053 – Heraklion, Crete – Just A Taste

After such good luck with the Blue Bullet and the Lemonborghini (Ref. Blogs #048,049), our expectations for our return trip to Heraklion were high, but the decrepit old mini van that our contact booked us didn’t quite reach the benchmark.

The tires were running about 15psi, there were no car seats, the ‘Check Engine” and gas lights came on as soon as we fired the thing up,

And when I DID put 10 euros worth of gas in it, the needle didn’t budge.  Nonetheless, we made do and got comfy.

And, lo’ and behold, we were astounded to watch as the gas needle along with the electronic “distance to empty” readout continued to climb agonizingly slowly over the next 41km, before they eventually peaked at an eighth of a tank, and began moving in a more intuitive direction.

Reviewing our Lonely Planet as we rolled into Heraklion on fumes, we were pleasantly surprised to discover that the hotel (“Lato Boutique”) our guy in Chania booked for us was the top pick.

Ciel was more than a little excited about her elevated digs.

“Daddy, let me show you how you use the ladder (for the fourteenth time).”

Truth be told, Taz and I found her bed pretty cozy, too.

After a long day of travel, we couldn’t resist “Brilliant”, the restaurant in the hotel lobby.

(Another LP top pick).

Yet again, the gong show-ish nature of our dinners out impeded any timely food photos, and the shots we took of the menu were a grainy mess, but highlights included:

Feta saganaki in phyllo crust with black sesame,

Mushrooms and Cretan “apaki” (smoked pork with herbs and a touch of vinegar) in a fresh cheese sauce with aged balsamic,

Goat cooked with ripened tomato and finished with grape molasses. Served with homemade pasta and toasted “athotyro” (local hard salty cheese).

Ciel’s smooth talking also scored us a free "soft citrus lemon torte", and herself a massive package of Fimo modeling clay.  Another couple additions to the long list of free stuff (juice boxes, desserts, bakery shop cookies, stick-on tattoos, activity books, etc.) that she’s spontaneously charmed out of a string of generous Cretans. 

The next day, we hit the streets to give Heraklion a quick once over,

(Morosini Fountain)

And garner a little culture at the Archeological Museum.

Exhibit B - Pagan goddess holding impish babe. Flesh and bone with cotton vestments. Cambridge and Toronto. (1978-2012 AD)

But, the big highlight for Ciel and Taz was our devil-may-care frozen yogurt lunch.

That is, until the ice cream headache struck.

 

The evening yielded a return trip to “Brilliant” to sample the other half of the menu:

Spicy sausage with “htipiti” (Greek feta and roasted red pepper spread),

Crispy flaky phyllo rolls with “kefalograveira” (hard-salty sheep Greek cheese), with a touch of basil and tomato sauce,

Lamb bites wrapped in vine leaves, baked with graviera (Greek yellow salty cheese), sun dried tomato and fennel.

And, yes, it is impossible to find any dish (appetizer, salad, main, dessert) anywhere in Crete that does not incorporate some kind of cheese… awesome. We’re gonna miss that.

052 – Chania and Surrounds, Crete - Climbing Up and Winding Down

Our travels continued in the tiny mountain village of Polyrinia. Where, after a minor unintended detour through the expansive streets,

We discovered this highly descriptive roadside map,

Directing us back around to the base of the ancient acropolis.

We explored some of the remnants at the base,

(Be sure to squint and take notice of that cross waaaaaay up there at the top)

Before making the cliff-side ascent to the summit.

“Hey! Ciel. Tasman. Gee, I hope this isn’t too tough for you…”

With the help of another furry guide we finally reached the zenith.

“Can we get you a Perrier or something, Ciel?”

Ciel and Taz loved the 360° view. 

Britt opted for the lazy man’s route down.

With storm clouds in the distance we weren’t sure if we’d make it to Falasarna Beach in time.

But, we beat the rain (and the crowds),

So Ciel could get her Baywatch on.

Of course, that caused a stampede of her adoring fans.

Not wanting to be overshadowed, Taz rallied some admirers of his own.

We rounded out our days in Chania relaxing, doing laundry, coming up with creative ways to finish all the food in our fridge, and making multiple return trips to that café in the park to try to figure out which of the nine chocolatey drinks on the menu was the really good one that we ordered on the first day.

The café really got hopping on Saturday, as there were actually other people there (including lots of kids), along with live entertainment.  Despite the language barrier, Ciel courted a few suitors,

Although, follow the leader proved to be a bit of a challenge…

Tomorrow we move on to Heraklion for a couple days, before leaving Crete for Dubai.  The bags are packed, the cupboards are bare, and the fridge… "Oh!…Hey!…What are you guys doing in there?…All ice-cold and and lonely…We can’t take you with us…What ever shall we do…?"

Cheers.

P.S. I had to update the blog template as the antiquated one I was using kept cropping the sides of our photos.

051 – Chania and Surrounds, Crete – Rain or Shine

With heavy rain and thunderstorms on the forecast for the entire duration of our stay, it looked like we were going to be spending a lot of time sipping hot chocolates and nibbling tyropitas at the local café.

Largely to take advantage of the covered play area (aka free babysitting).

Much the way Ciel took advantage of some little Cretan kid and hijacked his Cinderella carriage three seconds after he popped his Euro in to start it up.

(Notice he's long gone)

Fortunately, like most islands, the forecast is only reliable for about the next 20 minutes.   And despite daily showers, there have still been plenty of dry skies and sunshine to continue exploring the island.

We made it down to the shores of the “hippie” town of Paleochora (Pal-ee-o-hora),

Before climbing to the Venetian Castle remains on the tip of the peninsula.

Where we discovered that this seemingly chill town.

(Looking back from the tip of the peninsula)

Was actually on fire…

(See back right on the panoramic photo)

Though, nobody seemed all that concerned.

So, we headed to the beach for lunch.

Taz did a little fundraising,

And despite lack of appropriate swimwear (hippies don’t care), we had an impromptu dip.

Check out those aerial skills.

“Again, Daddy, AGAIN!”

Then, it was back to the mountains,

For a nature stroll around the sleepy village of Azogires.

We barely got our business finished,

Before the downpour started, thwarting our plan to hike to the Holy Father’s Cave. Instead, stranding us in this meager 100 sq ft medieval cave dwelling.

Turns out it was actually a hiding spot for buried treasure. The owners of which were none to happy about our intrusion.

“Aaaarrrgh!”

Forcing us to brave the elements and make a hasty retreat to warmer waters.

After three weeks of Ciel stubbornly refusing to avail herself of the multitude of hair accessories Britt packed for her,

 The other day, in true two-year-old fashion, she pulled a spontaneous 180°, deciding she wants to try them all out…at the same time.

Hey. Why not?
She even tried to get her unsuspecting brother to join in.

At least she looked good for our trip to the Necropolis of Armeni, a 3200 year-old Late Minoan cemetery with over 200 tombs cut out of solid rock.  All the artifacts have been moved to museums, so you are basically free to wander around the place at will.

We were quite excited about taking photos of the first tiny tomb we came across.

But our feline tour guide soon showed us around to some much larger and more impressive digs.

Ciel was most excited about having a “friend” her size to play with,

And she only came close to falling into 5 or 6 of those sloping subterranean entranceways.

Next on the agenda was “Brink’s” the only brewery on the island of Crete (yes, Britt managed to track it down). Unfortunately, they only offer tours (and more importantly, tastings) during a minuscule two-hour window on the first Saturday of the month.  Britt was determined not to let this get in her way,

But, the 200-pound guard dog quickly had her ceding defeat.

So, we headed to the seaside town of Rethymno to find another way to quench our thirst.

There we marched on to the old Venetian Fortezza (fortress).

And, after Ciel sweet talked the gatekeeper,

We were free to peruse the grounds.

Britt declared herself queen of the realm.

I was endowed with serving in the armoury.

But it was the princess and court jester who scored the Popemobile when the rain started.

Fortunately, a nearby watering hole provided shelter, refreshments and a rare opportunity for a group photo.

Okay, so I still had to Photoshop it to get everyone looking at the camera…but we’re getting closer. 

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