It is an incredible place filled with incredible people, food, fun, sun and relaxation.
Our trip felt like a year and only a day all at the same time. I could definitely see myself spending lots more time there in the not so distant future.
This is a brief recount of my time there...... some of the details are a bit shaky (considering the amount of Raki we drank) but I'll do my best....
THURSDAY Sept 2
The trip started a little rough when the sad news that Steve's father (Lauren's grandfather) had passed away came through while we were boarding the plane to Athens.
After a rough hour or so, Steve and Jill insisted that we all still go and have the best time we could.... and we intended on keeping that promise.
We flew in to Athens, then connected to a small plane for a 40 minute flight to Crete.
Once we arrived, we piled into a van and had a fight with a taxi driver who thought Steve was an Albanian driver who was stealing his fares. The guy refused to believe that we were Steve's family. The cops almost got involved before the guy realized he was an idiot and backed off.
We drove 30 minutes to Douliana where Vasso (the owner of "Natalie's Houses" and great friend of Jill and Steve's) had an amazing home cooked meal waiting for us. PORK!!!!
I forgot how much I loved such a disgusting animal when it is on my plate. I vowed to have more of it everyday for the rest of the trip.... and I surely did.
We went to bed early-ish with nice full bellies.
FRIDAY Sept 3
We woke up early and had another amazing home cooked meal by Vasso. Fresh eggs, bacon, and tomatoes. Even though I was told repeatedly about the food in Crete.... I was starting to see the trend for myself real early. Every meal I was going to have for the next 10 days was going to be the best of my life.
We took our fulfilled appetites and plunged into our pool. We spent most of the day there just chillin in the sun.
Later we went to Chania for dinner. It was the perfect temperature outside as we walked the pier.
Luckily, we past a classic motorcycle exhibition and had a look at some beautiful old bikes dating back to the early 1900's. Definitely need to get me an old Triumph or something with a sidecar. No doubt.We ate at this place called Ella which is in an old soap factory. It had no roof and was completely open to the vast blanket of sky speckled with glowing stars.
We laughed and ate and laughed and ate until we were full (and partially drunk).
SATURDAY Sept 4
We woke up early again (another trend) and headed to Vamos for a quick breakfast of fresh Greek yogurt and honey then we were off for an adventure..... a long mountain hike/climb.
We stopped to feed and hang with some giant mountains goats along the way.
The hike would start in Sfakion and wind up through the mountains and down into a beautiful beach called Sweetwater Beach.
We quickly changed/stripped down to our swimmers and jumped in the water about 100 yards from everyone else on the beach and enjoyed the crystal clear water.
Everyone kept saying that this was a nude beach but I assumed they were just winding me up....that's until a dude wearing only a pair of goggles swam past us!
Once we had our fill, we continued across the populated nudist area, trying to keep our eyes on the ground as much as possible but occasionally catching glimpses of old naked balls and spread eagle grannies.
We stopped at a taverna that extended into the water and had some beer and water before heading back up the mountain to continue the hike. Sweetwater marked only the half way point and we had already been hiking for what seemed like days (*was probably 3 hours).
Eventually we reached Loutro, a small beachfront village which you can only reach by boat or from the hike that we just did. The sun was going down and we were all exhausted.
We got a small boat to take us back to Sfakion where we had yet another incredible meal in a taverna on the water.SUNDAY Sept 5
We headed out to another beach in the afternoon in Marathi. After a quick lunch, we laid in the sun.
As we snorkeled around the pier, we saw little marine life but what we did see was rad. Clusters of small fish hanging under the boats anchored at the pier as well as the ones that crowded the small sunken boats that sit like skeletons at the bottom of the turquoise water.We left there and headed to another small beach in Stavros where the film Zorba The Greek was shot and had a small snack at a taverna as we watched the sun set over the sea.
Later we headed over to Gavalochori for yet ANOTHER great dinner and laughs.
MONDAY Sept 6
Jill and Steve left in the morning to head to England to sort out all the details for the funeral etc. It was really sad to see them go but we made a promise to make the most of the trip and we were going to make sure that we did that.
Dale, Hannah, Lauren, and I headed down to Chania to shop. We went in shop after shop and picked up some really nice stuff for my apt and gifts for family. And maybe a few things just for ourselves, like a brand new Casio Calculator watch!!! Oh yeah. Calculation time in this mofo!
Once we had our self-indulgent fill we headed down to a highly recommended restaurant on the beach of Gavalochori.
TUESDAY Sept 7
Another beach day was an absolute. Jill and Steve told us about a place called Blue Bay that was really nice and Dale and Hannah were dead set on finding some good cliffs to jump off of so we headed out.
We rounded the mountains and there beneath us was another crystal clear bay. We scoped a bunch of spots and tried to find a suitable place to jump from but none appeared to be worthy.... plus the sea was kinda rough so we just went down to the waters edge and chilled.
Dale, Hannah and I went snorkeling and fought through the waves in search of octopus. Hannah had a malfunctioning mask and had to head back in so Dale and I continued on but found none. I think it was due to a few small factors....
1- The sea was rough
2- The sea was incredibly deep
3- We dont know the first thing about finding octopus
Either way, it was good fun diving around and searching.
Once we tired out, we headed home to prepare for something ridiculous....
BEACH HORSE BACK RIDING.
Now, when I promised Lauren that I would take her to do this, I had no idea what kind of punishment this was going to be for me.
We drove to Georgioupoli and went to a stable where we were matched up with horses (dont know what it was based on) and I was paired with one called "Etro"... or what I am convinced translates from Greek to "Wild Bastard".
Basically Dale and I spent 2 hours getting destroyed as these horses trotted and galloped down the beach.
Next time I have the idea to ride a horse, I will just let someone hit me once in the ass and once in the balls with a baseball bat. It will be the same outcome and save me some time.
We stopped in Vamos for dinner and then headed home for a healthy dose of storytelling, laughing, and getting completely wasted with Vasso and friends.
We also had the luck to stumble upon some grapes being stomped into wine and Raki. It was just like I Love Lucy or that famous news reporter youtube clip....
but on a much larger, more real, less clumsy scale.
It was a great night despite the severe pain in my ass. Literally.WEDNESDAY Sept 8
We woke up late and felt the effects of the vast quantities of Raki from the night before.
Somehow we peeled ourselves out of bed and met Konstaninos (Vasso's son) and his friend Raphael who promised to take us to a great cave and cliff jumping spot.
He certainly didnt let us down.
The cliff was high as hell (about 50 ft?) and the cave was massive.
After loads of jumps (some of which can be seen in the video to come), we headed off for lunch in Kalives followed by a dinner in the same area, at the restaurant Konstaninos works at.Delicious food once again.
THURSDAY Sept 9
We basically chilled all day at the pool, recovering from 2 days of extreme activity.
We only left for a brief lunch and then a dinner at an old Turkish bath in Chania.
As we walked back to the car, we found a gallery that was showing New York Artist, Steve Gianakos's work. We had been seeing posters for it all week and were really intrigued.
Turns out his art is incredible.
We met him and talked to him for awhile before heading home.FRIDAY Sept 10
The reality of the trip winding down set in and we decided we needed more sun and adventure in our lives so we set out for Balos, which is located on the Northwestern most tip of Crete. It was a rocky road up the mountain and then a 200 meter walk down to the mountain to paradise.
This was by far the most breathtaking of all the places we went.We spent the entire day lounging on beach chairs and soaking up the sun.
We were exhausted and ready to call it a day..... and then we looked up.
As any mountain hike, the trip down is a breeze and makes you forget what the trip back up is going to be like..... hell-ish.
We made it up and were all ready to call it a day after that.We relaxed and got an early night.... I think. haha
SATURDAY Sept 11
Another spot I really wanted to check out was Falassarna. I was told that there were relics from ancient Greek times all along the beach.
There wasnt COMPLETELY the case.
The beach was kinda far from the relics but we sought them out anyway.
We hiked to find old walls and a throne before finding a big gap in the cliffs edge, which we climbed down and made into "our beach".
We dove in the water and discovered what must have been some kind of jetty or boat ramp that had sunken. We snorkeled around it for awhile in hopes that some big fish would be hiding underneath.... no luck. Just more small ones.
Didnt really matter though.... it was rad to even see that.
We got bored of that spot and headed back to the "real" beach but first we stopped in the taverna on the top of the hill to get a quick bite. As we sat there and ate, we could see storm clouds forming over the mountains. The wind rolled in and put an end to the beach day. We loaded into the car just as it started to drizzle.
On the way home, we hit up a go kart track in Chania that had the fastest go karts in the world. Good fun.
SUNDAY Sept 12
We went back down to Chania to pick up some Raki and spices and other random little things and then headed home to chill. I took a nap and Lauren, Dale, and Hannah went to lunch. I woke up when they came back. Hannah and Dale went out exploring and Lauren and I went into town to find some dvds or a USB. After a wild goose chase (nothing is open in Crete on a Sunday), we ran into an English guy who had us follow him back to his house and he gave me a bunch. He said he "knew what it was like to try to do some file sharing on a Sunday" hahahaha
We thought he was going to murder us but instead turned out to be a really nice guy.
Thanks for the dvds English dude!
Hannah felt sick so Dale, Lauren, and I went to Vamos for our "Last Supper".
More pork, more laughs, and of course, more Raki.
We ended the trip on a very high note.
MONDAY Sept 13
I flew from Crete to Athens and then Athens to Doha.
Now I am home and wishing I was still in Crete.
I want to quickly thank the McCarthy's for inviting me on this amazing trip and also send them my warmest wishes and thoughts.
X
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