Greece - Part 1
Temple to the Goddess Athena (one of many) next to Delphi
Greece was a fantastic place to land and re-group after a year and a half in Africa and the Middle East. We felt a huge sense of comfort in the European familiarity and how easy everything was for us. For the first time in ages we didn’t feel like we stuck out for miles, walking around with a big imagined TOURIST sign floating above our heads. We could (somewhat) blend in to the crowds, we understood the food, the customs, the rules. The similarity of the culture to our own backgrounds was a temporary reprieve.
But aside from being a great place for us to feel a sense of ease and relaxation, Greece is just straight up a terrific place to travel. We loved the beaches, the mountains, the food (some of the best in the world!) and, of course, the iconic cultural and historical sites and engaging people.
Our route driving through Greece with a flight to and from Crete and a few island ferries along the way
At first, we were without the truck, waiting for it to arrive on a ship from Israel, so we booked into a hotel in Athens for a few nights then flew over to Crete to explore the island (like a regular tourist not an overland traveler, it was a little disconcerting for us).
View over Athens - immense and dense, with almost no public parks or open space for miles and miles.
Athens felt like a thriving city, alive with art and history, even outside of the old town areas and the Acropolis. During our time in Greece we learned to appreciate and admire the incorporation of art and whimsy into everyday life that seemed to come so easy to the Greek people - probably due to centuries of practice.
Old Greek Orthodox church surrounded by modern shops
We are convinced that we visited Greece at the very best time - March and April. We enjoyed cool mornings, sunny afternoons and a lack of crowds. As a caveat, we were not laying out on the beach or diving into the ocean to swim, but then that is not usually our favorite pastime anyway.
It was such a major site, we booked a tour with a guide (Constantine, with the hat and the pointing finger) who was terrific and gave a lot of interesting context
We would put the Acropolis up there with the very best archeological sites we have visited in the world, along with Petra in Jordan, Ephesus in Turkey and Great Zimbabwe. We were so inspired by the sense of history that we could not stop snapping pictures.
Photo op in front of the Parthenon
After three days exploring, and resting it up in Athens, we flew to Crete. Still without the truck, we rented a small car to get around the island.
Clay wine urns on display at Palace of Minos at Knossos, outside Heraklion
Luckily for us, the beautiful island of Crete was not really about archeological sites, but about gorgeous coastline, stunning harbor towns, and craggy (still snowy!) mountains and gorges.
Venetian Harbor in Chania, yes that's snow in the background
We continued our history lessons on Crete - more of the European and Ottoman power plays through time. Crete came under control of Venice in the early 13th century and continued under their ownership until it became their last overseas possession in the 17th century. In 1669 the Venetian Kingdom finally fell to the Ottomans and Crete became part of the Ottoman Empire.
Wandering the enchanting side streets of Chania
After being charmed by the architecture in Chania, we continued to the west to the remote coastal area of Elafonissi - beautiful deserted beaches perfect for a spring walk.
Beach at Elafonissi
Traveling with a rental car and staying in hotels was very different for us. It had been a long time since we had to deal with hauling luggage in and out of hotels and we missed endless supplies of cold water and snacks from our fridge. But on the upside, we were able to stretch out in big climate controlled rooms every night and explore the local cuisine in restaurants more than we normally would. Since we were early in the season, hotels were a reasonable $40 USD a night for mid range accommodations. Budget meals were easy to find at $5-9 a person. It also helped that hotels commonly served a huge and filling breakfast which jump started our daily calorie count at no additional cost.
Our favorite Greek fast food - gyros (falafal for Dawn, beef for Andy, with Dawn’s wine cheaper than Andy’s Pepsi)
We had intended to hike the famous Samaria Gorge but unfortunately it was not open yet due to weather. No worries, instead we drove south and hiked Imbros Gorge - a lovely day hike.
Enjoying being back in nature
Heading into the narrowest section
Crete was a surprise to us with the variety of experiences it provided - we had not expected the vast expanses of mountains alongside the captivating villages.
The island provided a lovely blend of remote hiking and culinary and artistic sites. We loved wandering the old towns and walking the beaches in equal parts.
Old town Rehimno
Of course a visit to Crete requires visiting some ancient religious sites - the Cretans staunchly held onto their Greek Orthodox roots despite being occupied by both the Venetians (Catholic) and Ottomans (Muslim).
Arkadi Monastery
We found our exploring rhythm, mixing it up with coastal harbor towns and interior cultural sites and remote roads. But as Google took us on some navigational adventures (love those “short cuts”) we definitely missed our capable 4x4 a few times.
Ancient City of Lato - built in the 3rd and 4th centuries BC
The huge benefit of visiting in April, we were often on our own to explore ancient sites which always adds to the mystery.
Visiting these ancient sites we could always understand why people settled where they did - usually with a magnificent, defensible view
Mountain road - most of the roads in Crete were easily driveable with any vehicle. Although not wide or straight
Dawn requested a side trip to Matala Beach - site where notable 60’s artists (Joni Mitchell!) lived and created music in their hippy years.
Caves at Matala Beach - former home to 60’s musicians
Our time in Crete was up and it was time to be re-united with our home on wheels. A short flight took us back from Heraklion to Athens, then a taxi ride to the port of Lavrio dropped us off feeling a little anxious and lost.