Aug 26, 2012 - Samaria Gorge, Greece

Friday, August 24 I managed to have a good sleep last night, but am definitely fighting a cold now. I had a relaxing morning. At 1:30 I joined the group for a wine tasting lunch. I thought we would just have some cheese and crackers to nibble on, but no, it was a full meal with various appetizers, salads, etc. and about seven different types of wines to try. Another big lunch! I haven’t been that fond of Greek wine in the past, but some of the ones I tried today were actually quite good. After another 2-1/2 hour lunch, we joined Vassilis in...

Aug 24, 2012 - Falasarna / Sfinari - Greece

Thursday, August 24 Today I decided to join the group on an excursion to Falasarna. We left mid-morning and about an hour later made a stop at some archeological ruins. It was very hot … about 35C, so 40 minutes of wandering around there was enough for me! After that we went to a beautiful sandy beach and swam in the clear blue sea which was extremely refreshing. Early afternoon, we took a drive to Sfinari for a fresh fish lunch at an outdoor restaurant overlooking the sea. It was fabulous … we had Greek salad (of course), along with some...

Aug 23, 2012 - Chania, Greece

Monday, August 21 / Tuesday, August 22 At 3:30 PM, I embarked on my flight from Edmonton to London which was actually quite pleasant and uneventful. I was surprised that my luggage weighed less than the maximum allowance and had room to spare. I must have forgotten something! It was a very smooth flight and we were entertained by a very happy 10-month old baby who sat across the aisle from me. As a result, I didn’t get any sleep on this flight. I arrived in London 8-1/2 hours later and managed to get through passport control and collect my...

Jul 16, 2012 - Part of the Euro-Family

Monday began with a walk. I didn't have time for a proper fun before breakfast started, but a walk was in order. As the road wound up and up, I saw rustic houses and heard buzzing insects. You can see the beautiful views in the photos, along with the sign for Lampini, the village the villas are in. Most Cretans don't even know the name Lampini. I also saw lambs on my walk, behind a fence. "Were they slaughtering the spring lambs?" (said in a Hannibal Lecter voice) Every morning breakfast is made by the owners of the Aoritis Villas, Olga...

May 6, 2012 - Our first home away from home

Doesn't this look like Paradise? What a relaxing place to spend a few days. We'll be renting a car and doing some traveling, but I would imagine we'll find some time to just lie around......

Mar 25, 2012 - Hania, Crete

Wiki Info Hania/Crete Wiki Info Rethymno 3-25 The port for Hania is actually 7 km away in Souda. We leaped forward one hour in time last night so instead of being 5am it is 6 and dark outside. We remain on board the ferry 2 hours (we are the last to leave - but the crew very kindly let us stay w/o hassle). There was a taxi just parked - the only one) and he drove us to old town in Hania. The bus station only a few blocks walk has an hourly schedule for leaving to Rethymnon our ON stop. Having a bit of time we walk to the old port and along...

Sep 16, 2011 - Samaria Gorge

Today took it easy, just relaxing and doing a whole lot of nothing after a very long day yesterday. I had planned on leaving this morning for Iraklion, but have enjoyed Hania so much, I decided to spend an extra day. I slept in, sipped coffee frapes near the water, took a leisurely swim, had an afternoon siesta and capped the day off with a nice evening walk and dinner in the old town, drinking a bit too much wine and grappa while watching the parade of people walk on by. What else are vacations for? Yesterday I hiked the Samaria Gorge,...

Sep 14, 2011 - Hania, Crete

I arrived safe and sound after nearly 24 hours of traveling. The town of Hania (also spelled Chania, Hanea and Canea) is a beautiful old Venetian city, but it's been inhabited since the Paleolithic era. Minoans, Greeks, Romans, Venetians and Turks have all left their mark. I spent the day walking around, exploring the twisting little cobbled lanes and harbor. The old town is still partially surrounded by the walls of the Venetian fortress. They are still impressive, although crumbling in some places. My hotel is a 15 min. walk east, along...

Jul 22, 2009 - Chania (aka Xania), Crete

We stayed four days in the City of Chania on Crete, where we stayed at a great old "boutique" hotel called the Casa Delfino. Chania had beautiful sunsets, and some really wonderful restaurants. It's a good-sized town, and old port city from the days of the Venetian occupation, the third largest on Crete. While on Crete, we visited the fascinating archaeological site at Knossos where one finds the palace of King Minos ("the" Labyrinth). When we were ready to come home, we took a plane from Chania to Athens (50 min flight) to avoid the long...

Nov 3, 2007 - Journey to Crete

JOURNEY TO CRETE- October 21st-31st 2007 A journey often implies some sort of epic, and this was no exception. Beginning with tumultuous weather; dark skies, thunder, lightning racing across the sky and pours of rain as the autumns rains came to the eastern Mediterranean. Then there was the inevitable challenges of cancelled ferries and a general slowdown of touristic support. However travelling in Greece at this time has the merits of far less tourists, lower room prices and quiet beaches. Once we reached Kos Island (which is only an...

Sep 16, 2007 - Chania and the Samarian Gorge, Crete

Walking the Samarian Gorge Nick writing We returned to Chania from our villa, dropped off the rental car (by just leaving it on a pre-arranged street, with the doors open, and the keys on the floor. My Canadian mind was aghast.), and set off the next morning for a 16km hike through the Samarian Gorge, from Crete's interior out to the southern coast. This introduced one of the most difficult tasks I've face so far on our adventure. Not hiking the gorge - that wasn't that tough. But remembering to type and say "Samarian" instead of...

Sep 8, 2007 - Chania and Astratigos, Crete

Crete - the Villa and Chania Nick writing When we got into Chania (after a 2-hour bus ride from Irakion, which was thankfully in the dark, given the size of the roads), we started to look for our hotel. 200 metres from the bus station was what we were told. Well, it didn't appear to be in a 200 metre circumfrance. OK, we thought, we'll ask some people. No one had heard of the hotel. Ok, I thought, I'll go off on my own, and find some taxi drivers who can tell me where it is. No dice. 4 taxi drivers all had no clue. Luckily, someone...