one time in crete

I have been waiting to visit the island of crete since junior high, and am ecstatic to finally be here. Some ten years ago, my dearest sister Beth traveled to Crete. She studied, drank, cut her own hair, and upon her return, began every story with "one time in crete..." Thus my interest was sparked and our visit was planned.

We stayed at an enchanting little hotel called Minos Bay. Our first day we arrived at 4:00am, and there was a note taped to the door:

Minos Bay is family owned, as are many other businesses in the area. We were treated like regulars at Olga's, a small snack bar where only the middle school aged daughter spoke English. Grandparents, parents, and this charming young girl kept bringing us snacks and drinks all night long while pointing to themselves and saying "from me". We tried several fun Grecian appetizers and very potent drinks, and expected to pay for them at the end of the night, but the family only charged us for the two simple entrees we ordered. The snack bar was right down the street from our hotel, and they waved to us from then on whenever we walked by!

We rented a scooter for two days, and traveled the badass way around the island. One of us was slightly more confident, and one of us drove straight into the small rail separating us from a large cliff. I will leave it to the imagination which one is which. But when we were in our preferred spots, one as driver and one as relaxed passenger, we had a lot of fun riding around. It was a pleasant change from the smoltering heat and glacial pace of our daily walks, and provided some mind blowing views of impossibly blue water and sky.

We scootered out to Knossos, the ruins of the Palace of King Minos. It was cool to explore the rubble that was once grandeur, to see how much has survived. There were even some archeologists dusting away at what will undoubtedly be more neat rocks.

We also scooted our way into the heart of Herkalion, the big city on the island, which made for much trickier moves on the bike. Chris' prowess as a video gamer allowed swervy moves to come easily to him, so he took over city driving. We visited a delightful market full of colorful art, local jewelry and oddly large knives.  But the distance from the sea was too far in the city, and once our sweat started hindering our vision we headed back to the strong winds and waves at our hotel.

tomorrow is our last day in crete before we ferry to santorini. there is a night beach party on our little stretch of paradise we plan to hit up. here's hoping there will be lanterns a la tangled for us to release into the stars!

lovefromkt