Crete: No Con(crete) Plans

Crete was a (mis)adventure, that's for sure.  JD did not get to partake in a phalanx, although he did see some ancient artifacts in the archeological museum of Crete.   Ash made it to the Palace of Knossos, but was too afraid of the minotaur to assume her rightful place at the throne.  Britt did not make it to the gorgeous gorge, Samara Gorge, because they couldn't really get anywhere... but more on that later!

Where they stayed: In Heraklion, Crete, at the Kastro Hotel.  Heraklion is a port city, not necessarily known for it's beauty, but perfect for it's central location.  The hotel was a 2 minute walk from the centre of city life, Liontaria Square, full of shops, cafes, restaurants, and a street market.  The room was clean, cosy, and had air conditioning, necessary in the 30 degree heat.  They finally defrosted after the long Canadian winter.  The hotel was complete with it's rooftop patio, from which they could see the sea, and drink cheap beer from the local vendor, as well as it's rain shower shower head. 

What they ate and drank:  Beer, mostly - among them Mythos, Alpha, Fix, and Amstel.  They also enjoyed some cocktails in the square.  They savoured a dinner in a local restaurant, which felt more like the home kitchen of a small family.  They could watch the owner make them dolmades, dakos, deep fried kebab, fried fish and garlic mashed potatos, and some traditional sweets - one they had no idea the name of, as it was brought to them for free by the owner and he couldn't speak more than 'where are you from'.  Ash swore their were olives in it, but the owner said "What is olive?"... so they will never know.  They also ate leukemades, more spanikopita, chicken souvlaki, and free breakfast daily at their hotel.  They had a fancy dinner at the Herb Garden, where they could look out at an old Venetian Port while they ate vegetable orzo, shrimp and homemade pasta, chicken and potatos, salad, and dessert.  Second dessert that night was frozen Greek yogurt from a popular place called "ChillBox".  

What they did:  Everything wrong, but they still had a great time.  They toured the Palace of Knossos, the largest palace on the island of Crete and the once centre of Minoan civilization.  The palace is known for being home to King Minos, and the legend of the Minotaur, Theseus, and Daedalus.  At the advice of the very (cough un) helpful tourist information woman, they took the public bus there, only to find that most tourists take an organized tour from a different bus company.  They showed themselves around the Palace, knowing little of what they were seeing until they later watched a documentary on Minoan culture and Knossos back at the hotel.  The third day they learned even more at the archeological museum of Crete, taking a full tour of Minoan culture and seeing up close the treasures extracted from the Palace.  Then looking back on their photos of Knossos and thought it was WAY cooler.  Based on a 1970's photo of Britt and JD's parents in a tavern in Agios Nikolaos, they took a day trip there to try to find Kostas, and to see if he was still running Remezzo's.  They found the picturesque view looking down at the town, made their way in and walked up and down the quaint town streets... but there were no taverns to be found.  They had all been replaced by stores.  They even went into the tourist information place and asked the young woman who was working their if she had heard of Remezzo's... and she, and the internet, hadn't.  Despite this they still had a great day trip complete with Ash swimming in the mediterannean and iced coffee with a view.  Other than some history and a day trip to Agios Nikolaos, they spent a lot of time sitting in Liontaria Square with Greek people and stray puppies.  

Lessons learned:  The tourist information booth will be less helpful than your hotel receptionist, who will be less helpful than the bus station, who will be less helpful than the travel agencies on the main street, who will be less helpful than a tourist information person in another town.  If you want to tell people about a place, give them details such as the address and not just the name.  Stray puppies will not necessarily eat anything you give them, and stray cats will become your friends.  
Best lost in translation moment:  Local Restaurant Owner:  "I went to Hamilton." JD:  "What did you do there?"  Local restaurant owner:  "My cousin."

A few more questions for Santorini...

1) Will the famous white wines of Santorini be worth the wait for JD?

2) The sunrise on the ferry ride to Crete brought tears to Ash's eyes (or maybe it was the steady stream of cigarette smoke wafting towards her); will the sunset in Oia be as breathtaking?

3) Will Britt see her first real active volcano?  

Stay tuned!