Hello everyone!
So ... I finally got my chance to escape the resort hotel and see a bit of Crete!
Unfortunately, I didn't have nearly as much time as I would've liked. I had great plans to hike through a wild gorge, visit a former leper colony on a remote, windswept piece of coastline, and take a boat tour through a sea cave. ("Mmmmmm, caves!!", you can almost hear me thinking.)
None of those things happened.
That's ok, though, because I'm leaving Greece with a very positive impression – I really like the 'vibe' of this country. And given that it's sort of on the way from quite a few places to quite a few others, I don't imagine this will be my last visit.
What I did manage to do was to explore the town of Rethymno, which is one of the few sizeable townships on Crete.
Rethymno's extensive Old Town is one of those places where motor scooters predominate over cars, as narrow alleyways do over wide roads and boulevards. It's also a place where the locals have found ingenious strategies to shield themselves from the blistering heat ... so when you wander down these alleyways, you enter a cool, shaded world.
It's also a place where, in labyrinth of the Old Town, you can find plenty of picturesque courtyards like this one, which could easily make it into the pages on an in-flight magazine:
It's the kind of place where (as in much of 'Old Europe') straight lines and precise corners don't seem to have been the main priority of many builders, but simple, rustic elegance was always high on the list.
And where you can almost forgive yourself for peering nosily into people's windows, just to see what daily life might be like for those living inside.
So yeah ... with just an afternoon to spare, that was how I spent most of my time: wandering about, detouring down the smallest alleys I could find and peering into windows.
I particularly liked this one – the window of a bakery, where the baker had at some point decided to get creative and make loaves in the shape of a semi-nautical, wholly mythical creature with her hungry brood:
Then finally, I retreated back to the gate of the Old Town, near the bus stop where I could catch the bus back to Resortland. Stopped there for an hour or so to enjoy a cappuccino (which turned out to be from a Nescafe machine – yeuch!!) and to use the FREE WI-FI proudly advertised on the door.
You have to imagine the words "FREE WIFI" sparkling and dancing here, because this is something that the hotel where I'm staying pointedly refuses to offer. Or rather, they do offer it, but it doesn't work. When you talk to the manager about this, he shrugs his shoulders and says "We have 800 guests in our hotel. What can we do?"
I have several answers to that question. All of them contain offensive language.
But now, thankfully, my resort days are over. I'm on an overnight ferry across the Aegean, arriving in Athens tomorrow morning.
Travelling by sea is something I've done a bit of in recent years, and I find it quite relaxing – especially when compared to flying! And the sunset over Heraklion port as we departed tonight was pretty stunning, I have to say. So that set the mood for a very pleasant voyage :-)
I'm also aware that this is an incredibly safe ferry, since we have The Lord on Board with us. How do I know that? Well, because of the rather frighteningly colourful Greek Orthodox chapel located just inside one of the doors leading to the outside deck. Provided enough of the passengers stop in to pay their respects, there's simply no way anything can go wrong ;-)
Now it's totally dark outside, in the way that only the sea can be dark. As I sit on the upper deck sipping my Ouzo and lemon (a highly delicious mix, which the barman at the hotel introduced me to), I can't wait for the next adventure.
Tomorrow I'm flying to Copehagen to stay with friends ... but not until I've finished my breakfast at the Acropolis!
See you :-)
Anthony.
So ... I finally got my chance to escape the resort hotel and see a bit of Crete!
Unfortunately, I didn't have nearly as much time as I would've liked. I had great plans to hike through a wild gorge, visit a former leper colony on a remote, windswept piece of coastline, and take a boat tour through a sea cave. ("Mmmmmm, caves!!", you can almost hear me thinking.)
None of those things happened.
That's ok, though, because I'm leaving Greece with a very positive impression – I really like the 'vibe' of this country. And given that it's sort of on the way from quite a few places to quite a few others, I don't imagine this will be my last visit.
 |
Shaded Alley with Motorcycle
Rethymno, Isle of Crete, 02.07.16
|
What I did manage to do was to explore the town of Rethymno, which is one of the few sizeable townships on Crete.
Rethymno's extensive Old Town is one of those places where motor scooters predominate over cars, as narrow alleyways do over wide roads and boulevards. It's also a place where the locals have found ingenious strategies to shield themselves from the blistering heat ... so when you wander down these alleyways, you enter a cool, shaded world.
It's also a place where, in labyrinth of the Old Town, you can find plenty of picturesque courtyards like this one, which could easily make it into the pages on an in-flight magazine:
 |
Courtyard Inside the Labyrinth
Rethymno, Isle of Crete, 02.07.16
|
It's the kind of place where (as in much of 'Old Europe') straight lines and precise corners don't seem to have been the main priority of many builders, but simple, rustic elegance was always high on the list.
 |
Crooked Alley
Rethymno, Isle of Crete, 02.07.16
|
And where you can almost forgive yourself for peering nosily into people's windows, just to see what daily life might be like for those living inside.
 |
Nosy Tourist Gets A Living Room View
Rethymno, Isle of Crete, 02.07.16
|
So yeah ... with just an afternoon to spare, that was how I spent most of my time: wandering about, detouring down the smallest alleys I could find and peering into windows.
I particularly liked this one – the window of a bakery, where the baker had at some point decided to get creative and make loaves in the shape of a semi-nautical, wholly mythical creature with her hungry brood:
 |
Bakery Monsters
Rethymno, Isle of Crete, 02.07.16
|
Then finally, I retreated back to the gate of the Old Town, near the bus stop where I could catch the bus back to Resortland. Stopped there for an hour or so to enjoy a cappuccino (which turned out to be from a Nescafe machine – yeuch!!) and to use the FREE WI-FI proudly advertised on the door.
You have to imagine the words "FREE WIFI" sparkling and dancing here, because this is something that the hotel where I'm staying pointedly refuses to offer. Or rather, they do offer it, but it doesn't work. When you talk to the manager about this, he shrugs his shoulders and says "We have 800 guests in our hotel. What can we do?"
I have several answers to that question. All of them contain offensive language.
 |
Heraklion Port and Mountains at Sunset
Heraklion, Isle of Crete, 03.07.16
|
But now, thankfully, my resort days are over. I'm on an overnight ferry across the Aegean, arriving in Athens tomorrow morning.
Travelling by sea is something I've done a bit of in recent years, and I find it quite relaxing – especially when compared to flying! And the sunset over Heraklion port as we departed tonight was pretty stunning, I have to say. So that set the mood for a very pleasant voyage :-)
I'm also aware that this is an incredibly safe ferry, since we have The Lord on Board with us. How do I know that? Well, because of the rather frighteningly colourful Greek Orthodox chapel located just inside one of the doors leading to the outside deck. Provided enough of the passengers stop in to pay their respects, there's simply no way anything can go wrong ;-)
 |
We Got The Lord On Board!
Crete-Athens ferry, 03.07.16
|
Now it's totally dark outside, in the way that only the sea can be dark. As I sit on the upper deck sipping my Ouzo and lemon (a highly delicious mix, which the barman at the hotel introduced me to), I can't wait for the next adventure.
Tomorrow I'm flying to Copehagen to stay with friends ... but not until I've finished my breakfast at the Acropolis!
See you :-)
Anthony.
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