Crete: a holiday getaway

Hey y'all!





Wındy ferry ride to paradise



Let me tell you, after you have seen what we have seen all you want to do is relax!  It's SO hard to bounce around and see all the sites.  It's totally grating, eating as much great food that we have!  I mean if I had to see another meuseum I think my head would explode with information!! Life is so hard !  Sometimes you just need a beach you know?! Nothing too crazy... maybe on the Mediterranean.  I mean who could deny us that, especially after suffering and working as hard as we have.  We sure couldn't!  (we will be expecting punches once we get home for this paragraph, hehe)



Sea wall pose

So after alot of research we decided on the little city Xiana, Cenea, Chania or Hania depending on the map you're using.  Crete Islands, where Hania sits, is the southernmost of the Greek islands.  We found a nice little studio 50 metres from the beach.  We were expecting coolish weather as that's what everybody told us to expect.  This being said, what we weren't expecting was orange and lemon trees lining the streets, or that we would actually go swimming darn near everyday.  Heck, I didn't have a bathing suit but no worries, I went in my boxers!  



Ho ho ho, it's Christmas Eve!



She is waiting for one to fall. We actually grabbed one and used it in our salad dressing !

It truly was a very  Merry Christmas!  We were max on relax. We read books, bummed around the studio and went for frequent walks.  Nevertheless, there were lots of nice suprises.  Like the beautiful sunsets over the rolling hills and the old port where we made a daily routine of going to watch the waves hit the sea wall. In all honesty, amidst all this beauty, we were getting a little homesick. We figured it probably had something to do with being away from home for Christmas.  It didn't feel like Christmas for us, with no snow, the quiet streets, the cold air. But in a way, the fact that it didn't feel like Christmas made it a little easier for us.  Still, we got ourselves a little Christmas tree and some "gifts"!  Not to mention some champagne and OJ for morning Mamosas. 

Sea wall pondering

Look at what we got under the tree for Christmas morning !  Greek sweets !



We did manage to explore the island a bit.  We decided to check out some beaches we had heard so much  about.  A sketchy car rental place near the studio called "Sunny's" let us have a nice little Citroen.  It worked out better than I thought it would in the end.  The first beach we checked out, Elafonisi, was really nice.  It had pink sand !  We found a little cubby hole in the rocks to protect us from the wind and read out in the sun.  Sun tanning was so nice, especially in December !  On our visit, we only saw a few other people and some wind surffers.

Sweet ride!



Beaches!

I like long walks on the beach.



Can you see the pink?





Yep!  We are wearıng Christmas hats!



We stopped for lunch on our way to the second beach, Falasarna.  We were served by a VERY Greek lady who was kind to us, but when she talked to her husband or grandchild, it was nothing but yelling.  She was a little scary.  We figured it was a cultural thing. Her husband later came and joined us at our table for a chat.  He was very nice and told us it was pretty quiet this time of year (which was quite obvious).  When we got to the next beach there was no one at all!  It looked like a beach that's pretty bumpin' in the summer, but left behind in the winter.  Empty beach volleyball courts, lifeguard huts, ice cream joints, restaurants closed up.  Actually, it kind of felt like we were walking in a post-apocalyptic land.   We pulled out a couple lounging chairs we found (nobody was there to tell us we couldn't!) and napped until sunset. 

We witnessed the olive harvest with trucks overloaded with burlap backs full of olives (and the workers on top, enjoying the ride).  Everywhere you looked there we olive trees!  Goats too!  Didn't see that comming did you? Goats!

Goats everywhere!

That line you kında see, that's a road !





Not to shabby.

Olive pickers gong home for the day.  That truck is half as full as others we saw.

This little break from heavy duty travelling was well worth it.  After the Island we are off to Turkey and India.  Needless to say it's time to put the gloves back on.  We the most of Crete and gave our feet a break and made the most of a Chrıstmas away from home.  We truely mıss you all and look forward to what else lıfe has to offer.

Check ya later !