Day 1 - It was raining when my plane landed at Heraklion airport but muggy and hot, around 24 Celsius. The airport seemed like a disorganized slight madhouse but other than the luggage being really slow, it was fine. A very enthusiastic Greek man named Dimitros was waiting to greet me. He introduced me to my taxi driver and handed me an envelope (which had my return taxi information, it was all prepaid). I'd say my taxi driver was quite pleased to have a pretty woman for a passenger. There was certainly enough verbal nudge nudge wink winks between him and his taxi buddies as we walked to his taxi. And, all the rumours of the outrageous Cretan drivers is true. This guy did not wear a seat belt, talked on his mobile phone more often than not, and smoked constantly. Luckily, we mostly had the windows open. Careening down the road at breakneck speeds was scary. I was white knuckling most of the way, but in spite of his best efforts, we made it to the hotel in Almyrida without incident. The views along the way are amazing. You have mountains on one side and sea views on the other and flowers of every description all along the roadside. The first part of the drive is through drier scrubby brush country but once you get past Rethymno and near Georgioupoli along the north west coast, it suddenly turns lush and green with trees and grass in great abundance. You can see the Lefka Ori (White Mountains) from just about every vantage point. The Almyrida Beach hotel turned out to be much nicer than I expected with very friendly staff and quite nice decor. I had a room with twin beds pushed together and a chaise and a writing desk. I had a "mountain view", which meant if I craned my neck to the left I could see a hill with a big cave on it, or if I craned my neck to the right and looked past the real estate office and the house, I could see the mountains in the distance. It was relatively quiet though, and I had my own balcony with table and chair, so I was content. I unpacked then went for a bit of a constitutional (walk). You cannot get over the number of lemon trees and olive trees that are everywhere even along the roads. I had the camera out of course and was snapping away. One roll per day was my limit and I managed to stick to it, so I had 6 at the end! That's gotta be some kind of minimal record for me!! No, I still haven't gone digital. I still like the mystery of getting my photos back and seeing how they turned out.
Day 2 - I still had the worst head cold ever (I almost always get sick before a big trip), so I enquired at reception about a pharmacy. There were none in Almyrida, too small, but Kalives, only 4 km away, had 2. Unfortunately, it was Saturday and they were both closed. But never mind. I took a taxi from Almyrida to Kalives (far too dangerous on the roads to walk it even if I wasn't sick) and spent the day sightseeing and taking photos. I stopped for food at the River Cafe and ended up chatting with a couple of the locals. I found out that based on my birth mother's maiden name, Xasteropoulos (correctly spelled finally), my Greek ancestors probably came from the Peloponnese area. It's a peninsula off the mainland of Greece, southwest of Athens. Think Sparta. Think 300. Or think Gerry Butler in leather underpants. I always do. (Ha ha ha ha ahem) Anyway, I tried a dessert called Kataifi, which involved a type of angel hair pastry filled with nuts and drenched in a sweet sweet syrup. I managed to eat about half but it was way too sweet. So, eventually, I taxied back to Almyrida and finished the day with an after-dinner constitutional along the beach to the far jetty and back to the hotel with some tissues and fresh lemon for a hot toddy (sans alcohol of course). I bought 35 postcards and managed to get stamps and a notebook for my journaling as well. Very cheap in Greece - YES!
Day 3 - Had to wear ear plugs because the semi-wild cats were not quite done with the spring mating rituals in the back forty, and the bed was rather rock like, but I slept okay. Tried Greek yogurt and honey for the first time. Strong flavours but very tasty! I also had fresh "canned" peaches. Firmer than the canned canned peaches, if you know what I mean, but wow, the flavour! So packed up my knapsack and headed out for the day. Much wandering around and taking of pictures again. Watched the French couples on the catamarans out on the water. Decided to walk some of the back streets and roads of the village and ended up in the hills around a village called Aspro. Didn't actually see the village, that's how small it is, but did find a rather intriguing little stone chapel that was being maintained by somebody. The Greeks take their religion seriously, because most houses will have a small shrine out front that contains little religious paraphernalia, candles, and offerings. Some of them are quite pretty. In my wanderings I encountered many growling barking dogs, a very popular "pet" in Crete. They mostly guard goats and sheep, and in some cases, yards. Luckily, they also seemed to always be on a chain, although is a bit of an issue if you're not used to treating dogs that way. They didn't seem to be mistreated, just not coddled the way some dogs would be in other places. Same for the cats. Pretty much left to fend for themselves (and to keep the mice and rats under control) so they're mostly semi-feral. Some are affectionate but it's not a good idea to get friendly (as I did) because the poor things can be desperate for affection and care. Sigh. I eventually went back to the hotel and had an afternoon nap. My feet were remarkably well behaved, even wearing sandals. I did however, pick up a bag of frozen peas to keep in my wee fridge in the room so I could use it as an ice pack on my feet when the need arose. Dinner at the hotel buffet was always an adventure. I tried things every night that I couldn't name for you, but there was always a nice selection, and I didn't feel the need to eat out at any of the tavernas instead. My hotel arrangement was half board, which means breakfast and dinner were included in the cost. Typical arrangement for a hotel catering mostly to tour operators. Another fine evening and a bit of reading before bed.
Day 4 - Today was to be my horse riding day at Zoraida stables just outside Georgioupouli, but it was raining. That did not bode well, but I figured, hey, I live in the West of Ireland, it's always raining, that's not a problem! I wasn't due to be picked up until around 5:00 p.m., so I had the day to fill. I looked in my travel book and decided that a short trip up to a village called Gavalochori would be a good idea as it boasted a rather nice folklore museum. I took a taxi, because it was too far to walk, and was dropped in the main square, if you can call it that. In spite of the small size of the village, the museum was actually very well put together and had all its text in both Greek and English. Handy for me, but not handy for anyone speaking only German or French! Anyway, I spent some time in there taking pictures and learning a bit about local Greek life of the recent past. Nothing like seeing a bed laid out on wooden planks over the open hole of the wine-crushing cistern to make me appreciate my hard hotel bed a little more! Wandered up into the hills to see the Venetian wells and take more photos (of course, this is me we're talking about). I passed a young Greek man and his goat creature. It was the shabbiest, strangest looking animal ever, very sweet but kind of missing fur in spots with patches of black ad white fur in between the bald bits. The fellow himself had eyes that were not quite right and he seemed to be mentally challenged to some degree, but he was friendly, and whatever he said in Greek as he pointed up the hill I took to be directions to the wells or to the church at the top. It was raining off and on but that didn't deter the many hikers I passed both up and down the hill. When I'd had enough of the great green outdoors, I went back to the square and had a sandwich and shake in the local taverna. Got a taxi back to Almyrida and had a nap before I got picked up my Kristi, the gal who owns and runs Zoraida. The stable was in a bit of uproar when we arrived as there were cats, kittens, and dogs everywhere plus the horses that were in and out of the barn, and riders for the beginners and medium classes all milling about. A group of 3 American women and one woman's 6-year old son went on the beginners ride. I rode with a 9-year old Scandinavian girl named Amalia on the medium ride down to the beach. Our guide Sandra led the way past the many sheep, goats, barking dogs, and passing cars we had to negotiate. It was a lovely day for it, the sky was still overcast but it had stopped raining, so there was no problem about being wet and uncomfortable. It was actually hard to ride on sand, I think it looks romantic in the movies, but it's apparently tiring for the horses even if you stay near the water where the sand is firmer. We took a circuitous route back through part of Georgioupouli. You'd think people had never seen anyone on horseback. People were literally stopping their eating in the tavernas to watch go past. Amalia never stopped smiling for the whole two hours! I don't think I did either, except that the Western saddle I was using was digging into the back of my legs. Ouch! Cannot complain. Had a blast and quite a long chat with Kristi on the (van) ride back to the hotel in Almyrida. My butt hurts!
Day 5 - Chania city was today's destination. Had to get up at 7:45 to have my breakfast and be at the bus stop for 9:30. Bus schedules in Crete are a bit like the ones in Ireland, they don't usually come when they say they will. However, I was warned that this one would come anytime between 9:30 and 10:00. I chatted with a retired English couple at the stop. There were quite a few people going into the city. The bus showed up just before 10:00. It was only €2.50, which is much cheaper than paying €25 for a taxi! I was happy with that but the Brits thought it was €2.50 for both of them and were a little miffed at the exorbitant price! Ha ha. It took 45 minutes to get to the bus station in Chania. I parted ways with my Brits and wandered off to find a pharmacy and some bottled water. It was extremely hot about 27 Celsius that day and felt hotter in the city. Kristi had put me in touch with a fellow in Askifou who could arrange riding there for me, so I called Nikos to confirm then I followed the signs to the Old Harbour, stopping for Imodium and fresh cherries and water on the way. I took more photos, tried on some clothes at a natural fibre clothing store (but nothing quite fit, oh those damn hips of mine, or rather, oh those too narrow clothes of theirs), and eventually had a chocolate shake to cool down. I wasn't as enamoured of the city as I thought I'd be. I think it was just too hot and I wasn't feeling great. Ah well, worth the visit. I went back to the bus station, luckily ignoring the time the guy told me earlier, and met up with the rest of the folks to head back to Almyrida. One of the treats of my hotel was that I had a 4-foot bathtub. Okay, it was very small, but there was hot water and I bought some bio bubble bath that smelled divine. I had a relaxing soak in the tub, then had another intriguing mystery meal in the dining room. I went for my evening constitutional to work down my dinner and stretch my legs and hips (which were rather stiff from riding the day before). Waked up the hill to Plaka but it was getting dark so I didn't go into the village. Stopped in Dunes Cafe and finally found the (working) Internet! Had a pot of tea and chilled out. Early night because tomorrow was the BIG DAY in Askifou!
Day 6 - I had done a lot of research before going to Crete and one place that had interested me was the Askifou Plateau. I didn't know much about it, but there was a hotel called Lefkoritis Mountain Resort (Lefkoritis means something like "man walking in the white mountains") that offered daily riding. I couldn't stay there because I was using part of my award voucher (from last year) and could only book package hotels through the travel agency (which is how I ended up in Almyrida). It turned out that Nikos manages and probably owns the resort! I had arranged with him for a transfer to and from my hotel to Askifou since I wasn't driving, and he picked me up himself. We stopped at the pharmacy in Kalives on the way so I could get ointment for the mass of mosquito bites (I think I had about 25 just on my face and arms, all in one night.) I had acquired before I discovered the screen door on my patio. It was about 45 minutes up into the mountains, and let me tell you, it was about the same level of white knuckled-ness with a steeper drop off the cliff edges than the ride from Herakion! But the views! If you ever felt claustrophobic being up in the mountains gets rid of that. You can see for miles and miles, the white mountain peaks and the ocean and everything in between. The plateau is in a bowl surrounded by ridges of rock and scrub and trees. The 4 villages of the plateau are on the hillsides (one is on a hill by itself on the plateau) and there is a taller hill that has the ruins of a fortress on top. This fortress was used hundreds of years ago to guard the villages. You could see someone coming, that's for sure! People actually walked from the plateau between the ridges into the next plateau or valley every day to trade with the villages on the other side! The plateau itself is one huge green space of fields of grains, fruit and olive trees, and grazing land for goats and sheep. The resort was at the far end of the plateau on the hillside but the stables were on the plateau floor. Nik drove us up to the resort, where I got to try a mug of locally grown herbal tea with honey. Don't know what it was made of, but it was mighty tasty. Nik said that most of his guests were well-educated, well-mannered hikers over the age of 50 or 60 who basically were up early, disappeared all day into the hills, and then showed up briefly for dinner at night. Not too much work for the staff!
I got my riding helmet, he had a smoke (god, they all smoke it seems), and we drove down to the stables. There was a horse already saddled and tied up at the fence of the corral. Her name was Evie, a dappled grey mare. Very pretty and very serene. The guide who was supposed to take me out was in fact in Chania at an appointment, so Nik saddled up a young stallion and took me out himself. Talk about star treatment!
Now, you may not know much about horses, but Cretan horses are like Icelandic horses and some other smaller mountain breeds. They have a fast little gait all of their own, which is especially well suited to hoiking tourists up mountain trails. I had to do some serious squeezing with the thighs to stay in the saddle, because I wasn't used to Evie's fast little trot. It was rather comical at times as I bobbed along and hair-raising at others, as we rode up rocky scree-covered paths with some rather painful-looking rocks on one side and a long view straight down. It kept me very focused on staying in the saddle anyway! Nik says the horses will actually correct their position if they feel you slipping so it's actually harder to fall off than it feels. Marginally comforting. We rode 700 meters up from the floor of the plateau to the top of the ridge. It was a slow and easy pace. At the top was a stone chapel (of course). We stopped for a break and to rest the horses as well as my knees (too much squeezing). Nik had lived in New York for quite a few years, so he talked about his time there and his kids in college and this and that. We rode back down the ridge in much less time. Evie and the stallion got hosed down and squeegeed (I kid you not, he had a horse squeegee) and fed and watered before we drove back up to the resort for a lunch of local stewed lamb, green beans, potatoes, salad, and fries with fresh pear and apple slices for dessert. I had a fizzy lemonada, which is a Greek soda in a glass bottle but not so sweet. I paid for my day out then Nik drove me back to Almyrida. He went off to buy gum for the drove back to the plateau, and I keeled over on my bed for a couple of hours. After my nap, I ventured out to the beach and then the pool for a swim before dinner. It was a long, fantastic day! Day 7 - Last day (sniff!) and I decided to lay low with an hour of kayaking and then lazing by the hotel pool. Slept in, recovered the feeling in my arms (hard bed), then went down to breakfast. Let that settle before finally putting on the swim togs again and braving the (imaginary) ridicule of the French youths at the UCPA (sports station) down the street. Luckily, there was a friendly French woman there instead of the rather unhelpful guys, so I rented a kayak for an hour (€7) and gamely went out to the beach. It was very windy, so I knew there was a good chance I'd get seasick as well as getting blown around. What the heck, I thought, I'm going to do it anyway. I had my life jacket on, my glasses tied to my head with stretch cord I bought at the supermarket, and my Italian sun hat tied on. Of course, as soon as I tried to get in the kayak, I fell on my keester in the sand. What could I do but laugh? The people in the taverna were laughing too, but hey? The French guy/lifeguard held the back end of the kayak steady so I could crawl in (very ungracefully) and I headed off a little wobbly but upright into the waves. Okay, so I lasted all of 30 minutes and then I was just too tired from fighting the wind and too green at the gills from being seasick, so I headed into shore and called it a day. Never mind. I had challenged my fear and conquered it! I was feeling rather queasy so opted for lying in the shade by the hotel pool. Much more civilized. There were kids playing and one little boy, Jack, was amusing himself, rather like my cat Agatha used to do, with a ball. As soon as I stuck a toe into the water to go for a swim, he was on me. "Will you play ball with me?" He was so winsome and lonely, how could I say no? So, I played ball with a little English lad in the pool. His mum and dad were nearby thanking their lucky stars that someone else was entertaining their kid. Mum was keeping a close eye, never fear. He had to go in for "tea" and begged me to be there when he got back.
I was going to go to the Internet cafe again, but I thought, heck, I can do that later. So, Jack came racing out to tell me he'd "had his tea but had to wait 30 minutes for it to settle, and then he'd be back out for another round". We had a load of fun. Jack couldn't swim in the deep end yet, so I had to fish him out a couple of times when he strayed past the line and looked to be in trouble, but otherwise, it all went swimmingly (ha!). His dad finally got into the pool with him, so that was my chance to make my escape. I was craving a crepe at Didos, so after I showered and changed, I wandered up the street to have a bite. Ended up having a nice long chat with another retired English couple who were in Crete for her (Trish's) 60th birthday and their 10th wedding anniversary. Ran into them again at dinner in the hotel, so we had another enjoyable chin wag. I finished the last of my postcards (sent 50 in total, a new record!), packed, and ignored the rather lame "trad music and dance" show by the pool. The dancers and two singers were live but the music was canned and rather too loud. I wish they'd have splurged and got a couple of real musicians - it would have been much nicer. Ah well. A lovely week all in all, and just the break I needed to restore my sanity.
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