So it has been a whole week since my last entry! I have actually been unable to reach a computer in that time, and Samaria Gorge seems like a long while ago. When I last wrote, we were just leaving Chania, to go to Kissamos Kastelli, a town on the west coast from which we could reach a few good beaches. Right after I wrote that entry we went to the tourist office and found out that those beaches are all inaccessible at this time of year. SO, we decided to go to Elafonisi instead. Elafonisi is a wonderful spot on the southwest corner of the island. When we first got off the ferry, we couldn't see any buildings at all; just low hills rolling up to the northerly mountains, all covered in dark green scrub, the ocean shifting turquoise under a blue sky across which clouds being driven across. We dragged our backpacks to the hotel, this cheap little place with a restaurant that looks down over the beach, then crashed on the beach for the rest of the day.
Elafonisi is the beach; there's nothing else there. Looking down on it, it's a scrubby little hill of an island that rises out of the sea, rimmed on three sides by pale golden sand, and seperated from the mainland by fifty meters of knee deep crystal-clear water. Nowhere else that I've been, Corfu or Matalas (which I'll get to) had water that compares at all to the brilliant transparancy and fluorescent aquamarine colour of Elafonisi. You have to wade across just to get to it, and then you can walk along the beach, through coves that are invisible to each other, till you find the right spot...the right slope to recline on, no shade, and water clear enough of rocks in which to swim. We spent two days there, alternating roasting on the beach and cooling off in the lovely water, which just glimmers around you like you're swimming in clear blue light.
After that, we took the ferry back to Paleohora, a small coast town where we caught our bus back to Chania, then took another bus to Heraklion, where we were to spend ONE night before leaving for Rhodes the next day. Not to be. The next boat to Rhodes didn't leave until Tuesday. That was Saturday. Now Heraklion is nice enough, but I can't really figure out why there are so many tourists (including us) there wherever you look. It's kind of like a mini-Athens; I mean it's got some attractions, but it's not at all what I envisioned about Greece. So that day we bought our tickets for Rhodes and caught a bus to Matalas. We arrived in the later afternoon and it was overcast an raining casually. Damn. So we went to our hotel, hung out and had some raki, then went out for dinner. We found a little family-run joint called Gianni's and ended up sitting at a table with a pair of German ladies, Susanna and Sibella.
They were nice, and we talked all through dinner about Greece and Germany, their prior travels, and our own current ones. They were great animal lovers, feeding the congregated stray cats fresh fish they'd specially bought, which inspired Kathleena to start feeding them scraps from our own table. Now I have cats looking up at me supplicatingly when I eat my delicious Greek food, which I'm really going to miss. Since I've been here, I've had tomatoes more numerous and delicious than ever, along with cucumbers, feta cheese and peppers, in salads drenched with olive oil. I love Greek food.
So we spent two days in Matalas, on this Red Beach which you have to pretty much hike to get to, up and over a big rocky slope covered in thorny bushes. A lot of people go naked there, so I thought I'd give it a try. I learned that since your bottom hasn't seen the sun in years, it needs more sun screen than the rest of you. I learned that the hard way. The water there was lovely, without being as breathtaking as Elafonisi. We spent two days there, on the beach, eating wonderful homey Greek fare at Gianni's in the evening. I found an Internet cafe there, but the evil weasel bastard declared, when asked of the price, with a heavy-lidded smirk, "One euro...every fifteen minutes." See ya later, you tourist-gouging jerk.
So then we caught a bus back to Heraklion, to spend one night, before catching our ferry to Rhodes. We got in around seven thirty, and went out to dinner late, as the Greek do. We found this place, Ippokambos Ouzeri. An ouzeri is a place where you can drink ouzo and have snacky little appetiser dishes. That night we had a little bottle of ouzo on ice, bread with oil and tzaziki, some olives, giant beans, grilled octopus, and shrimp with tomato sauce. Oh man. Best meal yet, for sure. Everything was just SO FRICKIN GOOD - that we came back last night. "But weren't you supposed to be on the ferry last night?" I hear you asking? WELL. Let me explain.
Yesterday morning we got up early, lugged our heavy backpacks to the port, to catch the eight ten departure of our ferry. We had some trouble finding it; it didn't appear to be among the three large ships moored there. So we asked around, and gathered from the broken english of the dock-workers that the ferry might not be there, maybe tomorrow, maybe thursday, because of oil problems. We were confused. So we went to the information desk and found out that because of an oil worker strike in progress, our ship wouldn't be arriving that day; indeed, it would be delayed until Thursday.
Since I've been here in Greece I've been impacted to my inconvenience by strikes more times than I ever have in all my time in Canada. It's like a kid throwing a temper tantrum. I can't imagine a ferry or plane just not arriving because of some strike somewhere, after I've bought a ticket two days prior. It's ridiculous. But the Greek are like that; there's half-finished buildings just everywhere - it's like they started and then gave up halfway through, so there's concrete skeletons littering cities and countrysides, anywhere you go. And people hanging out over coffee cigarettes and worry beads any time of day. It's quite a culture shock.
So we had another two days in Heraklion, AGAIN. We've gotten stuck here each time we try to pass through. So yesterday we went and checked into another (cheaper) hotel, then went to Knossos, one of the more important archaeological sites in Greece. It's an ancient Minoan palace, and it's been subject to tons of reconstruction and restoration, so that there are parts that are just stones in the ground, and some that have been restored to columns and frescoes stairways and rooms. It's pretty incredible to stand in the middle courtyard,and imagine a palace stretching up into the air around you, white-robed servants hurrying quietly about their business. After that we had some lunch and caught another bus to Cretaquarium, which was okay. I mean I've been completely spoiled in that regard by my two visits to Ocean Journey when I was living in Denver; I would go visit Denver again just go see Ocean Journey, an enormous aquarium complex with all kinds of fish from all over the world. So Cretaquarium was okay, and at that point we were fading anyway from our unnecessarily early start. So we went back to to our hotel, had a nap, and went out to dinner around eight.
Back to Ippokambos Ouzeri. That time we had more ouzo, some feta cheese mashed up with hot peppers and oil, spread on bread...oh man. Then some delicious Greek salad, fresh and juicy and wonderful, with tomatoes from heaven. Then some deep fried salted cod, moist and sweet and melt-in-your-mouth without being greasy, and finally some mussels in white wine sauce. At most places in Crete they will bring you a complimentary sweet little something for dessert, along with a little flask of raki. HERE, they brought us a pate of yogourt with honey and crystallised orange rind, or some pecans in honey with candied orange rind, and fruit salad. And raki. The place is run evenly and efficiently by these two guys, and you can tell that they were born to be restaurateurs. You can tell that it brings them joy, and that makes the whole experience even better. I will remember this place; it was definitely a highlight of Heraklion.
So that brings us to today, May 14. Today, me and Kathleena are together for two years! It would be nice to be in Rhodes or somewhere other than Heraklion, but we're making the most of it. We'll do something special tonight.
Next entry will be sooner than one week, and I'll put up another fifty photographs then.
Greece's Flag
Map of Greece