In Greece you sometimes can’t see the sea for all the rental parasols. Now the “towel movement” is demanding more free space for locals and guests – with success, as a visit to Paros shows.
Paros last Sunday: “Mikri Santa Maria is free!” Someone calls through the megaphone. There is clapping, then the first unpack their towels and settle down in the small bay. More and more Greek families are coming, with picnic bags, children by the hand and grandparents in tow. “We haven’t seen our beach like this in years,” says Ilias Petrakis, spreading out the baby blanket for his daughter.