Village Crete, Katalagari

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Well I'm not exactly in Rethymno, but will be soon. Currently I am in a charming little village called Katalagari. We are getting the village experience while living in a place that is so beautiful I would come back in a second. It is called Katalagari country suites and we are staying in a mini apartment with everything from a separate bed room to a flat screen TV with DVD player to a kitchen to a washing machine to a huge bath with a jacuzi and we have a lawn with an amazing view of the Cretan valley.

Since I last wrote I have went to the beach for the day, if I didn't already mention that, went to a hookah bar, climbed the venetian walls, went to a ceramics place, an organic market (this was amazing), climbed to yet another old castle, celebrated Carnival in a town nearby, flew kites on Clean Monday and ate at a village stew feed, went to a winery with wine tasting yesterday, and climbed a small mountain today in Arhanes. The days have not been as busy, which is good and I like being able to have the afternoon to relax and get something done or not, whichever way I'm feeling at the moment. Every night we have watched movies, mostly about books written by Nikos Kazantzakis, who is a bit (really big deal) of a celebrity in Greece and Crete. We watched The Last Temptation of Christ and Zorba the Greek. We are also reading his book, Christ Recrucified. He had his own philosophies that are actually quite interesting to read about and ponder over.

I think that I would love to come back here again some day and just stay and relax, drive into Iraklion, which is only 30 minutes away, for the day to shop and go to cafes. It is such a charming place and the women who run this hotel are amazing and speak English very well. The meals are amazing as well, potato salad, cabbage salad, dolmades, bogatza, meatloaf with hard boiled eggs inside, rice, bread, cherry juice, and their fudgy chocolate cake.

Life is good on Crete and I can't wait to see more!

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