After much anticipation and an 8 hour bus ride from Seville, we arrived in the beautiful city of Lisbon. The bus trip itself was uneventful, however should you ever decide to make this trek by bus, be aware that there are no toilets on the bus. To be fair, the bus was cheap, about $40, so you gets what you pay for. Needless to say, we ate and drank sparingly for fear of having to use facilities that were non-existent. Luckily, our driver scheduled a few much needed bathroom breaks along the way. The scenery along the drive was quite beautiful consisting of terraced hills, sheep, and some of the most exotic looking trees I’ve seen.
The bus dropped us off at the Oriente metro station in Lisbon, another beautiful structure designed by Santiago Calatrava. From there it was an easy and quick trip to our accommodations in Lisbon. Our GORGEOUS apartment was located in the central Intendente neighbourhood. We had booked the place through airbnb and it was STUNNING! Andrew, Emma’s boyfriend, was joining us in Lisbon and for the rest of our trip so we needed a comfortable and spacious place and this apartment delivered. We had two bedrooms and two bathrooms, a kitchen, and living/dining room. The place was beautifully decorated with no detail missed. I loved this place and I knew immediately that it would be difficult to leave at the end of our stay.
That evening, after Andrew arrived after almost 24 hours of traveling, we caught up over some wine while planning our activities for the following day.
Alfama from a distance
Next morning, our first order of business was booking a walking tour of the city. We chose the Sandeman New Europe tour which was meant to be 3 hours. This tour, which did not include the famed Alfama neighbourhood, started in the Barrio Alto neighbourhood and wound its way through many of the cities cobblestone streets as our tour guide shared stories of the city’s heroes, history, food and monuments. Our guide was wonderful at telling stories and we certainly learned a lot, however the tour ran quite late at almost 4 hours! By the end of it we were exhausted and starving. Don’t get me wrong, we enjoyed the tour, but it could have easily been shortened and would have still been quite useful and informative. We could not help but feel as though our guide really enjoyed listening to the sound of his own voice and his seemingly endless remarks about needing tips to cover his rent along and his requests for us to book additional paid tours during our break instead of online following the tour (he gets a commission for the tours you book that day) got a bit old. All that being said, the tour was quite good.
Following the tour, we were thirsty and what better way to quench your thirst then to enjoy some sangria on a patio. We found a nice little resto on a side street and settled in for our first official sangria pitcher in Portugal.
Dinner was actually not too bad, considering we ended up at a small, family run, restaurant where they served both Portuguese and Indian fare. A little weird, but we were so hungry we didn’t care. We ordered lamb and fish dishes which were surprisingly delicious given that this place was a bit of a hole in the wall, the desserts however, were the stars of the show. We had creme brule, a flan and, a traditional Portuguese cake that consisted of layers of cookies interspersed with a coffee flavoured cream that was so tasty I’m still thinking about it. After polishing off our desserts, our server offered us a complimentary ‘whiskey’. I should point out that this ‘whiskey’ was home made and clear in colour. Honestly, it smelled like pure alcohol and tasted like gasoline. I barely chocked it down. Andrew loved it and actually complimented the server on it. His reward? He was happily given a second shot of this Portuguese fire water to gulp down. Why anyone would voluntarily submit themselves to that kind of punishment is beyond me. That stuff was disgusting.
The next morning we signed up for a tour of Alfama which started at 3pm later that day. We spent the morning walking through Lisbon taking in the sights then made our way to the meeting spot for our 3 pm tour. The tour was short and sweet and our guide, who was clearly new at this, was engaging and informative. We walked through Alfama’s winding streets while being regaled with stories of life in Alfama, it’s traditions and people. We were even treated to a shot of homemade Gingha (a delicious cherry flavoured liqueur) served from the window of a lovely lady’s home as we walked by on our tour. I couldn’t help but notice that several enterprising locals were selling shots of Gingha from their windows and stoops to the very thirsty tourists exploring their neighbourhood.
Walking through Alfama
If you visit Lisbon you must treat yourselves to a Fado performance. Fado is a traditional form of music the origins of which can be traced to the 1820s and it’s cultural importance is as significant to Portugal as Flamenco is to Spain. There are no words that can accurately describe Fado music, suffice it to say that it is both beautiful and mournful. We were lucky enough to enjoy an evening of Fado while enjoying a delicious traditional Portuguese meal in the historical Alfama neighbourhood later that evening following our tour.
Fado singing during dinner in Alfama
The following day was pretty busy as we made our way out to Belem to visit the Torre de Belem, enjoyed a delicious lunch of grilled chicken, explored the park after a nice self-catered picnic – made friends with some ducklings and a few peacocks – ate our weight in Pasteis de Belem‘s WORLD FAMOUS Portuguese custard tarts and finally making our way back to our neighbourhood in time to see the sunset from the Miradouro da Senhora do Monte.
Torre Belem
The bustle is non-stop at Pasteis de Belem
Let me tell you, climbing that hill to see the sunset was a killer. However, once we arrived at the top of the hill we were lucky enough to witness one of the most beautiful city sunsets ever. There was something truly magical about this place. We arrived at the top of the hill, sweating, out of breath, cursing every bloody stair we had to climb to make it there, yet somehow all of that didn’t matter. It also didn’t seem to matter to the other thirty or so other people who had also made the ascent. As the sunset over Lisbon, the crowd snapped pictures while toasting each other with wine and beer (which we in our haste forgot to bring. At some point a small band began serenading the crowd with some old standards and as the sunlight faded and the sky began to shift from orange, to pink, and finally red, the jazz trumpet played the sun out of the sky, I couldn’t help but smile. It was a perfect end to a wonderful day.
Sunset over Lisbon
In total, we were in Lisbon for 6 days and we could have easily stayed longer and not run out of things to do or see. We loved the city, its people and its food and I cannot wait to return some day.
After the busy and frenetic pace of Lisbon, we were happy to arrive in Porto. I couldn’t help but notice almost immediately that Porto seemed to be much more quieter and laid back then Lisbon. We arrived by train after a relatively short trip, about 3 hours. Our apartment, again an airbnb rental, was centrally located, about a 10 minute walk from the Sao Bento train station. Fun Fact: the train station was named after a 16th century Benectine monastery which was at one time located on the site, but was destroyed by fire in the late 18th century. It was rebuilt but fell into a state of disrepair. In the early 1900s King Carlos I decided to expand the Portuguese train system and engaged a famous architect, Jose Marques de Silva to redesign the defunct monastery for it to be used as the main train station in Porto
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One of the two azulejo panels at the Sao Bento station in Porto.
Currently, the train station acts as a main hub for Porto’s suburban train lines. The architecture is stunning, however, the real star attraction of the station are the two azulejo painted tile panels by Jorge Colaco – who was considered to be the most important azulejo painter at the time. The two panels depict landscapes and historical events and are located in the main vestibule of the station.
We arrived at our apartment which was located in a circa 1960’s three story walk-up. Let me tell you that walking into that apartment was like taking a step back in time. The apartment, which used to be owned by an architect, had been magnificently restored to its original design, complete with wood paneled walls, post modern lighting and the most amazing divider wall come bookcase I have ever seen. However, the decor itself paled in comparison to the current owner’s extensive collection of jazz and fado CDs! I was over the moon at discovering these magnificent musical gems and the best part? The owner also left us a delicious bottle of Porto for us to sip on while we enjoyed her sensational jazz collection.
Enjoying some of Porto’s finest at the historical Majestic Cafe.
The following morning we set off to explore the city. Sadly Porto’s only walking tour was not being offered during the days we would be in the city, so we did a bit of research online and made a list of some attractions to seek out while walking around Lisbon. One of the first places we checked out was Porto’s historical Majestic Cafe. There was a bitof a line up but we didn’t mind, since we knew that something delicious was waiting for us inside. We each ordered a dessert and port pairing from their recommended pairings menu, and no surprise, the pairings were perfect.
Luckily for us, we just happened to arrive in Porto while a number of great outdoor events and festivals were taking place, including the one day Em D’Bandada music festival. This music festival is unlike most music festivals in that the bands perform in some very interesting locations such as a streetcar, or in a grocery store, or marching down the sidewalk. Em D’Bandada begins early morning and continues well into the pre-dawn hours. We were fortunate enough to see some great performances as we walked through the city that day. Unfortunately, I got sick that evening but Emma and Andrew were able to check out some of the performances, including a street party featuring a DJ spinning from inside the basket of a cherry picker 5 meters above the street until 4am.
On our first morning walk through the city, we happened upon an outdoor market selling everything from homemade cookies, compotes and macaroons…just to name a few. I, of course, took full advantage and picked up a small bag of cookies along with a delicious port, apricot and raspberry jam. All were made by small local producers who were all very enthusiastic about their products and rightfully so. All that traveling had made me quite hungry.
Outdoor market in Porto
Porto is also home to a very large outdoor book fair as well as a festival that pays homage to Porto’s official dish, the Francesinha. This dish can best be described as a franken-sandwich stuffed with cured ham, sausage, and beef wrapped in melted cheese then drowned in a beer and tomato sauce. It’s sometimes topped with an egg and served with french fries. It’s not an attractive looking dish, but I was assured by both Emma and Andrew that it was delicious. I wasn’t feeling well, and upon seeing this monstrosity of a sandwich, I was grateful for not being able to stomach food, because there was no way I was putting any of it in my mouth, as I assure you it looked disgusting.
The famous Francesinha…at 2500 calories each, this thing packs a punch
The forecast for the next few days was not very promising with nothing but torrential downpours in the forecast. We decided that the best way to beat the weather was to visit one of the many port lodges across the Douro and hole up there for an afternoon of porto tasting. I mean, what choice did we have?
We attended a really nice tasting at the Taylor’s port lodge. Our tasting included a guided tour and three glasses of port. The tour and tasted lasted about an hour and a half in total and we paired our ports with a very nice artisanal cheese and some handcrafted chocolate truffles. It was pure bliss and by far the best way to combat the dismal weather outside.
Taylor’s port tasting…best way to escape the rain.
Later that evening, we enjoyed a lovely dinner at Grade A, a family run restaurant near the waterfront. The food was simply prepared and absolutely delicious. We were offered a delicious and delicate octopus salad and a plate of lightly battered and deep fried sardines drizzled in oil as appetizers which we devoured almost immediately. I then ordered the prawns in lemon butter and paprika served with lemon wedges, while Emma ordered the pan seared lamb and Andrew had the oven roasted kid. Dessert was a dream, we each ordered something different and shared, as you do! I had a slice of key lime pie – divine! Andrew ordered another version of the layered mocha cream cake he’d had in Lisbon and Emma ordered an oven roasted apple with cinnamon – YUM!
We managed to sign up for the Taste Porto Food tour, which quite frankly I cannot recommend enough. The tour lasted about 3 1/2 hours and was pretty amazing. Our guide Andre, was very knowledgeable and he offered us an experience that took us off the beaten path. The beauty of this tour is that Andre and his team will not take you to the typical touristy food places, his food tour gives you the opportunity to taste the Porto that the locals enjoy. He works closely with local vendors and suppliers to curate a truly authentic Porto food experience. During this tour we visited 6 stops including the Mercado Bolhao, Flor dos Congregados (the oldest restaurant in Porto, a third generation family run resto that has been operating for 152 years – and counting), an incredible bakery famous for its eclairs, another bakery specializing in an incredibly flaky pastry stuffed with both savoury and sweet fillings, an historic coffee house and a taberno specializing in curating the best wines, cheeses and sausages from small local producers. This tour was an absolute highlight and Andre was an absolute wealth of information on the food scene in Porto offering us suggestions on where to eat and which wine bars to visit. Just incredible. One of the best things about this particular tour were the other foodies who also signed up. We met some pretty amazing people including including a journalist from the U.K. who was living in Poland with his wife (we met up with them later that day for pint at a local craft beer pub) another couple from Australia who were living in London, another couple from just outside Toronto who were last minute additions to the tour, and a fantastic woman named Nanna, from Reykjavik, who also happened to be a well known cook book author.
I discovered so much while visiting this amazing city and I’m not just talking about the food and the port. We visited many wonderful spots including the Livraria Lello, an incredible library dating back to 1869 which served as J.K. Rowling’s inspiration for Hogwarts while writing Harry Potter.
Inside Livreria Lello
On another day, we wandered into the incredible HATS & C.A.T.S. where I had the pleasure of trying on some of the most beautiful hats I’ve laid eyes upon. These hats were not just hats, they were pure artistry.
Finally, on our last day in Porto we took the historic Tram 1 to Passeio Alegre and walked along the sea wall to watch the waves crashed against the light house as the sun set on the horizon, a scene so wondrously beautiful it made my heart sing. I just couldn’t believe how lucky I was to be there to witness something so amazing.
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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