Blogs from Crete, Greece, Europe - page 12

After our white knuckle landing at the Chania Airport, we proceeded to the baggage carousel and then out to meet the car rental respresentative. Once we had signed all our agreements, we went about packing up the cars. Curtis and I rented a Toyota Auris while the others both chose Peugeot convertibles, both cars sleek and silver, however my brother's was a bit smaller and did not offer much in the way of leg room. On more than one occasion, Kellan and Bobby have pretty much eaten their knees while travelling!! Love our car - nothing fancy, but it is easy to get in and out of and we remain protected from the intensity of the sun. We stopped just beyond the airport to gas up. WHOOOOAAA! Gas is extremely costly here, especially when they automatically ... read more

We caught the bus from the local Bus Station (6 euros each person, each way) and went to Chania! It took about an hour but very pleasant journey running along the coast! Chania was massive!! I had imagined a small walled village but it was an enormous town with two rows of fortifications and a huge Venetian Harbour! Wandered down from the bus station, through the narrow touristy streets, past the old walls, down to the harbour. The dockyards originally contained 17 Neoria’s built in 1599 (storage sheds!) but only five were now left. Walked out to 16th C lighthouse, for views of the harbour and the snow-capped mountains and then back along to the Giali Tzamisi mosque built in the 17thand the ‘Firka’ Fortress on the Northwest side of the port. Spent ages watching an ... read more

The last days of March are busy in Chania as the locals get ready to welcome the tourist masses who move in from April 1st. Our first day in Chania, we are met with people out in the streets cleaning and repainting the inventory and façades of their restaurants. We are close to the only tourists here and seem to have the old town almost to ourselves. I'm already in love. It is a long time ago that I experienced something as romantic and picturesque as the old town of Chania. The colourful old houses, the small streets and, in every perceivable spot, potted plants giving off a green and fresh atmosphere. Our hotel is right in the middle of the old town, in the Splantzia Quarter which used to be the Turkish part of town. ... read more

My long time friend and I (the one who got married in Montreal), were chatting on Skype about life and whatnot, and she decided she needed a vacation. We talked about "oh, couldn't it be nice to go somewhere warm, the Mediterranean, Greece!" and suddenly, flights were booked, an AirBnB was found, she was flying from Canada and me from Copenhagen, and we had a gorgeous 3 day getaway in Greece together. We rented a car and stayed in a place whose name I could only ever describe as a Harry Potter spell, Agia Pelagia (seriously, say it out loud). The AirBNB was perfect, a big place with loads of rooms and a big kitchen and a rooftop terrace overlooking the ocean. We went on daily adventures, looking at small towns and going to the absolute ... read more

Crete Arriving in Crete we disembarked our ship and begun looking for the Budget car rental booth. After walking in circles for ten minutes a nice gentleman with a giant "Tyler Selk" sign ran up to us. Apparently we had walked right by him and he was running after us for ten minutes. After getting the car we made our way over to Chania. The drive was long in the dark but we made if alright. When we arrived we immediately fell in love with the cobblestone streets that lined the harbour. We walked up and found our hotel. Our hotel was great and was run by a family that explained to me that Stavros the father grew up in Montreal. When I met him in the morning we spoke about Montreal. Stavros was also nice ... read more