Crete 2018

Leaving Crete tomorrow, after 10 very interesting days. 

I flew from Athens to Heraklion which is the largest Urban city of Crete. Went for an evening stroll to the seaport and walked along the giant Venetian walls (the largest in the Mediterranean) to the famous Castle.

The next day I went up the winding roads through the mountains through the Lassithi plateau, to see the  Psychro cave which is believed to be the birthplace of Zeus. Take a look at the cave pictures below and see the cool images of faces and beings. 

I headed east and stopped at a few historical spots before checking into my next place in Agios Nikolaos. This Airbnb ended up being a hotel, and it was one of my favorite places to stay for sure. I was greeted by Petros (the owner of the Mirsini Hotel), who kindly walked me to my room, presented me with a bottle of wine to enjoy the most exquisite view from my balcony. I loved that view so much, it was difficult to leave my room to see anything else :)

I explored the various beaches in the area, and found that although the colors of the sea are extra ordinary, most of the beaches were rocky and if there was sand, there were chairs put on it that you had to rent. Being from Hawaii, I wasn't too impressed by the beaches. 

After 3 days in Agios Nikolaos, I went back on the road, up through the mountains, and back down to a small seaside village. It was so peaceful to be the only car on the road through the mountains, and a welcomed relief from the summer crowds at the beaches. 

The next morning as I was checking out and told hotel owner where I was going, he said it was not a good idea because there is a very strange storm coming in that could turn into an monsoon. Well here I go again, being in a place during the usual dry season and ending up getting caught in a storm. Yes, I drove anyway, over the mountains to the other side of Crete, through really intense rainfall. But, I made it!

​This hotel calls itself a Hybrid hotel, which means some of the rooms sleep 6 people and is like a hostel. After checking in, I went for a 8km walk along the seaside to the old port of Chiana. There is a lighthouse that some believe is naturally powered by a ley-line.... very cool :) 

This is the first hostel I stayed in this trip and with it comes really cool roomates :) I invited my roomies to go beach hopping with me the next day, and we had a very long, nice day. 

I continued beach hoping the next day by myself and found some really spectacular spots. 

While in Chania the weather was a bit cold, windy, and rainy... which they say is extremely unusual for this area during this time of year. The same thing happened when I was in Australia. There is DEFINITELY a global climate change going on. 

As much as I love the sea, I am looking forward to getting to Samothraki, and all its waterfalls, lakes, rivers, and mineral hot springs... Yay!!!!

“Create. Not for the money. Not for the fame. Not for the recognition. But for the pure joy of creating something and sharing it.” 
― Ernest Barbaric

THANK YOU FOR BEING YOU

​