http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Greece/Crete/Chania/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Europe , Greece , Crete , Chania en-us Thu, 04 Dec 2008 23:03:09 UTC Thu, 04 Dec 2008 23:03:09 UTC Our general feeling for Crete was that we needed more time to fully appreciate it. The impression is that it can be quite selfsufficient with it's resources and that the beaches and resting places for tourists need to be discovered by us. Alas that may never happen but I think Crete might be a great vacation destination in and of itself. I've learned that some of my Hiraklion Crete pictures we http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Greece/Crete/Chania/blog-334322.html Alright I am super behind on this because we have been on the go Anyway on our last day in Crete I hiked the Samarian Gorge. This is the largest Gorge in Europe and it was definitely one of the best days yet in Greece.This was going to be a close call because we had to make our boat at 8pm. Our hotel receptionist told us there was NO WAY this could be done but we decided that we still ne http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Greece/Crete/Chania/blog-331790.html Hello to allI need to get better at updating this more often but it is hard because school has really picked up in a short amount of time.Last week I had long days of class. Some highlights included having a cooking class on Wednesday. We made grilled pitas and tzaziki sauce greek salad and meat. It was delicious and I can't wait to make greek food when I go back home. Food here I have be http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Greece/Crete/Chania/blog-329738.html Chania is a favourite and we had decided to have one night there before leaving Crete for Piraeus. We had a wonderful little hotel right in the middle of the old town and managed to find some parking after many attempts close by. The hotel itself was above a trinkets shop but was really traditional. We had a fourposter and two single beds.Chania was hot though. It was upper30s and had almost http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Greece/Crete/Chania/blog-326629.html I went to Crete a Greek Island for my summer holiday this year. I chose this destination mostly because I knew it was a place to relax and enjoy long late days in the sun by the sea. A place were I actually could take a bath in the sea without getting frostbites and getting numb just by dipping your toe in the sea. I also chose this place because I had been here about 10 years ago and this is a pl http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Greece/Crete/Chania/blog-314250.html Those of us that chose not to tackle the Samaria Gorge had a free day in Hania. We decided to start with the Agora which is a fabulous flea market type building full of little stalls selling everything you can imagine from meat and vegetables to tourist souvenirs. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to where they are set up and you can have a souvenir shop next to a butcher. There were http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Greece/Crete/Chania/blog-287755.html We have been busy the last few days. On Wednesday we went to the Palace of Knossos. This is an ancient minoan palace. It has been reconstructed in parts by Sir Arthur Evans an archeologist. It was very difficult to visualize what the palace looked like all those years ago. Many original items that were found at Knossos have been placed in the National Archeological Museum. Many columns and http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Greece/Crete/Chania/blog-279391.html We arrived at the town square to wait for our minibus for the tour at 930am to be safe. When they finally showed up at 1035 we'd been worried for a while. Along with us the driver and the guide there were 7 other people all from Australia and all apparently... well heeled as one couple told us they came from Australia on their yacht We rode up into the White Mountains above Kalives a bi http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Greece/Crete/Chania/blog-278684.html Being our 34th anniversary we wanted things to go well. I'd kept Manoli from knowing about my special Taste of Crete cooking class until today just telling her that we were going to be busy Tuesday. While we waited for the 715am bus to Hania I filled her in. More on that tomorrow. We needed to catch this bus to Hania and hope it wasn't too late to catch the 830 bus from Hania to Omalos and th http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Greece/Crete/Chania/blog-278347.html We woke up in plenty of time for the bus at 715am but again the bus was a noshow. We decided instead to rent a vespa scooter for the day and try to find the U.S. Navy base near Souda with the hope of sending some excess weight home. We did find the base hidden away on the other side of the Chania airport but unfortunately they wouldn't let us on since we weren't on the access list. We cont http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Greece/Crete/Chania/blog-278329.html 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 Kal http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Greece/Crete/Chania/blog-277565.html Well yesterday was a huge long day. The alarm went off at five I slept till half past but Kathleena had to get ready and stuff. So we headed out around quarter two six in order catch the six fifteen bus to the mouth of the Samaria Gorge near Omalos. We got to the bus station to find that our information was faulty. The first bus didn't leave until eight thirty. So we went back to our pension an http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Greece/Crete/Chania/blog-273384.html 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 tranq http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Greece/Crete/Chania/blog-272661.html 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 Vamo http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Greece/Crete/Chania/blog-260333.html Since I last wrote two weeks ago I have had limited access to the internet. This update is long overdue. To continue the journey I went to Rethymno which is the third largest city on Crete. It was located right on the coast and had great beaches. There wasnrsquot much planned there except for free days that were spent shopping going to a health club running along side walls with crashin http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Greece/Crete/Chania/blog-260316.html Well I know I havenrsquot posted in a while now but all of the school computers 17 of the 20 of us took school laptops on this trip so we didnrsquot have to take our own stopped working well they stopped connecting to wireless so we have been internetless for a while. Three people who didnrsquot bring school computers are able to get internet so we have just been attempting to share th http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Greece/Crete/Chania/blog-260028.html 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 50000 people. Our hotel is not very nice but we are really close lik http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Greece/Crete/Chania/blog-257696.html We are at the Orthodox Academy near Chania Crete right now. It is a lot different than I thought it was going to be. But first Irsquoll start with the last town we were inhellip Rethymno which is about 30000 people so decent sized. We didnrsquot have any group activities there which was great. We didnrsquot get there til later in the afternoon on Thursday so when we got there we jus http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Greece/Crete/Chania/blog-256929.html Hello everyoneThis 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 http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Greece/Crete/Chania/blog-206724.html They does anybody really know them say that first impressions are lasting. And we subscribed to that theory. So when this little uninhabited dry barren and blasted rock crept on the right side of the Transavia plane we almost freaked. The island had a reddish color and not a single tree. Now having just come from cold Holland we surely would appreciate some warmth and sunshine but never d http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Greece/Crete/Chania/blog-199187.html Even before I left to Fiji in May my friends and I thought it'd be a good idea to spend the first week of september in southern Europe to celebrate the end of summer. Any excuse to go away was good enough really. To be able to decide which country we would go to we narrowed the criterias into these.. Hot weather enough sightseeing options and cheap prices. We didn't have to wreck our brains for http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Greece/Crete/Chania/blog-188156.html Well this is my second to last day on the big island of creta It truley the nicest place. Beaches within walking distance no matter where you are. The people are kind of crazy but thats okay lol. Anyways i figure id post some pics of the greek waters ive been living at. Ive been drinking alot of wine out here.. i am gaining my apetite right up again. From travelling alone so fast i learned how t http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Greece/Crete/Chania/blog-183119.html 47 degrees Celsius The heat wave that graced us with it's presence through out our holiday was nicely timed but also just bearable on a couple of days when it reached that heat. Spent so much time in the crystal clear Aegean Sea to cool off we almost grew gills. The sun sets were a welcomed relief from the heat also the Mythos lager cocktails souvlaki Greek salads and endless shots of Raki http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Greece/Crete/Chania/blog-181623.html Well holy shit its been a while. okay late me update you where ive been since the first of july. i went to lagos like you seen in portugal went to madrid barcelona then got to italy and seen milano andbari and took a ferry that was 16 hrs long to patras greece took the train to athens stayed in athens for a night and then took a ferry to creta. now im at angies huose relaxing with her kids s http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Greece/Crete/Chania/blog-179894.html Beeing in the hostel for a few days already I managed to make some friends and we decided to rent a car and explore the west side of the island where you can get only by car as the busses do not run there. 5 of us rented a Hyndai and packed inside and took off on a road trip. We drove through Hania Stopped in Kissamos for a quick lunch and took on the almost unpassable side road to the most n http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Greece/Crete/Chania/blog-178419.html Woke early at the hostel in Iraklion after a pretty terrible night of sleep. Far more people snore than I had previously realized. We walked back in the direction we had travelled the previous evening to the bus station to catch a ride over to Hania. The bus took ride took maybe three hours and was very beautiful although I slept most of the time so didnt really get to see as much as I should hav http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Greece/Crete/Chania/blog-167295.html Hey everyone Well a lot has happened since we last spoke I guess wrote to you all. Where did we leave off Oh right so the Samaria Gorge was closed on account of rain. So that day was pretty low key we just walked around the town checked out the market went to the museum freeeeeeeeeeeee because it was International Museum day and then just ate dinner at a place with live Greek music. I http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Greece/Crete/Chania/blog-160610.html Hey Y'all Ha ha sounding all cowboy on you Just kidding How is everyone doing We hope everyone is doing spantastic just for you Dean. So Rethymno was aight. Nothing spectacular. There was not too much to do. We went to the old Venetian fortress and then walked around the town. Kim saved a fish that was swimming upstream onto the beach. It did however start its journey back upstream as s http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Greece/Crete/Chania/blog-159705.html