Blogs from Chania, Crete, Greece, Europe - page 8

After capuccinos (not very good, but we'll have our own coffee tomorrow), we got the lowdown from Philia Tountas and paid the bill, 130 Euros for 5 nights... what a bargain! We decided to take the bus into Chania for the day, but after strolling thru Kalives (a very quaint seaside village with a nice beach), we waited for the bus, but it didn't come. Instead, we finished browsing the stores in Kalives and had lunch at Zolabas Taverna, where we had dikos (rusk toast with diced tomatoes and feta cheese), Manoli had tomato vegetable soup and I had feta stuffed long peppers. Very good, at less than 16 Euros with drinks, and we were entertained by their cats. After lunch, we returned to the apartment for rest and to unpack, then back out to stroll ... read more

So. I am in Chania, a smallish town on the north coast of Crete, the largest, southernmost Greek isle. The place was originally built by Venetian nobility, in an exodus where one sixth of Venice came here. Accordingly there is an old Venetian harbour and fortress, all crumbling, old stone. It is nice here. You wouldn't believe it's in the same country as Athens, such is the difference. It is tranquil relaxing laid back...the waiters don't try to hustle you...the food is cheaper and better, as is the liquor. They don't drink ouzo as much as raki here. Raki is similar to Italian grappa, distilled from the skins, seeds, and stems of grapes;what's left over after the grapes have been mashed for wine. It has a smell that flickers between whisky and tequila, and a taste ... read more

Well yesterday, Wednesday, was an awesome day! We had another free day, so of course we went hiking. Ingrid, Brock, and I went to the travel agency in town and asked for a good hike to do, so they gave us one that led us to a beach. They said normally people just walk there and then hire a cab for the way back, but we thought we should just walk it all. So we got up and ate breakfast in town (Vamos) and then left a little before 10am. The way to this beach was through many different terrains. Sometimes it was paved, sometimes it was gravel, and for a little while it was on little trails through an olive grove. We saw a lot of churches along the way, just like on every hike ... read more

On Monday morning Ingrid and I woke up early at the Orthodox Academy and watched the sunrise from our balcony. It was gorgeous. But I was a little tired for the rest of the day then because I woke up about 6am. Then at 10 we left for Chania which was only about 20 minutes away. Chania is the second biggest city in Crete, about 50,000 people. Our hotel is not very nice, but we are really close (like a block) from most of the shops and about three blocks from the water, so that’s really nice. On Monday afternoon we just walked around town and went shopping. We were in a little tourist shop and the lady who worked there was from New Jersey (her dad was from Crete, so that’s why she was here) ... read more

Hello everyone! This is an update from the Greek part of our excursion. Greece is wonderful... well parts of it I guess I should say. We are spending our last night together, us three girls.. sob sob... on the wonderful island of Crete (Krete... pronounced Kreta with a wonderful Cretian accent of course). It honestly is our favorite place so far, probably because we picked the most beautiful beach in the world to stay at... I'll get to that later because our Greek adventure did not start on Crete. No no... it started in the "lovely" city of Athens. Oh, Athens... where to start. For those of you who have been to Athens you may have an idea why I say it that way. Bascially, if you've ever thought about going to Athens.. dont! Again, just ... read more