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Come to Crete. It is fantastic. May and mid September are the best times as it gets too hot in the summer months.

Knossos palace was very interesting. Imagine the Minoans being the first European civilization. Walk among ruins that are 4,000 years old.

Beer is excellent. Food too. I am not a salad person generally but I loved the Greek salads here. Traditional and those unique to a region. People are super friendly. Alas they cannot make a decent pizza here and the fries are not so good. Interestingly, clubhouse sandwiches are very popular on Crete.

Now waiting for our flight to Amsterdam.

Boy oh boy I love this country.‏

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Today, October 21st, is Trafalgar Day. The day back in 1805 when Admiral Horatio Nelson and the Royal Navy kicked the butt of the combined fleets of France and Spain during the Napoleonic wars. This victory ensured that the Royal Navy ruled the waves for the next 140 years. The victory also ensured that England would not be invaded by Napoleon’s Grande Armee.

Cross the “T” or line.

 

Last day here. Off to Santorini tomorrow for the weekend then fly to Amsterdam Monday. 😔 I can’t believe that this adventure and the Camino Compestella started way back 21 August, although I started my Camino training way back in February. I know, I look awful here. But you have to know that pilgrims have to suffer. We are not allowed to have fun and….no swearing…damn!

The second part of the adventure started when the Camino ended. I mean, why come all the way over here and not explore the area? So Dot met me in Lisbon 03 October and our adventure began as this blog attests to. And the blog serves a dual purpose. To entertain and inform you (hopefully) but also to serve as a journal and course of record for me. As you may or may not know I have written 4 books (see menu or top of the page), so these short snippets provide me with valuable resource material for my stories.

Heavenly intervention.

So today Dot and I are going to further explore Heraklion and visit their natural history museum, among other things.

It was a nice day. Returned the rental car, went to the bank then walked up to Liberty Square. From there we walked along the car free roads and alleyways all the way down to the old Venetian port. Stopped and had lunch at a place on the water before heading up to the natural history museum.

Spent about 2 hours in the museum, which was interesting and fun, as this photo shows.

Afterward we walked some more, killed some time and then had dinner at one of the cafes around freedom Square.

Nice final full day in Heraklion and Crete. Loved it here. Back to our hotel, pack and leave early tomorrow morning for Santorini by  fast ferry.

Read ya later.

 

 

 

 

 

Drove to Crete’s south coast today. A distance of about 30 kilometers as the crow flies took over 4 hours to cover. What started out as a very slick beautiful highway morphed into weaving, rolling curves and cutouts over narrow and sometimes rough blacktop. After a few hours of maneuvering the car right then left, up and down across stark, barren but unbelievably incredible landscapes. I have never seen such rock formations, or deep and narrow gorges of huge proportions. This was coupled and broken by broad plains that are filled with olive groves and vineyards. You also see herds of goats and flocks of sheep on the slopes and cliff faces. The rocky mountains at home do not come close to the frightening  and spectacular views that these formations afforded. I can tell you that after 3 hours of driving through this I was exhausted. This is a rugged and beautiful terrain.

I wasn’t able to take any pictures as my hands were locked on the wheel. Dot had to use pliers to unlock them. You will just have to visit Crete to experience this. My drive today was from Heraklion to the Frangocastelle area on the South Coast. When we left we drove to Rethymon.

Then lunch.

Read ya later. Pictures cannot do the area justice.