Crete

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Thursday continued

We sat around in the public areas, had another Gin & Tonic and diet coke.

The self service restaurant opened at eight and we went through at quarter past. A pork steak and chicken fillet both with chips and a piece of chocolate cake for dessert, €22.00.

We finished eating, but had sat right next to a window looking out onto the quayside, so we lingered, in the hope of the ship sailing shortly.

She went bang on time and we went back to the cabin shortly afterwards.

A much longer time than we would have expected to spend on the Knossos palace and in the port of Piraeus, but to be truthful, we have no schedule and in the long run it really doesn't matter at all. All part of this wonderful adventure.

The other day I had a conversation with Pat about how our journey shapes itself and that there is no plan to life. Destiny and fate will have it's way with us as it pleases.

Sometimes we take a turn that is not planned and gain a much better option than the one we thought. So taking a wrong turn isn't always wrong.

There is no way that the path this journey has taken could be predicted. Some things just happen. Towns and cities are sometimes chosen by us simply because they are halfway between two other points. Hotels we have found through various means, and we have been lucky mostly. It has to be said that we don't always choose or even look for the cheapest option, but that doesn't mean we aren't conscious of money.

One thing I have learned is not to use unknown hotel booking sites that occur on the internet. We have been let down twice now. So we will only use the actual Hotel website or a website like Expedia or Lastminute, from now on.

The weather has also been a major factor, rain is not our friend and if you are travelling and it rains, then you spend time in a Hotel room or driving long distances.

Even the experiences, which we may consider less pleasant, are still one's which we learn from though.

Friday, 5th December, 2008

We had a pretty good night's sleep. The alarm went at 0515 and we got up and showered.

Plan for today, arrive in Crete, find some short term accommodation initially, do some exploring and then over the next couple of days find some longer term accommodation.

Because we have an inside cabin, we have no idea of what's going on outside. So we popped down to Deck 6. It is till dark at this time, but there was twinkling lights in the distance, which we assume to be Heraklion (Iraklion).

We then rested in the cabin for a while longer, and then heard various announcements. We went via reception to hand in our cabin keys and down to the car.

They haven't put a car sticker on us, they did on some others.

We sat in the car for a while then around six thirty we gradually made our way up the decks and off the ship. We were really down in the bowels, there were no more down ramps after the deck we were on.

It was starting to get light when we got ashore and we hung around the port for a short while before heading East. The temperature on the car at seven in the morning was 17°C.

We drove about 60 to 70 kilometers and reached Aghios Nikolaos, it was still only around eight in the morning and we found a cafe open and had a glorious cup of coffee.

We had walked passed the Tourist Information office and noted that it was open at eight thirty. So after our coffee, we went and met a very helpful lady, who helped us a great deal with some ideas on accommodation.

She provided us with information on hotels, apartments and studios that she thought were open over the winter.

We spent a little while talking to her, and her brother had got stuck in Piraeus on the ferry as well.

Pat had thought she might like a place called Elounda, which wasn't far away so we decided on a drive around, as it was still too early yet to try and book into a hotel.

We drove up to Elounda and walked around for a while, Pat thought that although it was a nice place, she didn't really want to stop there for any length of time.

We headed back to Aghios Nikolaos and went further on the east coast, through some other little seaside towns Almyros, Ammoudara, and Istron. The towns began to look less and touristy and we then turned and started driving back. On the list of open hotels was one in this area, Panoramic villas, we managed to speak to a lady, but she advised that work was being done, so was closed.

We went to the part of town we knew from earlier and parked. We had a quick Greek coffee, because the electricity had been cut. Then went looking for the Hotel Creta which was another hotel on the list.

It was open and we had a quick look at the room, which was fine. €40.00 per night for two nights and we were sorted. We had mentioned about the car and he told us he would move a car, and parking would be outside the Hotel.

We quickly walked back to the car and drove it up the hill, he moved his car and we were parked outside the front door.

We unpacked a few things and went up to the room. The power had only just come back on so we walked up the stairs, three floors. We have a great view overlooking the coast.

I had a very quick cool wash and we headed back to the Tourist Information office. The office had internet access and we wanted to do some searching for our longer term accommodation.

The lady in the office was again very helpful and we surfed the net for Crete and found a few places, which we emailed. The Tourist Information lady was also trying to help us, as we had explained the sort of thing we wanted. She made numerous phone calls on our behalf.

One of these was to a nearby hotel, the Hotel Du Lac, and we decided to take a quick look, so we walked just across the road and up the street and had a look. It was a lovely room and for a short while would have been okay, but didn't suit our longer term needs.

We popped back and told her what we had seen. Then she gave us some general advice about the town and some restaurants for our lunch. She mentioned that she was in a band and where they were playing tonight. We thanked her profusely for her help and went to find a restaurant.

We found one just up the road and ordered a Greek Salad, Stifado (with rabbit), and a mixed grill. The food was great. Pat said she couldn't have cooked the stew better herself.

A short amble took us towards the beach, they were pruning the trees. Pat's brother Pete would not have approved. They were trimming the tree's with chainsaws, no safety clothing, no harnesses, up in the tree, cut the branch and keep out of the way. The old fashioned way. It was fun to watch for a few minutes.

The hotel was just up the hill and we talked to the chap on the way in, and then up to the room.

The room has a bath, so I took full advantage of that.

We have had an interesting couple of days, with our unplanned extra time on the ferry, but we are here now and no harm done. Planning on a quiet night, though.

The phone went a little mad in the evening, in response to our request for accommodation, there is availability, so we are pursuing that.

Something I have yet to mention in passing, is that we have received a far greater amount of hospitality, courtesy, politeness and general chit chat, already in the short time that we have spent in Greece, than in the whole month that we spent in Italy.

Saturday, 6th December, 2008

A big day today in Greece, as it is St. Nicholas' Day.

Plan for today, pop into town for some internet time and bits and pieces, then we have drive to look at accommodation.

We both had a fairly good nights sleep, I didn't hear any sleigh bells overnight.

The weather is cloudy, but bright. I hear that there is snow again in the UK. One email from a friend recently said they had to clear the car windscreen of ice most mornings. Sometimes we have to clear the dust, he he he. Pat is sat out on the balcony reading a book at the moment.

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Comments

[Peter & Barbara Morse]

Welcome
Welcome to Crete, you really will enjoy the island and the friendly inhabitants. Rosemary and Niko will explain all the places of interest and the wealth of history. Don't forget to visit the Dragon's Cave! (restaurant) and Pefki village on a sunday evening. Enjoy.