Blogs from Crete, Greece, Europe - page 44

Today I saw what life was like for the ancient Minoans, never mind the Cretans. I went to the Palace of Knossos today. There is a public bus that runs from the main station to Knossos about 5km out of town. Definitely for the tourists because it's the only bus that uses Latin characters to say which bus it is, all other use Greeks characters. Knossos is a tight community of only a few acres. Some parts have been completely restored and repainted. There were so many people there, and a whole community of shops and restaurants outside the complex living off the avails of tourism. I walked around the place for about an hour. It was well described, I didn't need a guide. Of course, I was approached at the entrance by self appointed guides ... read more

6/16 - 6/29 We left Mykonos and took a 4 hour speedferry, followed by a 3 hour bus ride to visit my sisters town of Chania, Crete. I have had the good fortune of getting to visit my two sisters in their beautiful beach laden island every few years, but I was most excited to bring Jaime, and have her spend time with my family in Greece. One of my sisters, Tara, was kind enough to move her family over to her mother-in-laws house a few blocks away, and give Jaime and I their apartment for our use. Moving out in order to make us feel at home, was the first of many gestures of genuine hospitality, and Jaime and I were made to feel quite comfortable with my family for the duration of our two ... read more

We have been having a pretty amazing time, sorry we haven't been adding to this very often...it costs money and it is not always available. Egypt and the Nile was a blast. We spent some time in Alexandria and Ed was able to take photos of the area where his parents had lived. I think that his Mum will see lots of changes. Alexandria was beautiful as long as you stayed on the seafront. Our trip on an overnight train to Luxor revealed the true poverty of the place. Farms with no signs of modern technology apart from tv satellite dishes and men riding donkeys or camels using their mobile phones. The cruise on the Nile was stunning. 4 nights on an aging beauty named the Nile Ritz. Generally good company and masses of food. We ... read more

We flew to the island of Crete from Athens. We figured flying was an easier and faster option for our needs than taking a 9 hour ferry ride. We took Aegean airlines which I thought was a discount airline as we only paid 20 euros + taxes for the flight. For the 40 minute flight we were offered a mint, tasty caramel cookie and our choice of non-alcoholic drink. The island of Crete is fairly large and the some of its landscape includes highways and ugly concrete buildings. Its a bit of a contrast to one of the smaller islands near Athens I visited the last time around that was whitewashed and donkeys replaced vehicles. Janice and I fled this ugly port town of Iraklio/Heraklion and headed west to the 3rd largest town in Crete called ... read more

Here we are just arrived in Crete. It's early morning and about to be a scorching day. Left Manchester at 7.30 and it was raining.It's good to see the sun again.Had an excellent journey with Monarch Airways and left on time.The usual things applied to the flight and I suppose we all take the cramped conditions as part and parcel of modern travel.Never the less the in-flight meal was acceptable if not digestable and consisted of sausage,scrambled egg tomato and tea .After some effort that would have done credit to a trained contortionist the meal was dispatched and before we knew it the stewardess was dispensing lots of expensive drinks gifts and perfumes. I of course politely declined all offers We arrived in Crete a little earlier than I anticipated. Today we decided to explore a ... read more