Blogs from Crete, Greece, Europe - page 16

Souvlaki, tzatziki, moussaka and ouzo are all obvious reasons to spend time in Greece. The other main drawcard to Greece (in favour of the close runner-up, Italy) were the "Crisis Prices" - a term not coined by us, but by an inordinate amount of souvenir shops in all of Greece's tourist meccas, normally to advertise their sales. Along with the amazing food, we were also excited to explore the pristine beaches and ancient ruins - all on a remarkably small budget. We also managed to time our trip during the perfect overlap of "end of tourist season" (i.e. reduced crowds and even further reduced accommodation prices) with unseasonably warm weather. Most locals we spoke to commented that the weather wasn't normally this sunny and warm at this time of year (October) so we were very lucky ... read more

Chania,Crete - Greece Well neither one of us really wanted another full busy day starting at 6 a.m. so we made it happen at 6:30 a.m. instead..and yup half an hour helped. I have always been the coffee fetcher first thing in the morning…comb through my hair and head for the coffee station. Sian is really not so in need of coffee first thing. Nothing like me or my sisters. Usually it is so early I could probably show up in pjs and no one would notice… It has become a tradition. We are on a shorter tour today..only a 5 hour one and happy for that…we both admit we could easily just stop today…but hey we haven’t been here before …so we get moving…. We are in Chania,Crete, pronounced with a silent C…we head for ... read more

I was getting used to a hot night followed by a hotter day. There was nothing for it but to head for the coolness of the mountains. I wasn't going right into the mountains, rather in to the foothills. I arrived in Therisso where, in 1905, the final struggle for Cretan independence was born. driving up through the Therisso Gorge, it was easy to imagine how remote this place was and how secure. No wonder Venizelos was successful and no wonder he became revered by the Cretans in the same way that Churchill is revered by ourselves. Passing Venizelos' statue (and the double-naved church), I followed the road uphill before turning downhill where a tree was growing in the middle of the road. Just beyond, I opened a gate and joined an old and overgrown goat ... read more

Yet another hot and sunny day dawned. Yet again, breakfast consisted of yoghurt, fruit, eggs, bread, cheese, ham, coffee and fresh orange juice. Yet again, I smothered myself in sun cream and headed out into the open air. I walked through town to the bus station, stopping at an ATM, before purchasing a return ticket to Kalives. For the first time on this trip, I was heading east on the Irakleo bus and so, I asked the driver to stop at the Kalives junction, which I knew was roughly 25 minutes away, but wasn't aware of the approaching signs to the stop. Fortunately, a young lady was wanting to get on at Kalives, so the driver had to stop in any case. Getting off the bus, I found myself by the side of the wide main ... read more

Today was going to be hot. Not necessarily because the forecast had indicated a temperature over 30 nor because of the high predicted humidity. Rather, today's walk was going to be wild and lonely, through dramatic hills and gorges near the north-west coast of the Akrotiri peninsula, just east of Chania. Much of the walk was going to be hard and stony underfoot with very little shade. This was why it would be hot. The weatherman may have said 30, but that's in the shade. I was expecting to add another 10 degrees to that figure. My taxi arrived on time and soon I was heading towards the airport and up into the remoter hills beyond. It seems amazing that, this close to Chania, many visitors don't head out in this direction. Having paid my fare, ... read more