Greek Islands

Well we have been on the islands for one week now, and are unsure when exactly we will get off of them as the ferry company we need to use to get to Rhodes (another island, which we will then go to Turkey from) is on strike!  Everyone is always on strike it seems.  But that is ok, because we really are in no rush, and Nick happens to be sick, and the islands are a wonderful place to be trapped!  Good food, nice people, beautiful weather.


Fira, the city we stayed in on Santorini

We first went to Santorini, which is also known as Thira, located about 200km SE from the Greek mainland. This is a lovely little island which is what remains after an enormous volcanic eruption fractured what used to be there.  The result is stunning and rugged beauty- with colorful cliffs dropping down to the sea on three sides of the island.  There are red beaches and black beaches, a beautiful variation from the white sand beaches which we typically think of as a beach.



Our scooter!

We rented a scooter for a few days that we tore up the island with (I even learned to drive with Nick on the back!) and had a great time being some of the only tourists around.  There are only 4 or 5 main towns on the island, and all were bustling with the sounds of hammers and saws, the smell of fresh paint, and the sight of donkeys carrying supplies up and down the steep hillsides as all the shops, hotels, and restaurants prepared for tourist season.  You could drive from one end of the island to the other in half an hour, so we were able to take our time and explore every inviting country road that struck our fancy.



Harbor in Hiraklion, Crete

From Santorini we took a ferry to Crete, the largest and most populous of the islands which is famous for being the center of Minoan civilization long ago.  The ferry left Santorini at 3am and arrived at 8am.. so that made for an interesting night's sleep!  The weather upon arrival was just fantastic- sunny and warm, with hardly a cloud in the sky and just enough of a breeze to keep you cool.





Our balcony in Chania

We spent a few days in Chania which is an old Ventian city with a romantic charm to it.  We had a balcony over looking a busy little street, and found it difficult to escape the draw of endless people watching while snacking on fresh bread and olive oil, and spent a good deal of time doing just this!  I am especially enjoying being on Crete as my friend Christine and I came here when we backpacked across Europe in 2009.  It is so neat seeing familiar yet mundane things such as the bus station in a small town, or a market that we shopped in and witnessing the timelessness of it all.

According to our plans we would be taking a ferry from Crete to Rhodes today, and under this impression made our way back from the eastern part of the island to the main city and port, Hiraklion, only to learn that (as previously mentioned) the ferrys are striking.  So now we are holed up in the city waiting to hear when they will be running again (hopefully this Sat). Poor Nick is layed up with the flu, but I am enjoying the gorgeous weather and have had some nice jaunts about the area.  Jaunts are almost always more fun with two though, so hope he recovers soon!