Wednesday, June 13: The ferry ride to Crete was uneventful. Rick spent some time chatting with the three Aussies we met on the bus yesterday--never did meet the other 13! The ferry arrived at the port of Heraklion about 15 minutes late. We found a cab and for 30E we were taken the 20km to Agia Pelagia and the Renia Hotel Apartments. Agia Pelagia is a small beach town on the northern coast west of Heraklion. The road from Heraklion to Agia Pelagia is the New National Road, so the trip went quickly--until we turned off. To get to Agia Pelagia took another 10 minutes down snaking roads to the sea. The driver found the apartment without any trouble. We were surprised at check in to find that we could not pay our balance due in cash, but had to use the booking account we set up from home. They do have wi-fi, so Rick will do this in the morning. The other surprise was that it's 5E per day extra to use the air conditioner. We will dispute this in the morning as well. The apartment itself is fine, with balconies on two sides. There is room to sleep 5, which, for us, just means more room to spread out.

The first thing we always do at a new place is hit the super market for basics: milk, water, fruit, etc. so we'll have something for breakfast. The town is very small, but within a minute of our apartment is a pharmacy, super market, 24 hour medical service and a beachfront full of tavernas and cafes. By this time it's almost 10pm, so we can't determine the quality of the beach. A small restaurant on the "main" street looks inviting and the prices are very reasonable. It's connected to the Irini Hotel Apartments. We are impressed from the time the table is set with place mats (instead of paper table cloth), cloth napkins, and real wine glasses. The bread is hot and the portions are not too large. We have a small salad, tsutsukakia (meatballs in tomato sauce) and pasta. Everything is wonderful--it could be the best meal we've had in Greece. When we ask for the bill, the waiter says to wait because they are baking us a special dessert. He brings out two small delicate pastries filled with cream and lightly covered with cinamon and honey--delicious!! We will definitely come back here.

Back at the apartment we are again surprised: in other apartments we've had to make our own bed and this time we find that the sheets are all for single beds and we're going to sleep in the double. We'll make do until we can rectify this tomorrow. Rick tries the wi-fi connection, but can't connect. We're starting to wonder if the Renia Apartments will be our big mistake of this trip.

Thursday, June 14: Well, we slept--but we sure could have used the air conditioner. When Rick gets up and tries to connect to the internet, he's unable to do so. Now he's a bit frustrated and goes down to reception to get some help. The apartments are owned by two brothers: Manos (who was on duty when we arrived last night) and Michael (who looks a lot like Alan Arkin; and sounds like him, too). Michael is able to get the connection working for which Rick thanks him and then engages him in a discussion about the a/c fee. Michael insists that their website specifies the fee; Rick booked thru an agency whose listing of the property doesn't mention it. Rick tells Michael that we've paid less for similar facilities in other places in Greece and all included the air conditioning. Finally Michael says he wants to make us happy and will give us the control (but he doesn't). For now we let it go.

Our car is to be dropped off this morning at 10am. Joanna arrives from a local agent with a car from another agent who has an agreement with the agent we booked through. Confusing, but the net result is we have what we expected and at the proper price. We won't even use it today. Joanna explains that we can leave the car in the parking lot by the ferry when we're ready to leave next week. This is very convenient, even though it means driving into Heraklion. We won't do much today except laundry and read. There are several shops within a minute or two of our apartment and we check them out on our way to lunch. It's a gorgeous day and the beach is crowded with sun worshippers--most of whom we suspect are here just for the day--they're not staying in town. We find another great place to eat, again at very reasonable prices. We are quite satisfied with our choice of Agia Pelagia for our base on Crete. After lunch Rick will plan our touring for tomorrow: Knossos, Gortyna, Phaestos, and Matala--all sights of Minoan ruins; and perhaps a stop at Skalani for a tour of the winery and tasting. While Rick is studying the guide book and map, Michael shows up with the air conditioner control. We are now satisfied and will provide the link to their website for you. For dinner we select one of the tavernas on the beach--grilled salmon for Rick (he's getting his quota of fish) and fried calamari for Rory. Back at the apartment we crank up the a/c and the room begins to cool off nicely. We hope a good night's sleep is in store for us. We've got exactly two weeks left on our trip.
.

Friday, June 15: We are going to do "ruins" today. Getting out of Agia Pelagia will be the first challenge--we have to get gas and then find our way to the National Road back toward Heraklion. We have a small map of the town, but the streets aren't always exactly as marked and just as we think we've found the road to the gas station it turns out to be one way against us. So we retrace our tracks and before long the gas station appears on our right--just where it's supposed to be. There are two ways in/out of Agia Pelagia. Rather than fight the winding road uphill, we'll take the second road--still uphill of course, but with fewer "S" curves.

We're heading to Knossos, the capital of Minoan Crete, about 30km southeast of Agia Pelagia and 3km south of Heraklion. We find the site without any trouble, but despite the fact that we get there before 9:30, the place is pretty well overrun with tour buses. Knossos is one of the most visited sites in Greece. Probably the Acropolis in Athens, Delphi, and Olympia get more visitors. The entrance fee is 6E per person for which you receive nothing but a ticket. If you want to understand what you are seeing, you need either a good guide book or to hire a guide. We have the former and save the 10E per person the guide would charge. There are many places where descriptions of the area/building are provided, which makes following our book a lot easier. The ruins here were uncovered by Sir Arthur Evans in the early 1900s. Evans invested over 250,000 English pounds of his own money excavating and reconstructing parts of the palace and surrounding sites. He has been criticized by many archeologists who believe he sacrificed accuracy to his imagination. Most people (ourselves included) think his efforts allow visitors to visualize what a Minoan palace really looked like. We quickly realize that the tours are being led from the south entrance clockwise around the central court and surrounding buildings. Our book directs us to the north entrance and we tour the site in a counterclockwise direction. This enables us to avoid much of the congestion caused by scores of tour groups. It's impossible in a short journal to describe the extent of the site. One interesting observation is that Evans actually painted some of the surviving columns (red and black) and there are several colorful frescoes (copies of the originals, currently in the National Archeological Museum in Heraklion). This makes it a lot easier to visualize the opulence of the palace. The Minoans were quite an advanced civilization, especially when you consider that the first palace at Knossos was built between 1900 and 1700 BC. It was destroyed by an earthquake and rebuilt on the same site. It is this palace that Evans reconstructed. It was partially destroyed again between 1500 and 1450 BC, rebuilt, and then destroyed by fire 50 years later. The city consisted of the palace, residences of officials and priests, homes of ordinary citizens and burial grounds. The palace was comprised of royal quarters, reception rooms, shrines, workshops, treasuries and storerooms. Most of this is accessible by visitors, but unfortunately the royal apartments have been closed since the mid '90s. When Rick was here in 1978, he was able to tour them. We will spend the better part of 2 hours here (an hour more than the 10E tours take...).

From Knossos, we plan to visit three other ruins: Gortyna, Phaestos, and Agia Triada. It's about an hour drive to Gortyna. The road is very good--relatively high speed and direct--until it dead ends without warning. We have to backtrack to the last town, and take the winding road through the mountains until we hook up with another good road. Several kilometers farther, the road seems to dead-end again! All we can see is dirt and a lot of construction vehicles. Just as we think we're going to have to turn around, a truck appears from the left coming up a steep incline (which we couldn't see). The good road will continue--but we got quite a shock first. We only miss one turn the rest of the way, but recover quickly and soon connect with the Heraklion-Phestos road. We stop for lunch in Agia Deca. Of the three remaining sites, we're most interested in Phaestos primarily because it is the site where the Disc of Phestos was discovered. The image of this disk can be found on everything from t-shirts to jewelry and Rory is particularly interested in finding out as much as she can about it. The fact that the inscriptions on the disc have never been deciphered makes it that much more intriguing. So we pass Gortyna and drive directly to Phaestos. We are surprised to find that there are NO tour buses at Phaestos--our lucky day, or so we thought. The walk up to the entrance of the site provides a nice panoramic view. We pay our 4E entrance fees and enter the site. It immediately becomes obvious to Rick why there are no tour buses here: there is nothing to indicate what we're looking at or what its significance is. You get nothing for your 4E except entrance and there aren't even any guides for hire. To top it off, the Disc of Phaestos is visible only in the souvenir shop where thousands of reproductions can be purchased. The original disc is in the Archeological Museum in Heraklion. We think we'll go there on Sunday and agree to bypass the other two sites, since they have less to see than Phaestos.

We arrive back in Agia Pelagia around 5pm to relax before dinner. It's been a very warm day--the warmest since Athens way back at the start of our trip. The temperature reached 86, but there was a nice breeze all day, and, despite the fact that Crete is surrounded by water, the humidity is surprisingly low. We are going to have dinner at the restaurant at Irini apartments again. Rory decides to put on a light dress; Rick puts on a clean shirt. We are greeted by the same waiter (we think he owns the place, as he's the only one) and have, what we both agree, is the best meal we've had in Greece so far. When we tell this to our waiter, he beams. When we were here the other night, there was a CD playing. We asked where we could get a copy and he told us we couldn't--it was made by a friend of his, and not for sale. Tonight we asked if we could copy it onto our computer and he said we could. Rick will walk over one morning before we leave and do so.
.

Saturday, June 16: The choice today is head east toward Agia Nickolaos or west toward Rethymno and Hania. The former is about 58km from Agia Pelagia and the latter another 78km beyond that. We'll start with Rethymno and see how it goes. The drive is almost entirely along the National Road, so it goes quickly. There are still plenty of "S" curves, but there is also plenty of room to pass. By now, Rick is driving like a native, and occasionally has to adjust to the "careful" from Rory. Rethymno is a medium sized town by Greek standards. Our guide book lists its population at around 27,000; but it the city itself is spread out along the north coast and we'd guess the population is actually quite a bit larger. We're looking for the Venetian Fortress and the Rimondi Fountain among other sites. The city, like Agia Pelagia, is a seaside area, so we have to descend from the main road. We're quickly in the midst of traffic, but manage to get our bearings fairly quickly. We could see the fortress and the harbor as we drove down into the city; still finding a place to park was a challenge. We finally found one on a side street about 10 o'clock from the city center. We walk down to the waterfront. Looking to the right along the beach are high rises and hotels as well as a huge yacht marina. Looking to the left is the beginning of "old town" with its tavernas, cafes, and shops of all sorts. Not being in any hurry, we meander among the waterfront shops. There is a picturesque marina with a jetty at the end of which is a small light house-like tower. We can see the 16th century fortress--it's several hundred meters farther along. Since we got a late start this morning, we have lunch at a small taverna on the hill approaching the fortress. Rick's Greek salad here is the best he's had in Greece so far. (We estimate Rick has averaged slightly less than one Greek salad per day!)

The Fortress, like several others we've visited (the one in Nafplio comes to mind), is well worth the admission fee--in this case, 3.10E. The walls are intact all the way around and there are several buildings of interest. Among these are an old church, a mosque, and several other buildings. The fortress itself overlooks the Sea of Crete and the views are terrific. The water is multi-colored: dark blue, turquoise, aquamarine, and purple. It's quite warm again today, but there is a nice breeze and the humidity is again surprisingly low. We are really quite comfortable and remind ourselves how unlike south Florida it is at this time of year. We'll spend well over an hour exploring the site and chat with some folks from England one of whom was born in Perth, Australia but now lives in London. When we've taken our quota of photos, we walk back into the section of old town away from the waterfront. Here the streets are narrow (pedestrian only) and crammed with shops: jewelry, leather, ceramics, clothing, local crafts, and, of course, souvenirs. We pass a shop that sells mostly belts--the largest array we've seen anywhere. Rick has a hard time picking one out (so he picks two)--belts have become his thing. While he's trying them on, Rory finds a bargain pair of red shoes. The shopowner, a young man named Giannis, gives us a nice discount for cash, and we're off to find the Rimondi Fountain, expecting something on the order of Trevi (in Rome). We can't find it--and have to ask twice for directions. When we finally find it, we realize we passed it before we got to the belt shop. It really isn't much at all, escpecially when the tourists are washing their hands and feet in it and filling their empty water bottles. We have a good laugh over this, stopping to buy matching sweaters on sale (for the cold months in Columbia) and for a cold drink on the way back to the car. The problem is, we can't find it, having mistaken the street into the city center. We know it's there somewhere, and after going back to the center, and up the next street, we find it.

Back in Agia Pelagia, the beach is overrun, and the little parking lot nearby our apartment is full. Rory takes the car and parks it in the public lot a couple of hundred meters up the street. Tonight we'll have dinner at a place we ate at for lunch the other day. We are greeted warmly by the waiter who recognizes us and is appreciative that we thought enough of the taverna to come back. While we're eating, a quartet of local musicians appears off the street (two accordians, a guitar, and a tamborine) and sings three songs, then passes the tamborine. While they're playing a young girl (probably no more than 6 or 7) gets up to perform with the group. She is obviously having a ball--acting like she was made for performing. She takes the tamborine and passes it by her father who is obligated to make his second contribution of the night. We'd both like to shower before going to bed, but there seems to be no hot water, so we'll have to wait till morning. All in all, though, it's been a wonderful day.
.

Sunday, June 17: It's going to be another hot day, but it's a lot windier than the past two have been. We're not in much hurry to get going this morning. Since it's Sunday, we think there might be minimal traffic in Heraklion. We'd like to follow the directions we were given to the port, so we can see in advance how to get there and where to return the car. This will be a great stress reducer come Wednesday. We'll also visit the Koules Venetian Fortress that sticks out into the old harbor, the Archeological Museum of Heraklion, and the Morsini Fountain. We've still got plenty of petrol to get there and back.

Although he had his doubts, the directions Joanna gave us to the ferry and carpark are dead-on perfect. We feel really good about having done this and are filled with confidence that we can find our way to the sites we want to visit--little did we know... The fortress, of course, is right in front of us--so no problem here. Right! We park in what appears to be the lot for the local yacht club and walk toward the fortress. Unfortunately there's a small fishing boat marina between us and it. We can see how to get to the fort, but not where we might park. So, back in the car and up the incline past the fortress. We are lucky to find a spot in front of a small taverna and a rental car agency and hile the hundred or so meters back to the fortress. Admission here is 2E each--and well worth it. Again, the walls are intact. There's a lower level with several rooms, one of which must have been the arsenal, because it is full of old cannon balls. There's a path of smooth light and black (almost blue) stones to the upper level. From here the views of the harbor and the city are beautiful. There are also several structures to explore. Across the harbor, the Pheastos Palace ferry that we will take to Pireaus on Wednesday is docked. It's huge and we're wondering what our VIP status will get us. Our exploration of the fortress takes about an hour. From there we walk back up the incline to the taverna for lunch across from where we parked the car.

After lunch we're ready for the Archeological Museum. Rory is looking forward to seeing the Disc of Phaestos, but first we have to find the museum. We look for the brown signs that have directed us to every other site we've visited in Greece--no signs! We don't have a good map of the city, only the one in the guide book. We can find it, and about 20 minutes later, we think we have. Again, no signs. There's a museum car park (the Greek letter version for parking looks like the word "NAPKIN"--we have a good laughover this, but by now Rick needs a WC really bad. He walks ahead up to the museum only to find that it's been closed since November of last year and there's no target date for its reopening. No museum, and worse, no WC. We find a small cafe across the street from the museum and spend 4E on two cokes so we can use the WC. Rick is wondering why we're drinking cafeinated soda.... The last site on our list is the Morsinii Fountain and by now we have NO expectations of what we will find--IF we find it. This takes some walking and finally an inquiry at the local police station to finally locate it. It's a little more impressive than the Rimondi Fountain in Rethymno, but that's not saying much. Except for the fortress, this hasn't been the most successful day. We decide not to press our luck (?) and drive back to the apartment.

We're expecting the beach to be crowded, but what we find is wall-to-wall people, umbrellas, beach chairs and towels. We can't imagine what it must look like in season. We sit in the corner cafe, have a couple of cold drinks and watch the people. We're especially amused by the small children, their antics, and their parents' reactions. Rory relaxes with her book at the cafe, while Rick returns to the apartment to write the journal for the past two days. On the way back he'd like to check with the waiter at the Irini taverna to copy the CD, but there's no one there. We'll check at dinner tonight.
.

Monday, June 18: The choice today is to go east toward Agios Nickolaos (about 95km) or west to Chania (about 140km). According to our Lonely Planet guide, there's more to see in Chania, so that's our choice. Rick has become quite adept at driving like a native, having learned how to pass on curves and to be aware when he should move over to the far right and let someone pass us. The only posted speed "limits" appear before sharp curves; otherwise the speed limit is whatever the driver wants it to be. The National Road is good enough that you can maintain 100 km/hr most of the way and it takes only 90 minutes to get to Chania. Then it takes another half hour to find our way to the waterfront. On the way we find ourselves on a narrow urban street surrounded by the densest concentration of shops we've ever seen. The street leads us to the port and a car park--but there aren't any empty spots. We circle it a couple of times hoping someone will leave and we are rewarded. Unfortunatel the car that left wasn't parked in a "legal" spot, but no one in Greece seems to pay attention to such things least of all the police, so we take it. We're just a short walk from the harbor, typically lined with tavernas and shops. Somehow it works--it's so touristy, it's quaint!! (Have we said that before?)

There's a lighthouse at the end of a 1.5km jetty, to which we opt not to go since it isn't open. The Firkas Fortress at the west end of the harbor isn't open either, but we walk around it anyway, finding ourselves wandering one of the maze of narrow streets. It's very warm today (close to 90 degrees). As it's lunch time, we're heading back to the waterfront when we pass a small taverna. There's a cool breeze blowing up the street from the harbor--very inviting. We'll have lunch here and chat with two couples from Wales. After lunch, Rick wants to visit the Etz Hayyim Synagogue and the Siavo Bastion (where there we hope to get good panoramic views of the city). We find a sign for the synagogue and pass through the open gate into a small courtyard. The synagogue itself is to the left. It's quite small and we learn it is one of the world's top 100 endangered Jewish monuments. Before leaving, we peek into a small office, where a young man (Giannis) is finishing his lunch. He is Greek, but lived in the US (through high school), before returning to Greece to attend college. He speaks English like an American. Rick asks if he's ever been to the synagogue in Rhodes, which is also quite small, and whether the old woman who took care of it was still alive. He seemed quite impressed that Rick had been to the Rhodes synagogue as he had not. He knew of the old woman, suspected she might still be alive, but said that another woman was now taking care of the synagogue.

We continued up the hill toward the bastion, passing one of the most charming tavernas we've seen in Greece. At the end of the street we could see the Bastion above us and asked a waiter how we could get to the top. We got a quisical look, but her pointed to a wooden staircase. This didn't look like the "entrance", but Rory climbed up anyway, only to find access to the Bastion blocked by high weeds. We continued around unitl we found an unpaved road and followed it to the top. The place is covered with weeds and we're guessing no one ever comes up here. To top it off, there's no clear view of the harbor from up there. So far, Chania is a disappointment. Walking down from the Bastion, we find ourselves on the busy shopping street we'd driven on our way into town. The shops are so close together, it's almost impossible to determine where one ends and the next one begins. One street seems to concentrate on leather goods, another on textile products. There are jewelry stores everywhere--so many we wonder how they sell it all despite the huge number of tourists. We're going to try one more sight before heading back to Agia Pelagia--the turkish Splantzia quarter. We pass back through the lot where we parked the car. There are now several vacant spots, and Rick decides to move the car into a marked spot. From here we'll eventually find the narrow streets of the Splanzia culminating at a catholic church, unusual because it has both a spire and a minaret. Whe suppose it was a mosque at one time.

The drive back to Agia Pelagia is uneventful--Rory naps much of the way. We're lucky and find a place to park in the small lot near the apartment. It's hot enough that Rick decides to try out the pool. He jumps in and stays only long enough to get refreshed and settles onto a lounge to read. He overhears a couple sitting on their patio below him. They're Aussies: Mick and Angela from WA near Bunbury. We were there last year and Rick checks to see if they're footy allegiance runs to the Dockers or the Eagles. Too bad, they're Eagles supporters, but nice folks anyway. They're spending 18 days in Greece and leaving in the morning for Santorini. Rory comes down for a short swim and we spend the next hour or so chatting with Mick and Angela about where we've been in Australia. They like Cairns and Rick tells them about the Greek restaurant we liked there and recommends they try the Irini restaurant for dinner tonight. It's after 9pm when we get to the Irini, but don't see them there. Since this is our third time, we are greeted warmly by Giannis who, it turns out, owns both the restaurant and the apartmens along with his partner "the cooker" (chef). We ask when it would be convenient to come by and copy the CD we heard the first night. He says to come by any time and we will do so tomorrow morning. (Oh yes, dinner was again superb!!)
.

Tuesday, June 19: It's our last day on Crete--we leave for Athens tomorrow morning. We kept our appointment with Giannis and arrived at Irini around 10:15. Rick was easily able to copy the CD and we had time to meet his partner, Manos and to get a look at one of the apartments. They're quite nice, the bathroom and main bedroom are a little larger than the one we have at Renia and the a/c is in the bedroom! The rest of the apartment is a little smaller than the one we have, but we'd recommend it. The main advantage to Renia is the pool. Here's the link again.

We've decided to limit our day to a visit to the "CretAquarium", located about 15km east of Heraklion--or about 30 minutes from the apartment. There are signs about every 10km on the National Road, but of course when you get close, they disappear. It's about 3km from the exit and we pull up to a big red building. Something is "fishy" (pardon the pun; OK,don't). The parking lot is empty. Just as we're beginning to suspect that it's closed on Tuesdays or worse, closed for good, we see a small sign pointing ahead--1.5km to go. The acquarium is impressive especially when you consider where it is. There are numerous exhibits and many tanks. We especially enjoyed a made for TV film about how the various fish survive. We spend about two hours here and then return to our apartment for a late lunch. On the way back we pass the only serious accident we've seen despite the insane way Greeks drive. A car has turned over and burned--we can't tell if anyone was injured. Traffic is stopped in both directions on the National Road.

It's Rory's last chance to swim at the beach. She gets in about 20 minutes worth while Rick sits in one of the beachside tavernas reading. The water is quite cold--surprising when you consider that it's been hot for the past several days. Today was in the 90s. We get all packed up for tomorrow and showered and dressed for dinner by 9pm. We eat at Irini one last time. We're almost sorry to leave and ask Giannis if maybe they'd deliver to Athens for the next week. Dinner is again superb: We start with grilled mushrooms and garlic. Rory has grilled chicken, Rick has grilled salmon. We receive a special complimentary dessert: a small pastry filled with apple and with whipped cream on the side. We are not looking forward to having to find 8 new places for dinner.
.

Wednesday, June 20: We're up and out before 8:30. The drive from Agia Pelagia to the port in Heraklion is unveventful. We have no problem getting through our favorite intersection at the bottom of the exit ramp. If ever there was a need for a traffic light, this place is it. No one will let you in; left turns are an adventure no matter which way you're coming. We're glad we took the time on Sunday to follow the directions to the ferry. We were told to leave the car in the lot across from the ferry; leave the door unlocked, and the key under the mat. With our rollers unloaded from the trunk, it's just a short walk across to the Faestos Palace, waiting at the dock. It's just past 9am and we're not due to depart until 11:00. Rick walks up the gangway to find out when we can board. A uniformed man says in about 10 mimutes. Rick asks him where the luggage will be stowed and he points to a green and red truck parked to the left of the ship. They store the luggage on the truck and drive it onto the ferry before departure. What a great idea and we're wondering why the other ferries don't do something similar instead of having all the passengers wrestling to get their luggage off the small racks at the exit ramps.

The Faestos Palace is the cruise ship of ferries. We have VIP seats--like business class. We're in a large area with more legroom between the seats than even the plushest first class airplane seats. There's an attendant ensure that no one without a VIP seat comes into the area. Our carry ons are secure and we've got plenty of time to wander around. There's a pool (but no water in it), a helipad, several bars and a nice restaurant with reasonable prices. We'll be able to have a nice lunch. We can see the car park, and notice that the rental car is no longer in its spot--someone must have picked it up already. Just before we depart, Rick checks to see that the truck with the luggage has been driven aboard--it has. At 11:00 sharp, the ferry departs for Piraeus--6 1/2 hours away.