In the Cyclades, there are no continuous flow rivers (except maybe a few exceptions in Naxos and Andros). The rivers are torrents or streams, as they say, and are filled only with heavy rains, because with the simple rains the thirsty soils suck the waters and do not let them flow in the rivers and then in the sea.

In many places, especially in plains, the riverbed operates all year round as a dirt road, most of it with cobblestones and serves the needs of farmers and residents. An alternation of uses that is harmless and helpful to both nature and humans, as long as there is no rubble or cement.

The network of paths of Paros in several places it meets old Byzantine bridges that served the needs of the inhabitants before the creation of modern highways. One of them is located 500 meters NW of Lefkes and is located on the "river" Vrontas.

Ο Thundering, nicknamed the Kleanthis stream, took its name from the thunder it makes when it flows rapidly. It springs between the mountains of Agioi Panto and Stroumoula, drains the central eastern area of ​​Paros, and passing north of Lefkes and the location of Apati finally flows into Glyfades beach. It has a hydrological basin with an area of ​​11 square kilometers and a length of about six kilometers but it is very rare to see it have water.

These days the bridge had its honor, as it felt the rushing waters cool its foundations and the Vronta come to life again, because usually the rains are absorbed by the thirsty soils and very rarely, to create a flow of water. As another reason is that many rivers have sinkholes in their path and a significant amount is lost in the earth and enriches the aquifer.

Vrontas continued its course to the east, descending, met the public Choirolakas-Naoussa where there is a modern bridge and continued the flow.

From one point onwards, about one kilometer from the sea, the Vronta riverbed has been turned into a passable road which connects the Asteras area with my favorite beach of Glyfada. For the first time, this cobbled road that I crossed every day in the summers for my bath, played its role in my eyes.

And despite the danger - because in some places the height of the water exceeded 30-40 cm - the challenge was great and so I followed him to reach the beach.

Below the deeply erased Byzantine path that connects Lefkes with Prodromos runs the Bad, the "river" that collects the waters of the Whites on either side of the Holy Trinity and leads them to the bridge of Choirolakas.

Before Kakos reaches Choirolakas, he receives the waters of a small tributary that collects water from the ravine of Agia Kyriaki, an area with olive terraces.

At some point the Byzantine path meets the tributary and jumps over it with an elegant two-arched bridge of Byzantine era. A magical landscape.

From this point begins the burned area from the fire of the summer of 2021 where here too nature is reborn by itself. The depicted plant that defied the scorched earth is the onion plant and has its history. On New Year's Eve, according to tradition, they sold onions or onions or wild onions with the pod (root) wrapped in red gelatin. It was hung behind the door or at the entrance of the house. They say he brought good luck to the house and was against the evil eye.

A wonderful mandrake, also in burnt, a healing herb (satanic herb) that in large quantities can stimulate rage and delirium in the patient, as it is an opiate plant with deadly action. Its healing properties had impressed the ancient peoples, as a result of which they initially characterized it as a sacred plant, according to their customs and later as magical, as they surrounded it with a lot of stories about its origin, its eradication and its action, both in healing as well as in magic. And in ours, mandrake is the magic herb that Circe used to enchant Odysseus's companions while it is a wonderful song by the late George Zikas who lived in the parts of Paros

"Len from the old days, like an amulet if you have one
root of this plant in love you endure

Pythagoras's advice beware of Mandragoras
attention to Mandragora hides secrets and gifts

Kakos continues his course through a ravine with olive trees.

It reaches Hoirolakas with momentum, where about twenty years ago a modern bridge was built and continues to the plain of Molos. The bridge of Choirolakas is a landmark of Paros because there crosses the ring road Naoussa-Marpisa-Dryou-Aliki with the only road that crosses the interior of Paros through Lefkon-Kostos-Marathiou connects the villages of Archilochos with Parikia.

At the point of Marbles you will meet another road-river that comes from Marpisa. After their meeting the waters become more and follow another road-stream bed and flow into the wetland of Molos which is protected by the Ramsar treaty. Wetlands have for years been considered a curse but a blessing: sources of malaria and potentially fertile fields. Relatively recently - around 40 years - they have been recognized by science as very valuable ecosystems and are under protection. Paros has about 20 wetlands and Molos is one of the largest and most interesting.

The day before yesterday, the wetland of Molos was flooded by the waters of the rivers, which broke the sand and spilled into the sea.

What they say happened happy the Parians, "had so much water, that the rivers reached the sea". Because the rain in Paros and the Cyclades is a wish of God.

With that, last year's hydrological year (from summer to summer) which was only 250 millimeters, and the prolonged rainfall until December, was followed by a two-month period of heavy irrigation rains that exceeded 500 millimeters and we still have ahead, in February and spring.

And from the celebrations of the first 60 mm of rain, on the first day of December we reached 500 mm, a fact that will make this year one of the richest in recent years.

And we celebrate even more.