Saturday May 20th
Today was absolutely gorgeous weather – a sunny, warm spring day in Crete – perfect for swimming on the South coast. Getting there is a scenic ride over the mountains and through a gorge. The South coast of Crete faces the Libyan sea and is much less populated and developed than the busy North coast. As we came through the gorge and saw the sea, there was a church set into the rocks. I love how the Greeks have built churches everywhere in this country for the last 1500 years. Each one is different and honors a different saint or Christian event.
We ended up at Damnoni Beach in a secluded cove that is below the road and a little taverna. Other than that tavern, there are no facilities at this beach. The beach is a “naturist” beach – filled with nude bathers. Got my eyeful of naked men of all ages from young and handsome to old and wrinkled as well as some women that should not be showing off their ample bodies! The water was breathtakingly cold – once you numbed up it was tolerable. We walked to a second cove that required a little rock climbing. I was a little nervous but the kids helped me get down and backup without injury or embarrassment.
We stayed on the beach until late in the afternoon and then followed Thalia to a great restaurant, Taverna Mariou, in the village of Mariou. We sat on the terrace under the shade of the trees with expansive views of the hills sloping down to the sea. It would have been perfect with just the views but the food was excellent as well. For all of our meals on this trip, we decide on several mezes (appetizers), a couple of salads and a few main dishes (beef with eggplant, rabbit stew and a goat stew – all to be shared among the group. This gives everyone a small portion of lots of dishes but not enough to get stuffed. There is no ordering your own meal in this culture. Even if you do, we’ll expect you to share it with us.
So far it has been a great trip sharing this place with the kids and the Miller family. It’s been a long time since Lea has been to Greece – maybe on the big trip in 2000 to Litohoron. Yiannis gave her lots of grief about neglecting the family.
Sunday May 21st
We all slept late. So much for my plans to go to the little village church. I never heard the bells ringing. We spent the day at the nearby beach in Episkopi, swimming, collecting rocks and eating another meal by the sea. Lea flirted with the waiter and got a few free drinks. The saying for the day that made me laugh was when he told me that “Greeks are big lovers and big liars”. We had a chance to sit in the hot tub at sunset before heading to John’s house for a lovely dinner prepared by him, Thalia and Manthos. I have so many memories of pleasant meals at this table over the last 30 years and I love hearing Uncle John share stories about our parents, grandparents and extended family long gone.
Monday May 22
Our last day in Crete. Most of the group went to see the palace of Knossos on Monday while Bill and I headed to Chania to see the old town. There must have been a cruise in town because the place was a zoo and just didn’t have the same old town feel that I remember. We had fun getting some fresh fish from the fish market in Chania and had a memorable meal at a little place inside the covered market. We hosted dinner at our house Monday night – Brian and Taylor grilled the fish on upper deck while we enjoyed watching the sunset. A good last evening in Crete.
I’m reading Roumeli by Patrick Fermour that I found in John’s library. About his travels in Northern Greece after WWII.