Crete

After a big few days in Jordan we decided to take it a little easy on our first day in Crete.  We slept in until almost 9:30 and after breakfast wandered into Rethymno towards the 'Old Town' via an ocean front walk.  We went into the Fort and learnt how this part of Greece had been invaded by the Turks several hundred years ago.  The Old Town consists of lots of little alley ways and shops, most of which we explored before walking past all the seafront restaurants and returning home to our AirBnB apartment.  Out for tea to a local restaurant where we each had a mixed grill with chicken, beef, bacon, lamb and gyros shavings - probably could have shared one!
Laneway shops
Inside Turkish mosque in Fort

Day two  and it was time to get in the car.  First stop was a village up in the hills called Margarites.  This village is famous for its pottery and Trace managed to find a 'balloon' that holds essential oils. (see photo) It is very pretty and should smell lovely.

From here we visited the Palace of Phaistos followed by the Palace of Knossos, both of which date back to 1900BC.  Under parts of Knossos they even found remains from 3000-4000 years ago.  Whilst Phaistos was largely in ruins, Knossos had been partly restored in the early 1900's with mixed reviews.  Not everyone agreed with the assumptions made for those renovations, but I felt it gave you a better idea of how the palaces would have looked.
Large vessels to hold grain

Phaistos

Knossos

Last stop for the day was Triopetra Beach.  By the time we got there it was too late and cold for a swim, but we shared a barbecued Sea Bass for tea and enjoyed the sunset.



Day three was more driving with the first stop at Kournos Lake.  The lake is reputed to change color during the day, though we didn't have time to come back and check out the theory.  There were ducks, turtles and pedal boats here - and lots of school kids.

Elefonnisi beach, 1 1/2 hours away was next on the agenda.  The roads to get here wound around mountain passes and were often very skinny.  There were a few times when we had to stop to let traffic pass from the opposite direction.  Elefonnisi beach is known for it's pink sand and as one of the best on Crete.  It certainly was beautiful, but very windy so I chose not to swim.

Following scenic coastal routes we then drove another hour and a half  to Falassarna beach.  Whilst this was also listed as a 'great' beach we were a bit underwhelmed. 40 minutes from here was Chania, the second biggest city on Crete.  Chania has a real charm about it with another 'Old Town' area and a Venetian harbour (built by the Venetians after they invaded Crete around 1200AD). We wandered around for a while and had a banana and Nutella crepe for afternoon tea.


Last stop for the day was Souda Bay War cemetery where hundreds of NZ and Australian soldiers are buried, victims of the German invasion of Crete in 1941.  Like many cemeteries across Europe most of the tombstones commemorate unknown soldiers.

After a very long day and a couple of hundred kilometres we arrived home around 9:00pm and cooked a simple tea.

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