Apladas Beach Chania

... a few wrong turns on the way home over a winding mountain road with not a lot of signage and it was about 8.30 by the time we got back to Platanes, and dark, which made driving even more difficult. Lidl supermarket was still open and we bought more tomatoes and cucumber to go with oil, bread, sausages and fetta cheese for dinner. Chris had some left over baklava for his dessert, of course.<br><br>We never made it to Phaestos or Gortys. <br>

... from the airport and home of the Prince of Lillies, the hotel we have booked for the night before we fly from Iraklio to Athens. We bought petrol down the road from it, avoiding a dog and cat that were intimately entwined on the forecourt, and decided to eat at the Prince of Lillies restaurant when we were able to park there. The meal was fine and accompanied by a bouzouki player. The trip back to the airport was much longer &#8211; we ...

... necessary as well, as the sun gets brutally hot in the gorge as the day gets later. Along the way, there were some cool curiousities such as abandoned settlements and ruined stone buildings. Apparently the Samaria Gorge was also a key place for refugees to escape to during the battle of Crete. We caught sight of a couple mountain goats, this breed being one that apparently only lives in Samaria Gorge. Another fixture of the hike was the donkey station ...

We ended up taking a bus to a town called Rethmynos to see this big old fortress with a mosque and a church within it, overlooking the water. It was interesting enough, but then we headed to the main part of town, which our "trusty" Lonely Planet had referred to as the second most charming city in Crete. I can only come to the conclusion that Crete is full of some **** cities. It was a weird ghost town full of ...

August 18<br><br> The ferry ride to Crete was 8 hours, almost as long as my flight from the US to Athens. My still terrible jetlag caused me to attempt to sleep in the corner of a hallway for half the trip, and upn arrival, I went to sleep almost immediately. Although I'm a bit cross that that means one day of my already short stay has been frittered away, I can already tell that Chania is worth it. I woke up far too early and went to ...

Eventually left Rhodes at 5am, and luckily found a nice spot on the top floor, to lay our sleeping bags and get a fine uninterrupted sleep.<br><br>Slow slow journey, stopping at Karpathos, Kassos and in Crete at Sitia, before landing at Heraklion just after 6pm. A swift walk to the bus station, we caught a ...

Sougia in Southern Crete We made good time travelling from Elafonisi to Sougia (sooya), so we found a good hotel with balconies looking out to one end of Sougia Bay for 25 Euro per night! There is quite a competitive atmosphere among hotel owners at this time of year, but our door rate for May said 40 Euro. Perhaps things are slower than usual due to the world economic situation. We were happy to be on the receiving end of the bargain. Since we had the whole afternoon ahead ...

Chania and Area Chania (pronounced Hania, former capital of Crete) is a beautiful old, city with a 16th century harbour and striking minaret lighthouse. If you have to drive in the historic area near the harbour, you need nerves of steel, patience, and some luck. Many of the narrow streets are one way, and with oncoming vehicles often swinging onto your side of the road. Trying to navigate through the ...

To my little sister<br><br>- And jealous? :p Oh we really should have brought Ollie with us - so many cats to play with! What do you think mum &amp; Babe would think if I brought one (Cesar) home? *g* Lots of love from sunny Crete<br><br>Sis &amp; Eve<br><br>~*~<br><br>To Tini<br><br>-As promised a card from our next destination. Still on crete but 2,5 hours further on ...

A mix of chocolate, cherry and banana as I taste my icecream. We arrived at Kissamos today and we treated ourselves on a well deserved treat. We are sitting on the main square shaded from the sun by big palm leaved parasols while the crickets make as much noise as possible so we don't forget them either. Now and then a car passes or a woman walking her dog. It's ...