By Kyleigh Hittle
Since I can remember, I have always had an innate fascination with our world’s history. The good, the bad, the similarities and differences found between many cultures. I have always had an interest in ancient civilizations, the advancements in technology, medicine, and even politics. Greek history has been at the forefront of my historical explorations since middle school. The mythology, how intricate the stories could be, the lessons to be shared, I couldn’t get enough. Every day, every page of my little history books, something new.
When we landed on Paros, I didn’t have a lot of expectations. I had read about Athens, Crete, and other smaller areas on or close to the mainland, however, I had not learned about the history of Paros. I walked these streets, exploring the town where a castle once stood, now repurposed with more homes and markets. I saw cobble stone streets, small details in the entryways of markets and homes. Places now abandoned but were once full of life. I saw drinking fountains made in the 18th century, no longer in use but still celebrated as Parian history. But I did not know just how rich the history of Paros was among these maze-like streets and the vast ocean side views.
We had the absolute pleasure of participating in a tour exploring and learning about Paros and how it grew to the beautiful place it is today. I was ecstatic. I could listen to these types of tours all day. We were told about an ancient cemetery right where we began the tour. The cemetery had sarcophagi housing generations of families, ashes of fallen Parian warriors given an honorable resting place. We learned of the castle I had seen prior, standing tall enough to see the ocean side where many of their enemies would advance. The castle was thought to be built from the materials of the then abandoned Temple of Athena, and pieces of a massive door structure from the Temple of Apollo. We were shown “The Church,” given the people of Paros by Constantine the Great, as a debt to them for assisting his elderly mother on a journey in which she did not see the end of. “The Church” was home to monks, suffered immense damage from an earthquake, and is home to the only remaining baptistery that has a baptismal font in the shape of the cross.
All this said, I decided to come on this trip to do the two things I love the most: learning about our world’s history and filmmaking. Here I can do both. This will be a trip I remember forever. I love you Paros!