Crete, Greece - July 15-20, 2005

(Bill and Victoria)
So, Crete was our hands down favorite destination in Greece. The island is the size of a small country and has something for everyone – bustling cities, picturesque villages, dramatic mountains, beautiful beaches, great food, pleasant people, and olive trees on every inch they can grow. We spent five days in Crete in three different towns/cities – Iraklion, Hersonissos, and Kato Zakros.

Our first night was in Iraklion, the main port city in the north center of the island. We rented a car and drove to the Palace of Knossos, an ancient Minoan palace on top of a hill looking down on the city. The palace, which is in ruins now, was impressive with over 1,500 rooms, spring water (from a spring over 7km away), sewage systems (including a toilet for the king and queen), and terracotta piping. Knowing this was all developed almost 4,000 years ago made it all the more wondrous. (Victoria taught her 6th graders about this palace, so it was a must.)

From Iraklion we drove to Hersonissos (a party beach town heavy with young and intoxicated British tourists) about 45 minutes east of Iraklion on the north coast. We had a hell of a time finding our hotel in Hersonissos. If you saw the spider web of roads leading up into the hills above the town dotted with literally hundreds of “apartments” you would understand why. We spent our time in Hersonissos on the beach with the Greeks in the day and in the bars with the British at night.

From Hersonissos we drove an hour south into the mountains to Lassithi, a plateau about 900 meters above sea level. The drive was beautiful, running through many small farming villages and countless olive and almond tree orchards. The plateau turned out to be a pretty big disappointment, but the drive was definitely worth it and so utterly different from the other islands.

From Lassithi we drove three hours east to Kato Zakros, a small seaside village and the easternmost point of Europe. Kato Zakros turned out to be the highlight of our trip to Crete. The village is nothing more than three tavernas (restaurants) and a few apartments, but the amazingly friendly local people, a nice beach, and some great hiking make it a truly special place. We found an apartment online – Stela’s Apartments (www.stelapts.com) – and took a chance on it not knowing what to expect. Throughout our stay we were blown away. The apartments are owned and run by Stela and her husband, Elias. When you arrive you are greeted at the reception area – which means Elias comes out of the house to shake your hand and show you to one of the three apartments. The apartments have been hand crafted by Elias and done in a rustic, craftsman adobe style. There was homemade marmalade, raki (a Cretan alcohol which I’ll tell you about later), local honey, and olive oil waiting for us in the apartments. The property is set on a hill overlooking the bay of Kato Zakros and is made for relaxation with hammocks and wooden chaise lounges everywhere.

We spent our time in Kato Zakros doing exactly what we love to do. We took a two hour hike through Dead Gorge, a beautiful gorge of red and black sheer cliffs and caves. We relaxed and read in the hammocks overlooking the bay. We went to the beach and we ate at the tavernas. On our last night we were leaving one of the tavernas and heading to get a bottle of wine to take back to Stela’s when we ran into Stela, Elias, and Stela’s brother. Before we knew it we had been invited by Elias to join them for a drink. Raki and food kept pouring out of the tavern and we conversed for over three hours. They were amazingly welcoming to Victoria and me and I will always remember it as a highlight of our trip.

** Raki is extremely strong and tastes a bit like white tequila.

Oddities or Things We Noticed
(Bill and Victoria)

Ferries are never on time. Never. We were 0 for 3 on ferries being on time in Greece.

There are no driving rules in Greece. Rule of thumb – whatever works for you. If you want to pass a truck going uphill at 120 km/hour with a truck coming directly at you, go right ahead. No problem in Greece.

We were told that Americans tend to say “thank you” to things that are expected (such as when the waiter brings your order) and it diminishes the value of the “thank you”. I thought that was interesting.

Too much raki = guaranteed hangover.