Malaga has long been one of my absolute favourite destinations, if not for its beautiful old city centre than most definitely for its rich history and breathtaking views from atop the Gibralfaro.
Rose garden in Malaga, beautiful spot along the waterfront
We arrived in Malaga mid afternoon after a scenic train ride through the country side. Upon arrival we checked into our room – booked through airbnb – located in the heart of the old city centre. The room was located in an airy third floor walk up with tall ceilings, an adorable kitchen and spacious living room with large windowed doors opening up to two balconies overlooking the cobblestone streets below. Our room was adorably decorated in whitewashed finish with a large cupboard for our clothes and the most comfortable beds ever – and lets not forget, real, actual pillows…like actual foam pillows. If I’d had room in my backpack, they may have accidentally made their way into my luggage. Mornings were an absolute delight at this place, we enjoyed our breakfasts in the company of other guests and sharing travel stories with them…loved this place.
Freshly caught and deep fried whitebaits with sangria
After checking in we made our way to Confederation Square located in the heart of Malaga, one of my favourite spots to people watch. We promptly sat down at a table on one of the restaurant terraces overlooking the square and ordered a pitcher of sangria and plate of battered and fried whitebaits…absolutely scrumptious! We lingered there for most of the afternoon musing about our adventure so far and what we should explore while staying in Malaga.
We had initially planned a day trip to Morocco from Malaga, but soon discovered that we wouldn’t have enough time to do so. Luckily for us, this would give us time to explore the Alcazaba and the Castillo de Gibralfaro instead. The Alcazaba is a former palace-fortress dating back to 1057 and was occupied by the Muslim governors during their time in Spain. Easily walkable and bargain as you can visit both sites for less than 3 euros – if you are willing to wait until later in the afternoon to make the climb to the Castillo de Gibralfaro as entrance is free after 2pm. We decided to explore both the following day.
One of many beautiful gardens for you to enjoy as you stroll through Malaga
That evening, we decided to check out the tapas scene in Malaga and made our way to El Tapy, a local tapas bar which was highly rated on Yelp because of it’s varied menu and cheap eats. What. A. Shit. Show. The place was crowded and our server ushered us to a tiny table in the back room, crammed up against another table. It was so crammed that the guy at the next table kept hitting me in the back with his elbow every time he took a drink from his wine glass and he and his friend had just ordered another full bottle of wine! We ordered two beers which were brought to us fairly quickly, they were ice cold and accompanied by, quite possibly, the most gag inducing plate of paella I’ve ever had the misfortune of putting in my mouth. I’m afraid it was time to call time on El Tapy. We downed our beers and spent the next 20 minutes trying to flag down our server in order to get our bill. Emma literally, no joke, had to tackle another server in order to finally get our bill. We made haste out of there and off to a quaint little tapas placed we had walked by earlier in the evening, Vineria Cervantes.
Disgusting El Tapy paella, to be avoided at all costs
It was brilliant! We were seated at a small table outside (perfect for people watching) and given a menu. Now the challenges was in choosing something since every plate that passed by our table looked mouth watering and every dish described on the menu sounded delicious. We finally decided on the battered prawns with treacle and a coriander mayonnaise and the Argentine steak with tomatoes and roasted potatoes, paired with a Rioja tinto – Biga ‘crianza’. Their wine list was quite impressive, with many wines available by the glass, so choosing a wine was a bit of an effort, but our server was extremely knowledgeable and quite helpful in helping us choose the right wine.
Vineria Cervantes’ Prawns with treacle and cilantro aoli, not to be missed.
The prawns were incredibly tasty with the sweetness of the treacle playing off nicely against the tang of the coriander mayo. The steak was cooked to perfection and though the tomatoes and roast potatoes were nice, the star of the dish was the spicy chimichurri sauce served alongside, it was heaven. The entire meal brought a tear to my eye, it was so freakin’ good, with the Rioja capping off an absolutely wonderful meal in Malaga.
It’s worth a mention that we ordered the half plates and we did not leave hungry.
Our first step the following day was the Picasso Museum, a permanent Picasso exhibit on display in the artist’s childhood home. Picasso lived in Malaga as a child, left to pursue his art and returned to Malaga only once at the age of 19. The family home was restored and now houses approximately 250 of his oeuvres, generously donated by his family trust. The price is 7 euros and includes the audioguide, which was very informative and offered a great deal of insight into his personal life, his creative process and his progression as an artist. Touring the museum takes about an hour to 90 minutes and not only includes his paintings, but also features a few of his sculptures and a large collection of his pottery which was donated to the museum by his widow. The pottery was quite interesting, but the room in which it is housed was the showstopper, as they feature beautiful murals and gilded ceilings. Absolutely stunning. Of note, the museum also features some pretty interesting temporary exhibits from time to time. Last time I was there, the Dennis Hopper photography exhibit was on offer, and this time they were featuring Louise Bourgeois’ I’ve Been to Hell and Back .
The museum also houses an archaeological dig in the basement, discovered while the home was being restored, displaying remains from the Roman wall which at one time surrounded the city. Though the display itself is quite small, it’s well worth a visit.
Our next stop was the Alcazaba, a palace cum fortress constructed in the early 11th century to house the Muslim emperors who ruled the region at that time. If you plan on visiting this place, be sure to set aside at least a couple of hours and make the hike up the hillside to the Castillo de Gibralfaro as well for some stunning views of the city. Both are amazing examples of Moorish architecture and an absolute must. We also took advantage of the small cafe on site and took a much deserved sangria break under the shade of the trees and overlooking the city below. Delightful!
After a full day of sightseeing, what better way to cap of the day then drinks on the roof of the Marriott hotel followed by dinner at one of the oldest restaurants in the city. Our hosts had recommended the rooftop at the Marriott and it did not disappoint. We were treated to 360 degree sweeping views of the city below while we sipped our sangrias and watched dusk turn into night.
Views from atop the AC Marriott in Malaga, simply breathtaking
Later, we made our way to El Chinitas, one of the oldest restaurants in Malaga. The restaurant specializes in seafood and has an extensive wine list. Prices are what you would expect to pay in the touristy part of the city, but the food was good and we were treated to a delicious meal on the terrace. We shared a mixed tapas appetizer plate featuring fish, meat, beans and sausages and each had a fish plate. I ordered the sole meuniere and Emma ordered their deep fried seafood platter. I wish I could say the food was amazing, but sadly it was not. My fish was average at best and the appetizer selection was less than stellar, though Emma appeared to enjoy her seafood plate.
Sole a la meuniere – El ChinitasFried fish platter, a must try in Malaga
Following dinner, we walked through its cobblestone streets, exploring the many bars and terraces where locals and tourists alike commiserate over sangria and the music from the clubs spills out into the streets. The perfect end to our last day in this beautiful place.
This beautiful 2000 year old city was definitely one of the many highlights of this trip. Once considered to be a major fishing and much desired trade hub, Sevilla was conquered by both the Cartagenas and the Romans, colonized and named by Julius Caesar, then Muslim occupied for more than 500 years. As expected this rich and storied past has influenced its architecture, traditions, food, culture and its people.
Seville at night, there is no place more beautiful.
We arrived in Seville by train in the early afternoon and quickly made our way to Pension Vergara, a former convent now converted into a two story pension, and our home for the next few days. The pension was located on the most famous neighbourhoods of Seville – though we didn’t know it at the time. More on that later.
After checking in to our room, we unloaded our bags and made quick work of finding a nearby restaurant for a bite to eat and a glass of wine, of course. Let me say that this did not prove to be very difficult as the winding cobblestone streets outside our pension were lined with restaurants, tabernas, terraces and bodegas. We had hit pay dirt!
Our first food stop on this leg of the trip was Cerverceria Giraldi, A small restaurant with a stunning sidewalk view of the cathedral. We ordered small tapas plates of Iberico ham, grilled lamb chops, grilled mushrooms, and manchego cheese along with a crisp bottle of perfectly chilled vinho verde.
We lingered over our tapas and wine planning out our last few days in Spain while watching tourists and locals alike going about their business in the shadow of the cathedral and later that evening we walked through the city snapping pictures and taking in the beauty of this wonderful place. Sevilla at night is absolutely stunning. I must have taken over a thousand pictures while visiting this city alone. Just incredible. After a few hours of taking in the magnificence of this place at night, and witnessing quite possibly, one of the most beautiful city sunsets I’ve ever seen, we headed back to our pension for a solid night’s rest. There was a lot to see here and we didn’t want to miss a second of it!
The following morning we headed to the meeting spot for the free walking tour. Our guide Lupee was born in Seville and has a degree in Art History, so she was the perfect person to lead our tour through this historic city. Our tour focused on the the many monuments of Seville, as well as the area near the cathedral, the India Archives and the Real Alcazar. The tour lasted about 3 hours with stops at the oldest bullfighting ring in Sevilla, the Gold Tower, the Royal Tobacco Factory, now converted into a public university, the grounds of the Ibero-American Exposition World’s Fair which took place in Seville in 1929, and the Plaza de Espana . While we saw many things on this tour, my favourite stop was by far, the Plaza de Espanya, also built as part of the Ibero-American Export to highlight Spain’s industry and technology exhibits. Currently it houses Seville’s City Hall along with various government departments. Fun Fact: the building was also used in the filming of Lawrence of Arabia.
Plaza de Espanya
While on our walking tour, our guide mentioned a Flamenco evening event which was also offered by the same tour company. We signed up on the spot and we certainly did not regret it. For 28 euros, we were treated to a brief, one-hour history lesson on Flamenco in Sevilla from the rooftop of the Hotel Dona Maria in Old Sevilla. The views and wine alone were worth the price of the tour. As the sun set over the cathedral and we sipped our wine, Lupee provided us with a detailed overview of the various branches of the art, its costumes, and its folklore. Once the sun had set the history lesson was complete and it was time to make our way to the famed Casa de la Guitarra for the Flamenco show. The venue was quite small, with a maximum seating of probably 50 people. The lines of the small room are lined with the largest collection of Spanish Flamenco guitars in the world. The privately owned collection is said to be one of the most important in Spain with guitars dating back to the 16th century.
Now, it is said that the art of Flamenco should be enjoyed in a small, intimate space where you can see the sweat on the dancer’s brow and feel the music of the guitar and the vibrato of the singer’s voice and the stomping of the performers’ feet. The venue delivered on all fronts. We were seated very close to the front, second row, and thoroughly enjoyed the performance. It was an absolute treat and the highlight of our time in Seville. As our tour guide said it best “you don’t go the opera for steak”, so why would you sign up for a flamenco dinner show in a large theatre. She was right. This is the only way to enjoy the art of Flamenco. I cannot recommend this show enough.
The food in Seville is beyond compare, we enjoyed many delicious meals in this city and we even found a favourite hangout, the Bodega Santa Cruz. We had heard a lot about the Santa Cruz neighbourhood and how it was an absolutely must while in Seville. On our final day in Seville, we decided to look up some restaurants in that neighbourhood and make our way there for dinner. Well, we didn’t have to go very far, as it turned out that after 4 days of talking about how we must visit this neighbourhood, the restaurant we were planning to go to was literally outside the front door of our pensione. We had been in the bloody neighbourhood for our entire trip and didn’t even realize it! You would think that the bodega we visited every night, the Bodega Santa Cruz, would have tipped us off? Idiots! Highly embarrassing! Needless to say we loved Santa Cruz, it’s winding cobblestone streets, historic sights and delicious food!
Metropol Parasol, The Second Room and their ridiculously potent dry martinis.
We stopped into the Second Room after visiting the Metropol Parasol, a wooden structure designed by noted German architect Jurgen Mayer-Hermann. The admission for entrance is 3 euros and it includes a free cocktail at one of 3 restaurants located at the base of the structure. We, of course, took full advantage of this incredible freebie and enjoyed a chilled glass of vinho verde under the Parasol.
This glass of vinho verde was followed by an order of deep fried calamari and onions with hot chili peppers and a bottle of wine – they were offering a promotion on wine after all – who can say no to that? Well, certainly not Emma and I. So, we ate the calamari and polished off the bottle of wine. As we made our way back to our hotel, we happened to notice a sign outside the Second Room, a popular cocktail bar, promoting their dry martini. It was ridiculously priced at 14 euros, but how could we say no to the only decent martini we’d seen on a menu in over a month. We sat down and ordered the martini, as you do – ‘Very dry with 3 olives, please and thank you!’ It was delicious! It was so delicious in fact, that we ordered a second martini…with 5 olives this time! Let me just say in our defence, that we had already consumed a half bottle of wine each and a martini, so we clearly were not thinking straight. Fast forward to the next afternoon when we woke up in our beds at the pension, fully clothed – I was still wearing my sandals – with absolutely no recollection of when or how we got there. After checking our bags to make sure we still had our wallets and cash, we checked our cameras to see if we had taken any photos following our martini throw down. The last photo on my phone was a picture of the 5 olive martini, it was time stamped 6:57PM. It was now past noon! Yikes! Thus, I would recommend that you do try the martini, but for the love of all that is holy, don’t be an idiot. Don’t drink a bottle of wine before hand and no matter what you do…do not, under any circumstances, order a second one!
The Second Room’s DEADLY DRY MARTINI – stop at one if you know what’s good for you!
On our last full day in Seville and we couldn’t possibly leave the city without visiting the famous Real Alcazar. To be completely honest, it’s the one thing I absolutely had to visit, especially knowing that episodes of Game of Thrones have been filmed there. The grounds and palace defy description and the photos alone do not do it justice. Suffice it to say that it was well worth the price of admission and the 2 hours we spent there were not nearly enough. The surrounding gardens are equally beautiful and one could spend 2 hours alone enjoying the quiet sanctuary they offer.
Real Alcazar, SevillaInside the Real Alcazar, Sevilla
The next morning we were up early to catch the ferry to Ios, the ‘party island’. The port in Ios was bustling. Tourists scanning the crowd for someone holding their hotel’s sign, letting them know that their shuttle was there to pick them up. Emma and I found our guy rather quickly and were soon making our way up the hillside to Chora, our home for the next 3 days. Our host, Yannis gave us the low down on buses, beaches and bars. The bars don’t open their doors until rather late and some nightclubs even later (2:30am). If you’re looking to party ’til the sun comes up, this is the place for you! If you like beaches, this is the place for you! If you like buses, well nobody likes buses, but they’re cheap and they run often.
Our hotel, The Village Twins, is located right in the heart of everything. It doesn’t have a pool, but we honestly didn’t need it, the beaches of Ios are fabulous and plentiful. Our room was super cute with a good sized terrace at the back. The room and bathroom were very clean and the A/C worked beautifully. The owners were very friendly and gave us great tips on places to visit while in Chora. They offer a small and inexpensive menu – cold 1/2L beer is only 2€! Cheapest beer on the island and cheap tastes better – always!
Village Twins, Chora
Our first night in Chora, we checked out The Nest for some traditional and local Greek cuisine. Yannis, the owner of Village Twins had recommended it and it did not disappoint. The serving sizes were enormous and the price was reasonsable. Emma had the moussaka and I had the eggplant stuffed with meat. Both were really tasty and quite filling. After that feast, we needed to walk, like a lot, as I said, the meal portions were enormous and we were in beach country now. So, climbed to the highest point of the town to snap photos of, what else? The sunset, and it was GLORIOUS!
Portion sizes at The Nest were huge…and delicious
Manganari Beach
We then explored the tiny streets of Chora, checking out the various bars, lounges and shops.
Our second day in Chora was a beach day, as was our third. We visited the main beach, Mylopotas. There are regular buses that run every 10 minutes which will ferry you to the beach for a mere 1.80€ and the view from the tops of the hills along the way are well worth it. The beach itself was pretty quiet earlier in the day, as most of the partiers were likely still sleeping off the remnants of the night before. It started to pick up later in the afternoon, but it never felt overly crowded. The beach loungers could be rented for 7€/day, but the sand was beautiful and we opted to lie on our beach blankets instead. The water was very clear and the fish swam up to us while we waded in the crystal waters. Cool thing about this beach is the sand actually glitters. When we got back to our hotel, our feet looked as though they’d been bathed in glitter! FYI: Emma HATES glitter, and yet strangely enough, she didn’t seem to mind having sparkling toes.
Mylopotas Beach, Chora
That night, we “pre-dank” a litre and a half of white wine, and left our room promptly at midnight in search of some of this famous Ios nightlife. It did not disappoint. So many bars vying for your dollars with plenty of deals to be had on drinks (if binge drinking is your thing). For 25€ you could get 7 shots and a singlet to commemorate a night that after 7 shots you likely wouldn’t remember anyway, so the singlet is useful in that you at least know which establishment to thank for your hangover and beer goggles mishaps. Emma and I opted to have drinks at a series of spots so we could sample the nightlife. I’m a bit of a commitment phone so settling on one spot when there were so many to visit suited me just fine. We visited a few places and ended the night on a very crowded street sipping cold beers and people watching. We had a beach day planned for the following day (quelle surprise) so we called it an early night and were back at our hotel by 3:30am.
Martinis in Chora
The next morning, a little hungover, and definitely in need of a low key day, we hopped on the bus to Manganari beach. The bus is 7.50€ return and the views along the way are themselves worth the fare. The beach is 11km from Chora but the ride there takes about 45 minutes. The road is all steep inclines and switchbacks with the most breathtaking views of Ios. The landscape of this island is truly surreal. Everything looks photoshopped, it’s THAT stunning.
Manganari Beach
Manganari Beach
Manganari beach is isolated, small and very quiet. We settled into our loungers and pretty much stayed there until we either got hungry, thirsty, or needed to take a dip to cool off. The loungers were free and Christo’s Tavern in the beach serves up the coldest beer on the island and the freshest good. I had the Greek salad and Emma ordered the grilled calamari. Again, serving sizes were enormous and the food delicious. After lunch, Emma lounged in the sun for a bit and I wandered off to snap a few photos. It was another perfect afternoon on Ios.
Given that the next morning we would be taking the ferry to Santorini, it was a relatively early night for us. If we’ve learned anything it’s to NOT have a big night before a travel day. Thank you Amsterdam for that lesson.
Santorini
Santorini, viewed from the caldera
We arrived in Santorini by ferry. I had visited Santorini 5 years ago, but was still awestruck by the cliffs of Fira as we arrived at the port. We immediately booked a shuttle to Stella Hotel, our home for the next two nights. As the shuttle van weaved its way through the switchbacks up the cliff side everyone in the van was oohing and ahhing at the scenery as the port below became smaller and smaller as we approached the top of the cliff. The vistas of the caldera and Nea Kemini from the top were absolutely breathtaking.
We drive through Fira and then onto Kamari where our hotel was located. Kamari is located on the opposite coast. It’s becoming more and more popular as a less expensive alternative for food, drink and accommodations for the budget minded traveler. The small town offers regular bus service to Fira where you can catch connecting buses to Oia. It’s also about 10 minutes from the airport.
Our room was lovely and the hotel offered free breakfast, which we took full advantage of, poolside of course.
Since we only had 2 days in Santorini we did not waste anytime and grabbed the bus to Fira as soon as we were settled at the hotel.
Let me tell you, it was bloody hot that day and the 10 minutes we waited by that bus stop, in pools of our own sweat did seem like an eternity, however we quickly discovered that the buses are air conditioned (thank heaven) so the miserable wait seemed worth it once aboard the bus.
Now, you should know that the public buses can get very crowded. We spent an entire bus ride from Oia standing – great core workout – but certainly not ideal.
We wandered around Santorini in a heat inflicted zombie state, snapping pictures along with everyone else in the tourist hoard then made our way to a taverna for some cold microbrews. With renewed energy we decided to make our way to Oia by bus to watch the sunset.
The famed blue domes of OiaYay!
Oia was ridiculous! The tourists had descended upon that town like a swarm of locusts. Everyone was filing through the tiny streets, lining up to snap photos of the iconic blue domes and that famous sunset over the Aegean Sea. We followed along, didn’t have much of a choice really. You do get swept up in the crowd. We took so many photos that both our iPhones and camera batteries died.
Sunset from Oia
Unable to take any additional pics, we had dinner at one of the tavernas then climbed aboard the bus to Fira in the middle of the post sunset mass exodus. It’s absolutely crazy how touristy this entire island is. The crowds are unrelenting and the businesses shameless in the fact they they subsist solely on the tourist dollars. I have to admit, it made the place feel a lot less special to me.
Our bus ride back from Oia was an adventure to say the least. Packed in the aisle like sardines, bus filled to capacity and standing room only as our driver navigated the steep hills and curves of the road atop the cliffs. This was not an enjoyable ride. Trying the stay standing through the twists and turns was challenging enough but add to it the being stepped on, or having some fellow super sweaty traveler brush up against you, the inescapable waft of body odour all around, bleck! I just wanted it to be over.
When we arrived safely in Fira I was thankful. Now all we had to do was get the connecting bus to Kamari. That was easy enough. However, we really didn’t know where we were going and ended up traveling the entire route until the last stop in Kamari. We had clearly missed our stop and then had to walk for about 30 minutes from where we had been dropped off to get back to our hotel. Just great! Upside? It was so dark as we made our way back that we had a wonderful view of the star. Downside? We were lost and wandered around for a bit befriending stray dogs along the way. We must have circled around our hotel for about 10 minutes, served us right for not making a point of knowing which stop was ours.
Next day we were super excited to get going. We booked an excursion to walk to the top of the volcano, swim in the hot springs, visit Thirassia and then watch the sunset over the caldera from the deck of the boat.
The boat ride to the Kea Kemini offered us some even more amazing views of the cliffs and the cities of Fira and Oia perched atop.
Views of Santorini from Kia Kameni
We arrived at the volcano (entry fee is 2€) and began our hike up to the top. The hike to the top takes about 40 minutes and it’s fairly steep in some places. The hike itself was not particularly challenging, however, combined with the high temps and humidity it felt like walking into the 7th circle of hell. The volcano is still active and we could feel the heat emanating from the ground beneath our feet – this just added to the inferno’esque feel of the climb.
The heat, the humidity and the inclines were all forgotten however as soon as you reached the top of the volcano. From there we had sweeping 360 degree views of the caldera and the sea. It was a clear day and we could actually see Ios in the distance. After a few minutes of photo snapping it was time to make our descent back to the boat.
The top of the volcano – phew! Worth the climb.A tiny bit tired from the hike, but that view though!
The hike down only took about 30 minutes and we were back on the bait making our way to the hot springs for an hour of swimming. I opted out and instead sat on the boat watching the others jump into the water while I enjoyed a very cold beer.
To be completely honest I have zero regrets about not swimming in the hot springs for 2 reasons
1) Everyone who exited the hot springs had iron stains on their swimsuits and towels
2) An elderly couple on the excursion also joined the group in the hot spring swim, unfortunately the woman was unaware of a trail of toilet paper stuck in the front of her bathing suit. It wasn’t like a couple of squares, it was a couple of feet of toilet paper trailing from her suit. Once she was in the water, the toilet paper started to come apart and float up into the water surrounding the other swimmers as they tried to avoid it. Just gross. She exited the water a bit later, joyful at having cooled off in the water and oblivious of the trail of wet toilet paper still clinging to the side of her leg. Good for her! Too bad for everyone else.
After the hot springs it was off to Thirassia, the small island across from Santorini’s main island. Thirassia is home to approximately 100 families. The families live at the top of the island during the winter months and down at the shore during the summer months when both the fishing and tourists are plentiful. The income they make over the summer months on fishing and tourism sustains them for the remainder of the year. Unlike Santorini, the homes and businesses at the top of the cliffs are all but abandoned during the summer months. I’d like to point out at this time that our tour guide did tell us this before we arrived at the Thirassia.
The climb to the top…we did that!?
When we arrived on Thirassia we walked along the shore and inspected the steep path up the cliff side debating whether or not to make the trek up. Common sense did not prevail in this case (when does it ever?) and we decided to hike up to the top.
They took the easy way!Channeled my inner donkey.
Oh. My. God. What the hell were we thinking?! The switchbacks were merciless, some sections of the path had to be at least 60 degrees or more, riddled with donkey shit – the smell! My eyes were watering and I was gagging. The gagging didn’t bother me, I was terrified of stepping in one of the countless steaming mounds of donkey poop covering the path. I was wearing flip flops, I had switched out of my Cons after the volcano hike.
Looking at the fishing village below.
Along the way up the mountain (it wasn’t a mountain, but it may as well have been) there were signs for ‘Different Restaurant’ promoting their free wifi and swimming pool! Yay! The promise of a swimming pool was all it took to motivate me. I channeled my inner pack mule (my new spirit animal) and pushed my way through the gagging, watery eyes and mounds of shit to get to the top of that mountain! Once we got to the top we took in the scenery and explores the abandoned village. We did see a few people but they easily outnumbered by cats and a few dogs. Hot, sweaty and thirsty, we followed the signs to ‘Different Restaurant’ which, it turned out, was closed. There would be no wifi, no beer and no swimming pool. Was ‘Different Restaurant’ offering a ‘different restaurant’ experience in that you could have a seat at any of the tables but you could not expect to be served.
The only residents we located at the top of Thirassia
Ugh! Snapped some pictures then hiked back down. The views were great, it was worth it…maybe. I’m still undecided on that one.
Fishing boats in Thirassia
We are at one of the restaurants along the shore and then back on the boat to watch the sunset over the water.
Now, the sunsets in Greece have been spectacular but nothing and I mean NO sunset I have seen so far will ever compare to the sunsets in Santorini! Words fail me, so here are about 400 pictures of the sunset we saw that night. (Ok, I have limited my post to 3 pics of that sunset, but I did snap about 400 that night.)
Sunset over the waters of the caldera
Really couldn’t get enough of this sunsetOkay, last sunset pic, I promise!
That sunset sail was the final curtain call on our trip to Santorini as we were flying out the next day. We spend the following morning lounging by the pool before our flight to Crete, as you do.
Crete
No visit to Greece would be complete without a visit to Crete. I know that every island in Greece has its own character, and Crete is distinctly different in terms of culture and cuisine. I love Greek food, but Cretan food, on my opinion blows then all away. Just don’t, whatever you do, drink the Raki. That Cretan firewater is the worst!!
We opted to fly to Crete as opposed to taking the ferry. The cost of the flight was almost the same as the ferry and was only 20 minutes versus and 2 1/2 hour ferry.
Our flight landed at around 9pm and we easily found the bus from the airport that would take us to our hotel. The bus costs anywhere from 1.50€-2.50€ depending on how many zones you travel through. Though we easily located our bus, figuring out which stop we had to get off at was a bit more challenging. First of all, the digital crawl sign at the front of the bus listing out the route stops as we made our way from the airport wasn’t working. Call me crazy, but would this not be an important feature to have working on a bus that ferries foreigners from the airport to the centre of the city? Secondly, ALL THE STREET SIGNS ARE IN GREEK, which made it a bit difficult to figure out where the hell we were. I started to worry that we might miss our stop so I walked up to the driver and asked him if he would please let us know when we got to our stop. He didn’t speak or understand English, but I was able to point out our stop on the map and he assured me that we hadn’t passed it yet. He indicated that he would.
Thankfully, Emma is a wiz at directions and reads trip advisor reviews religiously and she recognized a food market that had been mentioned in one of the reviews for our hotel, so she knew we were close and sure enough at the next stop there was a sign for our hotel! The bus stopped and though the driver didn’t say anything he left the bus parked and door open until we clued in that we were at our stop. From there we had a short walk to our hotel. Yay!!!
Just waiting for the bus in Heraklion
Park Hotel is where we would be staying for the next 3 nights. The room was okay with a balcony, A/C and a roomy bathroom (compared to most of the other bathrooms thus far). Now, the room was meant to have a kitchen, but instead the kitchen was a sink, an exhaust fan above a countertop, um, no stove or hot plate so we were unclear as to the purpose of the exhaust fan. Oh and no fridge. So basically, no kitchen. Anyway, we’d make do.
Our “kitchen” – not a kitchen
Our first day in Heraklion and decided to keep things pretty low key and explore the town centre. I much prefer Heraklion’s city centre to Athens. It was comparatively clean and we felt very safe. Everyone was very friendly and we easily found inexpensive food options – gyros the size of your head for 3€! The shopping is very good, each of us bought a dress, you know for ‘a night out in Barcelona’. Never mind that we both brought one piece of carry on, already busting at the seems. Something would have to be let behind in Crete. I’d already ‘left behind’ a pair of flip flops in Mykonos to make room for 2 new bikinis that I ‘absolutely needed’. Sacrifices needed to be made.
Gyros the size of your head!
After wandering through Heraklion centre for an entire day, we returned to our hotel for their spaghetti dinner. It was actually delicious with one of the best Greek salads we’ve had so far and only 8€ each!
We spent the rest of the evening playing cards and drinking cheap house wine.
Our last day in Crete and we wanted to check out the nearby beach. The path to the beach was just outside the entrance to our hotel, how convenient, so we walked over right after breakfast. Thank God we hadn’t made plans to have a beach day in Heraklion. If you love sandy beaches littered with everything from discarded cigarette packages, hair brushes, dirty socks, empty beer cans, cigarette butts, basically all manner of garbage then this is the beach for you my friend. The sole running shoe and striped underwear in the middle of the sandy path leading the beach should have tipped us off. ‘This is not the beach you are looking for.’ Just nasty! You may think I’m exaggerating here, but I assure you I am not. Check out the photos, if you dare. It’s not pretty.
Path to the beach…see how happy Emma is!
Random trash as we arrived at the beachThis is the beach sand…we played “Count the Ciggy butts”
After shaking off the horror of ‘Garbage Beach’ we made our way to Knossos, located about 5kms from the city centre, the largest Bronze Age archeological site on Crete and considered to be the oldest city in Europe (first settlement dates back to about 7000 BC). Knossos is believed to where the King of Knossos lived as well as the political centre of Minoan civilization. We spent about 2 hours exploring the site. The site itself is beautiful but it’s also surrounded by some stunning hillside views.
Knossos, the oldest city in Europe
Knossos
After visiting Knossos we made our way to the Venetian port for a late afternoon walk along the break wall. More history, more stunning scenery and more photo snapping.
Locals fishing along the breakwallShore along the Venetian Port
The port of Heraklion
After a day of walking and touring the city we made or way back to our hotel where we spent the rest of the evening sitting by the pool catching up on emails and finalizing some last minute travel details before heading to Istanbul the next day.
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