I do it properly. After my standards anyways.
Meaning staying in the same place for the full duration, preferably somewhere I've been before, which was the case this time. Yep the same hotel, where I know the people that work there, because we've met before - several time. Heck, even the same hotel room.
Did I mention I don't really like to travel?
Though I will admit having the opportunity to go for a stroll in a neighborhood like this isn't too shabby. Not doing the dishes for a couple of weeks also didn't hurt. Another thing that definitely didn't hurt is that Crete is really good at producing light and well tasting wines.
Though I have a feeling I'll probably have to do at least a couple of posts to do the trip justice, here's the beginning of a travel/photo letter from my vacation in Rethymnon on Crete in Greece in May 2024.
Beach stroll
This was the type of vacation with no particular plans or major trips planned, which is by far what we prefer (i.e. my girlfriend and I). Not having grand plans makes space for calm morning walks where there is time to notice the little things, like this guy for instance.
Grasshoppers may be a common sight for many, but for me it's quite exotic. We don't have such creatures where I live. It's fascinatingly big!
A stroll along the beach can be very varied. There's something special about the vegetation and soil on crete.
The gardeners at the hotel has done a tremendously good job. A forest of cactuses right there on the path
I love combinations of structure and nature like this
Melidoni Caves
But we couldn't stay at the hotel for the entire two weeks of course. So we both stepped out of our comfort zones and decided to rent a car for a ROAD TRIP! My first time driving outside of my home country might I add.
First stop, Melidoni Caves. Along winding roads through endless olive gardens, we reached these caves up in the mountains, where as it turns out, religious worship has been practiced for hundreds (possibly thousands) of years. And no wonder, just look at this:
It was fascinating to notice how all the loudmouthed tourists quieted their voices down to almost a whisper when they entered the massive cave with a higher ceiling than the Peter Church in the Vatican (haven't looked it up, but I think I'm right!)
Margarites Village
Continuing our road-trip, we reached the tiny mountain village of Margarites, which is known for its long tradition of pottery. Apparently in the surrounding mountains there are huge deposits of clay that have been utilized for all sorts of pottery art.
So, this village is possibly the prettiest village I've ever been to. This is the restaurant where we had lunch that day.
Margarites was full of tiny details of beautiful old things, like this door.
Going through my photos now, I realize I'm not doing this village justice at all. I should have spent much more time with the camera here.
Mountains
We drove further up into the mountains to see an ancient monastery, but the nature along the road was so beautiful that we just had to stop and admire it in peace without any tourists around. Also here, I didn't take nearly enough pictures...
Arkadi Monastery
Further in/up the mountain, we finally reached Arkadi Monastery,which was founded as early as in the 5th century (!), and obviously has a long history. One very fascinating, tragic and heroic/inspiring story, is when almost 100 Cretans made their last stance against the turks right here in this monastery. They chose to light the gunpowder storage to blow up both the intruders and themselves, choosing death over slavery.
I haven't had time to look up the story of this tree yet, but it fascinates me beyond most things. Look at how majestic it is. Imagine all the things it's seen throughout it's time right there in the middle of the monastery courtyard.
And with that I conclude my travel letter from Crete for now. I may do a follow-up, as I still have some photos and stories to tell. Thank you for reading! Oh, and a shoutout to 