Joan Palace Rethymnon

... 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 ...

... were looking up!

We found a decent looking place to stay in (Kastro Hotel) on hostelbookers.com and opted to wander around there to see if we could get it a bit cheaper than on the net. Unfortunately, the map on the net wasn't correct and we ended up doing bog laps around Heraklion for AGES in the rain with our backpacks looking for the damn place. Every time we asked someone where it was they pointed us in another direction. I mean, if you don't know ...

Sunday was a rest day to recover from the very late night and the pressures of driving with the Cretans – a competitive sport with few rules. We wandered along the beach and poked round the shops, finding new treats, such as baklava, a honey and pastry dessert that Chris is addicted to. Like Elton John and cocaine, Chris can not go to sleep if he knows there are the remnants of any baklava left in the room. He was devastated to find ...

... person per day that would have been a lot for an unknown, and would stop us from trying the local cuisine.

The apartment has most of the usual facilities, and the toilet is the usual Greek affair – don’t flush the toilet paper, which is guaranteed to affect the bowel habits of any delicate western person used to flushing with abandon.

We wandered around the local area till we found a genuine supermarket – ...

... Greek buses-my neck actually kept whipping up as I slept on a later bus to Heraklion. Needless to say, I will not miss Greek public transportation). Once we got to the top of the mountain, we got out of the bus only to be assailed by a lot of unpleasant wind. Some ***** who we dubbed the Last of the Samarians kept making us move to the back of the line because Courtney hadn't put her sneakers on yet. Then we were finally off on the part of the Greece trip ...

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 ...

... and doing nothing!

I can't believe I only have 2 ngihts left here! The time is coming so fast!!!! Dave is thinking about staying another week! ahha this place it is just like the Hotel California song you can check out but you can never leave! He is already planning on coming back next August and was devising a plan so that I could meet him here for 2 weeks haha! I am excited to go back to Athens and go ...

... about that later

So I am just putting the toothbrush in my mouth when one of the bathroom doors opens up and this (could be if it wasn't for his personality) decent lookiong guy emerges saying HELLO where are you from- me in my bikini bed head make up from the night before toothbrush in mouth says "canphada" and Yuuuurrrrppphhselllff while spitting out toothpaste Pakistan- ok cool "well never met anyone form Pakistan before!" shook his hand and now he is trying ...

ok so I have gone this long in my life and hear I am thinking how WONDERFUL life is sitting in the shade of a olive trea feet up on another chair reading an engaging book sipping on Ouzo and coke and then BAM sharp pain in ALMOST my arm pit! AGHHHHH I YELP a high pitch EEEE into the air jumping out of my seat slapping at myself profusly (thinking a nasty spider has copme along dropped on me bitten me and is now in my dress) but NO look into where the pain was (hard ...

... are sitting on a terrace sipping fresh orange juice, enjoying baklava and listening to Grecian radio. Nex t week we will try to take a ferr to Italy so whish us good luck! I hope you are well and not becoming too jealous *g*

~*~

SMS from mum

- Liesel are you wlaking through the (Samarian) Gorge now? At the end you can take a boat. Love mama