Crete and Santorinin

 

Monday 22 September

We flew out of Luton to Chania (Greek Χανιά) the capital of Crete at one time. Trish and I had small carry on bags but Louise, Pete and the boys, having come from Australia via England for a three week trip had three larges cases plus sundry other stuff. Outside the airport at Chania Louise spotted a large Merc taxi and off we went. It was an afternoon flight from Luton and so we arrived at our Chania Old Town accommodation in the dark. We were ideally located, close to the harbour, in Lithinon Street.

Our accommodation had an enclosed courtyard which was an ideal location for our breakfasts.

There are a lot of cats in Chania Old Town. Almost all of them appear very well cared for. People leave bowls of food and water out for them.

There are some fine restaurants in Chania. We dined at Oinopoieio, which was superb, and at Astrea. The latter had a black cat.

The harbour is most attractive but less so when the cruise ships disgorge thousands of people into the town.

The number 21 bus takes you to the beaches not far from town. Can't remember the fare but it was just a few Euros for the six of us.

We took a coach from Chania to the town of Kissamos and from there caught a ferry to Balos Beach. We were surprised at the size of the ferry - about 1,000 of us crowded on board. Oh dear, I almost felt that I was on a cruise ship! Suffice to say, it was a gorgeous cruise in the Kissamos Gulf and along the peninsula to Balos Beach. It was very crowded on this 'world best beach' but it was lovely to swim in the warm clear water the bay.

We returned to the ferry and took a short sail from Balos to Gramvousa Pirate Island. The main attraction was the hike to the Venetian Fortress at the top which was built in 1579 to try to keep the Ottomans at bay. The views from the ramparts were fantastic.

Our ferry looks quite small from the summit of Gramvousa.

The beach at Gramvousa is pebbly but I needed a cool down after the hike. 

Friday 26 September

We booked our taxi driver from the day we had arrived for our 150km drive from Chania to Hersonissos on the north-east coast of the island. The town is very touristy but we had excellent accommodation - another AirBnB organised by our daughter Louise. The rooftop had a plunge pool, plenty of seating, a small kitchen, showers, a karaoke system and night time disco lights!

I don't swim after dinner...

From Hersonissos Louise and family took a day trip to Knossos. Trish and I decided that we wanted to go to the legendary island Spinalonga - the last leper colony. If ever you go to Spinalonga - try to read 'The Island' by Victoria Hislop beforehand. She has sold about 6 million copies worldwide which is some indication that it is a good story.

Spinalonga (Greek: Σπιναλόγκα) is an island in the Gulf of Elounda, near the town of Plaka. The island was maintained as a fortress for centuries under Venetian rule and finally a leper colony in the early 20th century. It has been uninhabited since 1962.

We loved the island, its views and the feeling that we were in a place where many momentous events had taken place.

Agios Nikolaos

Before arriving at Plaka and taking the boat to Spinalonga, we spent a couple of hours in Agios Nikolaos which is a beautiful town. After coffee and a wander around, we watched a high diving competition. The dives were into the lake in the centre of town, said to have been the bathing place of the Goddesses Artemis and Athena.

Monday 29 September

We took an early morning taxi to Heraklion port and then a ferry to Santorinin and another great AirBnB - again organised by Louise. Our billet was a cave house on the cliff in Oia.

Oia is a truly beautiful town. However, even though we were there in late September, it was extremely crowded- (cruise ship passengers again and I admit that I have a mild antipathy to the idea of these massive cruise ships. Suffice to say, walking along the congested narrow lanes and alleyways was not easy.

Below: The view from our 'house'.

Inside the cave.

Around Oia - stuffed squid!

Below: A very well fed cat!

On our second and final day on Santorini we took a catamaran cruise around the island with swimming, full on BBQ and sunset views. Living like millionaires!