Our time in Crete
Trip Start
Aug 13, 2010
1
16
Trip End
Sep 21, 2010
Crete, Greece
Saturday, September 4, 2010
The weather in Crete has been nothing short of sensational. Everyday is the same. Clear blue skies - about 29 degrees during the day and 22 degrees at night. Hardly a zepher of a breeze.
We found a fantastic restaurant just a minute's walk from our hotel. So good, we had dinner at this restaurant 3 nights out of the 4 we were here. The food and service was first class.
Our hotel is in a lovely setting on the main street of Platanias a resort town just out of Rethymno. The rooms were nice, but the shower took a little getting used to. Both Sue and Graeme managed to fall out of the shower - no injuries sustained.
The beach is just a few minutes walk. The beach here is unlike that in Australia - not much sand and plenty of pebbles.
On day two, John and Carol decided to hire motor bikes whilst the rest of us used the mini van to tour some of the sites on the island. Graeme was our designated driver. We decided to head across the mountains and visit some of the sites/beaches (Plakios and Aghio Galini) on the other side of Crete. We soon discovered that driving is a major challenge in Crete. Our mini van is only a 4 cylinder and was constantly overtaken - drivers here are reasonably adept at turning 2 lanes into 3 lanes of traffic. When you drive through towns the roads seem to narrow and to make matters more challenging, cars are also parked on the side of the road. Graeme did a great job in getting through the hazards unscaved, notwithstanding the regular advice coming from the girls who were sitting in the seats behind Graeme. (I've attached a photo that attempts to capture the narrow streets Graeme navigated). Driving on day two was even more challenging as we visited some of the more 'local' sites (Georgioupolis Beach, Kournas Lake and Agriroupolis). We found it hard to believe that Graeme managed to naviagate through all the local hazards unscathed.
On day 3 John, Carol and Eva left around 11am to visit relatives who lived in Crete. The rest of us (Sue, Kirsty, Graeme and Deb) decided to go into the main town and visit the fortress that was built in the mid 1500s. We decided to take the local bus rather than take the harardous driving option.
It was hot walking around the fortress. The vantage points from the fortress provided magnificent 360 degree views of the town and sea. We spent the afternoon by the pool consuming a few well earned beverages. Met a nice couple staying at the hotel. The guy was in the US army (as MP) and had completed 3 tours of duty in Iraq.
After dinner at our favourite restaurant, we stumbled across a belly dancing act at a hotel a few door down from us. John thought it was the best bellying dancing he had seen. I tend to agree with his opinion.
We departed our hotel in Crete about noon. It took us about 45 minutes to secure all the baggage on the roof rack of the car. We arrived at the airport early - we have about a 3 hour wait for our flight to Rhodes.
