MY FEET LOVE CRETE

We entered the island of Crete on Wednesday, October 8th, on the 'Pegasus Express' ferry after a seven hour journey from our previous location of Gythio, on the far southern end of the Peloponnese. We have come to somewhat unlike what we call 'travel days', but this seven and one half hour journey proved to be one of the most memorable days of the trip thus far. The ferry made two other scheduled stops on the islands of Kithiri and Antikithiri, both of which lie in line with the ferry route to Crete. The ferry ride was exhilarating. What we thought would be a chance to catch up on some sleep turned into hours of staring out at the open ocean and catching glimpses of small and uninhabited islands jutting out of the dark blue water. We ate a lunch we packed comprised of stuffed wine leaves (grape leaves, as we call them) and sausage and pepper sandwiches that I had made the evening before.

The ferry arrived in the port of Kissamo Kastelli at about 20:45. It was already dark and all we could see was one taxi from the deck. Arriving at night is often times very difficult and disorienting, even with a reservation, which we had. Immediately after leaving the ship, we passed a small and unassuming Greek man that simply muttered “rooms” as we passed. We replied, “Oh, no thank you, we already have a reservation”. We walked up to the sole cab and the driver asked where we were headed, we said, “Argos Rooms for Rent”. He said, “Oh, see that small, unassuming man over there that you just passed? He is the boss of Argos.” Although he really did not say that exactly, it turned out that the sweet and gentle unassuming Greek man was Mr. Papadaki, owner of the Argos Rooms for Rent and Restaurant. A multi-generational establishment that was situated right on the beach at Kissamos Kastelli. A town with two names, you may ask. Well, yes. As it turns our, Kissamos is the Greek given name and Kastelli is the name given when the area was occupied by the Venetians, a people who left an indelible mark on the surface of Crete in the form of walls, castles, forts, churches and lighthouses. There is also another area on Crete known as Kastelli and the Greek name is also used to eliminate confusing the two cities.

Upon arriving, we were escorted to our rooms by Anastasia Papadaki, the daughter, who later joined us at our table in the restaurant to talk about the history and culture of Crete with us, as well as describing her upcoming holiday to Singapore. We drank homemade wine, a beverage that we end up becoming big fans of, and also met Dan, from Canada, and Kim, from London, who end up spending a late night with us talking, eating and planning our next moves. It was a wonderful evening and a great introduction to the hospitality and magic that Crete would soon reveal.

Our stay in Kissimos was much shorter than we had wished. However, the arrival of an incredible wind storm had canceled some of the events we had planned which relied on boat transportation. Had I had a surfboard, however, we would have stayed much longer as the waves were quite impressive after twenty-four hours of solid north winds. Nonetheless, while there, not only were we treated to the wonderful hospitality of the Papadaki family, and the incredible conversations with our new friend Kim over homemade wine, beer and ouzo with traditional Cretan music in the background, we also had an awesome day at Falassarna beach, which was an impromptu decision that was made while standing at the bus station writing down the different schedules. I snorkeled around the crystal clear waters of the lagoon while Idalis sat and soaked in the sun and the pages of the book she was reading, “Zorba the Greek”. That evening we were treated to our second best meal of the trip at the 'Cellar Taverna', which consisted of the Greek mix plate, artichoke hearts and potatoes, and swordfish, chased with, you guessed it, homemade wine and a complimentary carafe of Raki, a Cretan version of fire water, which we were unable to finish. At the end of our meal, we were greeted by the gregarious and charming restaurant owner, whose name escapes us, and the late arrival of Kim, from London. That was the end of our last evening in Kissamos and it could not have been more perfect.

It was a magical stay that ended with another impromptu bus ride, the following morning, to the city of Hania, prompted by the realization that our boat ride to the Bay of Balos and the island of Gramvoussa was canceled due to the bad weather. However, we did not make off to our next destination before deciding to stop into the Kissamos Museum to be pleasantly surprised by the incredible amount of artifacts dating all the way back to the ancient Minoan civilization, that inhabited the area in the early fourth through sixth centuries BC, and meeting Theo, the local historian and all around great guy. What would have been a half hour tour of the museum, turned into an hour long conversation including everything from archeology to basketball. Thanks Theo, it was nice to meet you and great to talk to you. (By the way, we ended up spending a couple days in Hania and hiking the Gorge on your day off!)

We left Kissamos on the 12:15 bus headed for Hania, another city built and established by the Venetians. We arrived with plenty of time to walk the city and enjoy views from the 1.5 kilometer sea wall that surrounds the city, protects the harbor and leads to the lighthouse marking the entrance to the port. Hania is a town with two faces. Adjacent to the sea is the old city center and beyond it is the newer part of what is a very large and touristic city, filled with pastel colored buildings and Venetian ruins. With original plans to stay in Hania only one night, we reconsidered after deciding that we would hike the Samarian Gorge the next morning. We woke up at 5:30 to catch the 7:30 bus to Omalos, which would drop us at the head of the 13 kilometer trail that would lead us from the interior of the island to the shores of the beach in a small town called Agia Roumeli, on the south side of the island. This hike would last six hours and find us starting under 11 degree (celsius) cloud cover and end in 23 degree (celsius) sunshine. The hike was simply amazing and unfortunately no camera or words would be able to capture the beauty and awe that we experienced that day and to even try would be futile. We finished the hike just in time to catch the ferry to the small town of Hora Sfakion, where we befriended the local beer merchant and spent the next couple of hours swimming and snorkeling the cool waters of the Mediterranean and taking sips of ice cold Mythos beer. We built a small sculpture on the beach to pay homage to the town of Horas Sfakion, which had been so good to us in such a short time, and watched the sunset just before heading off to catch the bus back to Hania. We arrived at our room late and thoroughly exhausted. A long sleep and a new day would find us heading back south, to the town of Paleohora, to be able to experience a more complete understanding of the southern side of Crete, that we had only merely sampled the day before. A wise decision that we would come to appreciate.

Having gotten good at deciphering Greek, learning the local bus routes and bargaining for cheap accommodations, we arrived in Paleohora at around 14;00, during the day and with plenty of sunlight, our personal preference. It was only a couple minutes after exiting the bus that we were met by a small Greek woman in black offering us a room. Idalis and I figure that these older Greek women pretty much support the tourist industry in Greece. Anyhow, after a short introduction and exchange of offers, we were escorted to our twenty Euro a night room, complete with ensuite bathroom, refrigerator and Greek style continental breakfast of cake and coffee. We immediately ripped through our routine of unpacking, securing and changing and headed out to explore the city. We had our bathing suits on and had hoped to find a small piece of beach to call our own. However, the weather was not to cooperate with us, so we decided to keep walking. Trying to be the 'know it all' guide, I attempted to get us to the long, sand beach via a shortcut. Although it brought us past the Venetian fortress on the tip of the peninsula, it ended in the city dump. After some short backtracking, we arrived along the beach and saw a little thatch roof taverna called 'The Pelican'. Our plan was to grab a quick snack and a beverage and head out again. Once seated, however, we could not help but just sit back, relax to the sounds of lounge and reggae music and two outstanding meals of stuffed tomatoes and fresh grilled red snapper, oh, and of course, two cold Mythos. We sat for hours staring at the ocean as patches of sun mingled with passing showers. Once we had had our fill, we paid (15 Euros), waited for a clearing and headed out. We only made it a short distance, to the entrance to the beach in fact, before the rain started to come down a bit heavier. Having felt that we accomplished enough by arriving, finding accommodations and eating a phenomenal meal, we decided a nap was definitely in order. After a sweet nap under the sound of lightly falling rain, we woke up just in time to decide where to eat dinner. After a short stop in the local 'gaming room' to use the internet, we made our way to the “Third Eye” restaurant, the only vegetarian restaurant in Crete. One word...amazing. Pumpkin and leek soup in a coconut sauce, stuffed eggplant with salad and rice, a pasta and mushroom bake, moussaka, and more home made organic wine. It was so delicious, in fact, that we decided right there we would return the following evening for a second round. So, the next day, we braved the cool wind and hiked out to a remote area of Paleohora beach. The weather was such that we did not successfully increase the intensity of our tans, but rather were able to be sandblasted from head to toe. Nonetheless, Idalis was able to make quite a dent in her book, “The Island”, an historical fiction based in eastern Crete, and I did my best to test my Italian heritage by building a Venetian rock wall. After a few hours, we decided to walk back into town and past a slew of naked, tanning, German bodies.

Paleohora is a great little town. In actuality, it is kind of big for a small town, in Cretan standards. What used to be a little fishing village has transformed into a very lazy and laid back tourist destination that, until recent years, was probably a bit of a secret. It is perched on a hill immediately in front of a small peninsula which contains the remains of a Venetian fortress used primarily as a look out. We were surprised to find out that one of the Venetian mosaic tile floors we had seen in the Kissamos museum was actually relocated from the Paleahora ruins. The people are incredibly friendly, the environment is calm, soothing and relaxing and after a second evening's meal at the “Third Eye”, we felt like we were satisfied and ready to move on. We no longer have a schedule to stick to and are free to roam, but we wanted to try and keep moving so that once we finally finish our magical and surprisingly captivating journey in Greece, we could move on to Turkey while the weather is still inviting and the accommodations still open. So, our next stop was to be an even smaller, and this time I mean small, town about a forty-five minute ferry ride east of Paleahora, called Sougia (pronounced soo-ya). We were told by our recently acquired friend, Kim from London, while we were still in Kissamos that we would LOVE this town. So, we purchased our ferry tickets and boarded the ferry at 8:00 ready to do it all over again. No more than five minutes after sitting down on the deck of the ferry, and in her typical by the skin of her teeth leisure, did the very source of our inspiration appear from the stairway to meet us with mouths agape. It was Kim from London, our new friend that we had met in and not seen since Kissamos, where we all agreed that at some point we just knew we would run into each other again, I just don't think any of us thought it would be that soon. She boarded, pulled up a deck seat and joined us in our journey to Sougia.

The three of us arrived in Sougia at about 9:00. We disembarked and walked the thin road into the heart of town. We decided to give staying together a go and worked the area for about half an hour before securing a two bedroom apartment, with kitchen, for the grand total of thirty-five Euro a night. She joined us in unpacking and shortly after, Idalis and I made a quick jaunt over to the local market to pick up some breakfast type food, which for us remains as fruit, yogurt, bran and coffee, and met Kirkos, a very hospitable and incredibly entrepreneurial merchant and resident of Sougia. After some great conversation and a little history about his home, we were off and enjoying a fantastic and filling breakfast on the veranda. Kim decided she was going to have a relaxing day on the beach while Idalis and I decided to strike out and enjoy some of the incredible hiking opportunities that exist in this part of Crete. We suited up, packed up some supplies and lunch and headed out. I will tell you, the Samarian Gorge is a site that everyone should be fortunate enough to behold. However, I rather enjoyed more the two and one half hour hike that lead us through some of the most amazingly harsh and rugged territory I have ever hiked. The trail that we chose, or which actually chose us, was a true single track hiking path that appeared to be underutilized and was bordered by every type of hard, thorny and brumbley bush that you can imagine, including sagebrush. At first, it was blistering hot, rugged and intense. However, as we marched on, scarring our ankles with scratches, we were eventually overcome by the most amazing experience of the senses. Since pretty much the beginning of our hike we had heard very faint noises in the distance. As we pressed on, they became more and more clear. Eventually, as we broke through the mountain top and began our decent into yet another gorge, we were almost met face to face with a heard of mountain goats. As it turns out, the local herders will affix bells to the necks of their flocks. As the mountain goats traverse the terrain looking for favorable grazing, they create a beautiful cacophony of clanking and ringing. Add to this the incredible smells of fresh sage and carob and you have a moment that absolutely takes your breath away. I never really thought much of goats and even had some bad experiences with them in the past (long story), but these creatures are absolutely incredible and surprisingly beautiful. They are very much a symbol of the people which they serve and feed, strong, virile, majestic and very sure footed. We were treated to encounters with these amazing beasts throughout the rest of our hike and pretty much right until we exited the most impressive and incredible beautiful gorge that discharged us right onto the stone beach at the far west end of Sougia. We spent all of the two and one half hour hike enjoying complete and total solitude. An experience that neither idalis or I will ever forget. That night, we made another run to the local market to pick up the ingredients of that nights meal, which all three of us worked to create. It was simple, tasty and made with loads of love. After that, we agreed to take a short walk around town, which is essentially one street, and wound up spending about three hours in the taverna next door, sampling the local ouzo, tequilla and raki, which was compliments of a local named Pasquala. We probably drank a bit too much, but we had a great time, with great conversation, in a great place, with great people. Well worth the next morning's hangover.

The next day was a bit slower and basically found us sunbathing for about six hours on the beach. For the first time in quite a few days, the strong winds subsided, the clouds disappeared and the sun got nice and hot. We spent part of the day at the area we called the 'kiddie beach', where most of the families camped out, and the second half at the more decadent end of the beach where naked sunbathing was the call. To the people of Sougia, I thank you for your incredible hospitality and apologize if I at all scarred you with the site of my incredibly white ass! Sougia is one of the few places that we actually loved so much that we agreed we might one day want to return. The south coast of Crete was a last minute decision for us, but one that we are incredibly grateful that we made. This is rough and rugged territory full of taste and flavor and perhaps some of the most hardy people you could ever meet. It is incredibly laid back and was, and kind of still is, a hippie town. People live along the seashore in tents and even caves, bathing naked on the beach and spending the evenings around a fire while playing music. In spite of this, it is incredibly family friendly and smiles abound.

After two wonderful days in Sougia, Idalis, Kim and I awoke bright and early to catch the 7:00 bus into Chania, where we would then transfer to another bus that would take Kim to Rethimno and us a bit further into Iraklio, where we would catch a ferry to our next destination, Santorini. We said our good byes to Kim and promised that we would one day meet up again. We would not be at all surprised if somehow she appeared on the deck of the ferry to Santorini! Hey Kim, “Yassas!!!” Thanks for a great time! Give Bell our best!