catch up on sleep and remain party-free in what would be the first time we'd had two consecutive nights off this trip so far. And for once we stuck to our plan. A much prettier, developed and surprisingly larger island in size than Mykonos, Paros was the perfect destination to escape the temptation of drinking, as there was far less nightlife, being mainly occupied with families and couples. It did however, have much nicer shopping villages and restaurants than the deserted Mykonos, which allowed us to feast on beautiful seafood dinners with prawns, grilled fish, squid and mussels for next to nothing in cost.

With only really one full day on the island, Jack and I, in addition to Doug & Joe decided to reinvest in a couple of quad bikes and go out in search of some cool secret beaches along the coastline and possibly a few cliffs to jump off along the way. Starting off by venturing north up to Kolymbithes beach, which is perhaps the most well-known tourist attraction of the island, we continued heading up the coastline till we reached a dead-end in the road where you could only travel by foot. So we ditched the quad bikes & set off walking through what was apparently called 'Rock Park'. A very original name considering all it consisted of was vast mountains with millions of rocks. After a solid 15 minutes of walking we came to a cliff edge at the most northerly point of the island, next to the lighthouse, with lovely deep aqua-blue water a good 10m below; perfect for a cliff jump. Not sure whether it was deep enough to break our fall at first, I opted to go in first as the test dummy, followed by Jack, Doug & then finally a very nervous Joe, who overcame his fear of heights to make the plunge. A good adrenalin rush and a lovely cove of water to paddle around in for a bit before getting back to the bikes to explore the island. Heading east to places such as Santa Maria then south and around the island along the coastal road provided a fantastic scenic ride to take in a glance at all the surrounding islands. Stopping frequently for a photo opportunity and a dip at various amazing beaches, it led to quite an exhausting, yet productive and fun day. Capping the day off, Jack & I drove to the waterfront cafes down at the port at Parikia for a couple of cold beers and watch a pretty awesome sunset that has got us excited for the likes of Santorini in a week or so.

Whilst only a rather short stay on Paros, we all really enjoyed our stint there. It proved to be a good option if you were looking to hang up the partying-pants for a couple of nights in favour of taking in many great natural sites and patches of water of the Aegean Sea that are far less populated and mainstream than many other islands in Greece. Feeling fresh and full of energy, we are departing today by ferry to Far Out Beach Club in Ios; and from all accords from previous travellers and people we've come across on our trip to date, we are in for a wild 4 days.