Cosman Aparthotel Kokkini Hani

... pashas – have all left their mark on towns and villages throughout the island. We had opted against booking an organized tour and decided to team up with our new friends: FIU lecturer David Rifkind (who had given an amazing talk about Crete the previous evening), his wife Holly, Toronto realtor Bill Thom and his girlfriend Angela. It made for a group of six and our attempt to find a van that we could drive ourselves was difficult due to the fact ...

... next day and caught a cab back in to Chania. We then caught the bus back to Heraklion (or Iraklio) and the fun of finding somewhere to stay for our second night on Crete began.

P!ssing down with rain, no cagoules, no money, hungry, nowhere to stay - it was pretty rubbish. Crete is a pretty ****** place as well. Lots of graffiti around and dog poo on the footpaths. But, we managed to get another credit card working and then found an internet cafe ...

... local sausages from Rethmyio rounded out our meal. After some false starts looking for the bus station, we had a hot slow bus trip out to Knossos, the vast Minoan palace excavated and somewhat Disnified by Arthur Evans in the 1900s. That palace dates from 1700-1400 BC and is a large structure of 1300 rooms. The palace is known for its frescoes, labyrinthian ways, Minoan columns, and frescoes. It also contains the earliest ...

... Greek story tellers - the Minoans were highly organized and technologically advanced some 4000 years ago, and well before the Greeks. The palace grounds were bought from the Turks in 1900, by a British archaeologist, Harold Evans, and he spent the next 35 years investigating and restoring (controversially) the ruins. Well done Evans and another yah boo sucks to Lord Elgin.

We went to one of the beach front bars near Leoniki Residence for cocktails. The view at ...

... My iPod decided it had enough and decided it didn't have aenough energy left =( me being rather annoyed since I had fully charged it that same night << (btw I think we are just flying over Garda Lake in Italy!). Took a stroll outside and by the time we ate our salads and I looked on the information board it said that our flight/gate was closing! Now we looked about 12 ...

... i want some new greek sandals!!! I am taking the over ngiht ferry to Athens on thursday arrivi9ng at 6 AM aghhhh I am going to ehad over to the hostel right away and leave my bag there I am so excited to walk down the streets I walked for 5 weeks and to smell the smells and to eat the food and to see if I recognize anyone!

I am getting so ridiculously excited to come home!!!! YAYYYY!!! I am ready now ...

... have a conversation with me at whatever time in the morning while I am hung as **** trying to brush my teeth in order to just go back to bed. so ok I will indulge him but then he gets a little creepy- "are you here alone?" I of course answer yeah! then think oh **** uhhh kind of alone?? I came by myself but am meeting up with friends from last year all the while brushing my teeth spitting as I speak the poor mirror has a fresh snow white look to it and he walks away ...

... give me a break it's FAR and I did walk BACK. blue water as blue as ever amazing too bad Crete is so WINDY!!!! AGHHH!!! had a bout witha woman in my room WHY they would put a loud ass liek me in with a tight ass woman who hates any noise after 11 in the same room god only knows. but it's ok Lisa Odetta and Evette moved into the same room as me and we "under the influence" got back at her by bein a tad bit noisy their first night!

ALSO got scolded after I ...

... I really REALLY needed it last year.

sooooo yes it took me 46 crazy hours to get here I slept in an airport I slept (actually maybe all of one hour) at the bus station last night! I got into the Athens airport after the night before checking things ont he computer and last minute said f it I am just going to fly to Athens (way faster a little more expansive mind you but I just needed OUT of Croatia! so spent the night in the airport with ...

Through a series of unfortunate events, this is the sole remaining picture of our magical day in Crete. In all of my genius I deleted the Crete and Turkey photos by accident and boy was that ever a sad day. Of course the first thing I did after getting home from the cruise was upload the Sbux series to Facebook, so now the Starbucks photo is the only one left of Crete :(