Oh, Greece! I've always dreamed about going there. Even though we spent two years living in Europe, we never managed to get over to Greece. I think ideally I wanted to get on a sailboat and cruise around the islands, but who knows when that will happen. So instead we decided to make this trip, our first trip to Greece. Truth be told, there are so many islands and different regions to see that I could imagine never getting tired going there and always seeing something new and exciting.
We arrived in Iraklio midafternoon and rented an economy car to get us around the island. We stayed in a beautiful old renovated villa in a small town nearby called Archanes. Upon arrival, we realized that our hostess did not speak any English, but she was charismatic and welcomed us as best possible. As is the tradition, that evening she offered us some quince preserves (yum!):
That evening we explored our surroundings in the small town, had a lovely dinner and gathered our strengths for the following day which promised to be interesting and hot!
We went to Knossos which is an ancient ruin of the Minoan civilization. There has a been a lot of restoration at the site which was really what someone thought it looked like back in the day. Slightly hokey if you ask me, but interesting nonetheless.
That afternoon we visited Iraklio's old town and enjoyed another delicious lunch. I was completely in love with Greek food!
The next day we drove the northern Cretan coast, stopping at Rethymno for lunch and taking an afternoon dip in the Mediterranean. The water was still a bit cold, but it was refreshing and invigorating!
Our next stop was Chania: a town that is compared to Venice with a beautiful harbor and quaint little streets. One of the reasons for staying there was our desire to hike Samaria gorge nearby. When planning this hike, I imagined a long, but mostly flat walk thru canyons. I never considered the hike down into the gorge! The beginning was a big drop down into the gorge.
Boy, my knees were so sore at the end and my toes slightly bruised. All was forgotten once we got to the end and the beach. Another chance to dip in! The full day excursion tuckered us out, but not enough to miss on going to see some live Cretan folk music. The sound is rich and happy and sad all at once. I quickly and completely fell in love with Cretan folk music!
The next day we took it easy, toured downtown Chania, the harbour, the lighthouse and then drove thru the countryside to the beach. Again! I'm almost ashamed to say it, but I love lying on the beach (sand or pebble, it doesn't matter!) reading a book or just looking at the water. CD and I had agreed to mix culture with leisure, as a vacation should be: see new things and relax.
That evening we returned to listen to more Cretan music. The following day we drove to an isolated town on the southern coast: Agios Pavlos. I guess it's supposed to be a yoga retreat area, but we swam and took in more sunshine. Our last day in Crete was spent driving back to Iraklio to catch a plane to our next island Rhodes. We made sure to stop and check out Phaestos (below)and Gortyna, ancient cities of the Minoans.
