Month: August 2016

All roads lead to Rome but I’m a believer in detours!  Matera is a detour that I made 4 years ago and it called me back!  The cave-dwellings of Matera, the sassi, are unlike anything I had ever seen before or since.

When I left this medieval city in 2012, I knew that I would return.  I couchsurfed back then and my host was gracious enough to offer me a couch for my visit this time.  You couldn’t ask for a nicer host or a better location as his home is right in the sassi!  I didn’t get to see him much, though, as he had recently opened his own vegetarian restaurant and wine bar, Fior di Cucuzza!   Amazing food and wines!

From the train station, I hauled all of my packs through modern Matera past shops, banks, and baroque churches. Though I had been there before, the sudden change from modern to ancient is stunning and put a huge grin on my face.

Obviously, the only way to see the sassi is on foot.  Considering that’s my “thing”, I was in bliss!  The sassi is made up of two areas, Sasso Barisano and Sasso Caveoso.  I was unaware of that until a conversation with an old Italian man who was compelled to share the pride he has for his ancient town.

Like the cave-dwellings themselves, the history of the sassi of Matera is very interesting and unusual.  Thought to be one of the first Italian settlements, going back as far as 7000 BC, it is also the only place in the world where families live in the homes of their ancestors of 9000 years ago!  In the 1950’s, it was a much different place than now and was a source of shame for Italy.  People suffered from malaria and poverty and lived in such squalor in the caves that the government ordered new housing to be built in the modern part of Matera. Since the 1980’s, the more wealthy moved back to the caves, renovating them and so began the sassi’s climb to chic.

There are cave restaurants, museums, churches, hotels, galleries, shops, and homes…all climbing the hillside, one on top of the other.  Carved out of the limestone rock and hanging on the edge of a ravine.  You’ll get your exercise wandering the seemingly infinite alleyways, tripping over uneven stone stairways, or even hiking a trail through the ravine to the uninhabited caves above!

Matera isn’t overrun with tourists yet but the word is getting out and, like me, you may find yourself yearning to go back!

 

 

 

 

 

 

When I first heard of Alberobello, I don’t think the actual name of their buildings was mentioned.  It was a place where I could wander among white, cone-domed, round houses made of limestone.  These are the trulli.

Getting to this UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Puglia region of Italy from Nardo was an all day affair but is a simple day trip from Bari or Brindisi. Alberobello is a touristic site, to be sure.  However, it is a very enjoyable town in which to wander the small, narrow streets among houses that you can imagine hobbits living in!

Before arriving, I had booked a hotel that was further from town than I realized. The Hotel Donatello was wonderful as were it’s owners!  They picked me up from the train station and shuttled me to town and back at no extra charge.  However, I wanted to be more central so, the following day, I moved to Hotel Sant’Antonio. It was perfectly situated and is attached to the trullo church, Chiesa di Sant’Antonio, but it didn’t have the family feel of Hotel Donatello. If you have a car, I recommend Hotel Donatello!

Completely free to wander at my leisure now, I explored every street that I could. Some of the 1500 trulli are still functioning as homes and some are rented out to visitors.  Others are shops, bars, and restaurants; these are the ones that offer you a glimpse at the interior of a trullo…that is, unless you’ve rented one!

The center of Alberobello is a typical Italian town with large piazzas, cobblestone streets, and churches (including the Basilica of Saints Cosmin and Damiano) but with trulli spattered throughout.  My first night in the town square, it seemed the entire town turned out to watch a soccer match on a giant screen!  That was the extent of nightlife in Alberobello!

A quiet stroll among the truly unique trulli of Alberobello may be hard to come by in high season (May to October), especially in Rione Monti, the commercial section of the trulli. It is possible though if you find yourself in the less touristic area of Aia Piccola, the inhabited section of the trulli.  You might just be invited in!

Lecce was just a taste of Puglia’s Salento region in the heel of Italy’s boot!  There are so many medieval towns, castles, olive groves, vineyards, beaches, caves, and clear blue sea to explore and enjoy!  I won’t bore you with the details of my hitchhiking, partying, and all of the wonderful people that I met along the way.  I do want to tell you about each of the villages that I kicked around in, though!

Santa Caterina di Nardo – A tiny, coastal village about 7 km from Nardo on the Ionian Sea.  It’s situated between Porto Selvaggio and Gallipoli and offers clear blue waters, low, rocky beaches and tree covered hills.  It is also part of the Porto Selvaggio Nature Reserve.  It is a seaside resort that puts you close to Nardo and Gallipoli, as well as all of the summer festivals.  Unless you have a car, though, it’s not easy getting around!  I couchsurfed here and enjoyed the wonderfully helpful, sweet people that I encountered.  It’s a quiet place, great for relaxing and dining out (I highly recommend Le Terrazze)!

Santa Maria al Bagno –  I didn’t actually spend any time here.  I saw this small fishing village from a hilltop in Santa Caterina di Nardo and passed through it on the way to Gallipoli.  What an important part of history it played during and after WWII, though!  Along it’s beautiful, crescent moon shaped beach, a few buildings accommodated over 100,000 Nazi concentration camp survivors on their journey to Palestine.  Today, you can visit the Museum of Memory and Welcome which is dedicated to all of them.

Galatina – My couchsurfing host and his friends took me to Galatina for the Festival of Saint Peter and Paul.  I wasn’t clear exactly what the festival was about until I researched it afterwards (my hosts English wasn’t that great and my Italian is very rusty).  Apparently, Galatina is almost the only place that practices the ritual, tarantismi (spider music).  The tarantella folk dance (which evolved from the spider music) is performed at this festival on June 29th. Tarrantati, victims of a tarantula bite, used to go to Galatina to dance and would then enter the church to be blessed and healed by Saints Peter and Paul.  If you’re so inclined, look up tarantism.  It’s fascinating reading!

Gallipoli – My couchsurfing roommate and I hitchhiked first to the gorgeous beaches of Gallipoli where we relaxed and had good conversation with other sunbathers before hitching into Old Town.  Gallipoli is from the Greek word, Kallipolis, meaning beautiful city, and it is that!  It is built on a limestone island that is linked to the mainland by an ancient bridge.  The first thing that you see is the castle and, just opposite it, the fish market and restaurants.  We dined on the most amazingly fresh shellfish (mussels, oysters, & prawns)!  The town is not only known for its red prawns (gamberoni) but also for its nightlife of which we sampled, as well.

So many jewels throughout Italy’s Salento region (the southernmost tip of Italy’s “heel”) and so little time!  The train from Nardo to Alberobello, the home of the strange little trullo houses, was next on my agenda.

In my travels of Italy, I have no idea why I’d never been to Lecce!  What a jewel of Baroque architecture!  The city is compact enough to walk in one day and there is beauty around each and every corner!  I’m officially in love with Lecce!

Once I arrived in Lecce, I managed to find a hotel that would hold my bags for me while I explored.  I had found a couch for a couple of nights but it was on the Ionian Sea in Santa Caterina di Nardo, about 30 minutes from Lecce.

If you intend to visit the heel of Italy’s boot, Lecce is the perfect home base as it’s between the Adriatic and the Ionian Seas and offers easy access to surrounding medieval towns and beaches.  Why didn’t anyone tell me this before?! As a bonus, it’s the mecca of paper mache art!

The craft of paper mache isn’t something I’ve ever thought about.  I think we all were subjected to it in school but I’ve never seen anything like the craftsmanship you’ll find exclusively in Lecce.  I had the privilege of watching a master at work and it is truly an art!

Every corner of Lecce offers up jaw dropping architectural delights!  I don’t think I’ve ever been happier in my wanderings!  I’d just be walking down a beautiful cobblestone alley and it would suddenly open up to a grand piazza with an array of buildings or churches in the Baroque style.

Piazza del Duomo is breathtaking!  It’s enclosed on three sides and contains the Lecce Cathedral, the Bell tower, the Bishop’s Palace and the Seminary Palace.

Winding my way through each alley, I came upon gorgeous buildings that I couldn’t identify and haven’t been able to find a name for online.  Some I was allowed to enter but others were closed.  A lovely art gallery that I entered had once been a church and still contains murals in the alcoves.

Popping out of an alleyway, I found myself on the main drag, Via Vittorio Emanuele.  The street is lined with shops and cafes and is where you’ll find Sedile Palace (now the tourist information center), the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, the Church of San Marco, and the statue of Saint Oronzo, the patron saint of Lecce.

The Piazza Sant’Oronzo is directly behind all of that and is where I was amazed to find the Roman Amphitheatre!  I first noticed an archeological site and then noticed  the amphitheatre.  I spoke with a local and found out that they hold concerts in the center of it nightly during the summer.  It’s pretty incredible the layers of history that lie underground all over Italy!

I didn’t spend near enough time in the “Florence of the South”, as it’s sometimes called.  Far too soon, my couchsurfing host arrived to drive myself and another couchsurfer to his place by the sea.  Hopefully, as I always return to Italy, I’ll one day make it back to Lecce!

I landed at the Bari airport, in the Puglia region of Italy, in the emptiest plane (Posteitaliane) I’d ever been on in my life (and I’ve been on a lot!)! Just prior to boarding, I found and booked a reasonably priced airbnb for 1 night.  Only once airborne, did I look at the reservation address and realize that it wasn’t even IN Bari!  With no wifi aboard to see exactly where the town of Bisceglie was, I had to just laugh at myself and look forward to the impending adventure!

After only 2 trains, I arrived in Bisceglie during siesta which meant that I couldn’t purchase a SIM card which meant I couldn’t contact the airbnb host.  I couldn’t even locate wifi in this ancient town!  All I could do was look at the map I had snapped a picture of on my iPhone and trudge in that general direction.  Finally finding a little restaurant where I could slough off my baggage, wipe the sweat from…well, everywhere!…and order some food (spaghetti with mussels) and wine, I asked if they had wifi.  Of course not!  I explained why I needed wifi so the daughter of this family run restaurant offered me her phone to call with!  Before I knew it, my airbnb host was there and it turned out that I was very near my room!

Leaving my wine on the table and telling them I would be right back to eat, my host, Laura, took me to my new digs.  We dropped off my gear and returned to the restaurant where she joined me for lunch.  My wine was exactly where I’d left it.  We enjoyed a long meal and conversation and another patron treated us to the local dessert, Sospiro (created for Lucretia Borgia, so I’m told, who once lived in Bisceglie)!

Prior to departing, Laura was insistent that I should visit the town of Trani and that she would drive me there.  I managed to wander through the ancient alleyways of Bisceglie for a little bit before she picked me up.  Dropped at the marina, I began a pretty deserted walk around Trani.  An important soccer match (between Spain and Italy) was going on so the entire town were either at the few open bars or restaurants or at home watching it!

Trani is a beautiful seaport on the Adriatic Sea, known as the “Pearl of Puglia”.  As I explored, though, I had no idea what the buildings I admired were. Everything was closed due to the soccer game!  I apparently saw the Cathedral of St Nicholas the Pilgrim, Church of All Saints, Swabian Castle, and the Scolanova Church.

The following morning, I managed to get a SIM card and a private, free tour of the Church of Santa Margherita.  Absolutely beautiful!  Then I was off to the station and to Brindisi, where I immediately hiked quite a ways in the wrong direction.  Once I finally arrived at my hosts home, we visited for only a couple of hours before I needed to get moving if I was going to see anything in Brindisi!  I was leaving for Lecce the next morning!

I basicly ran around Brindisi!  It was so late and, me being in traveler mode, I had to try to see it all!  Though I walked for miles, I saw little of what there is to see in Brindisi.  I did see the port, the monument to Italian sailors, the Brindisi Cathedral, and the Temple of San Giovanni.  I may have seen more but can’t recall.

The reason I went to Brindisi is because that’s where I managed to get a couch when searching for one in Bari.  Bisciglie and Brindisi were towns in Puglia that I had had no plans of visiting and that I’m so glad that chance took me to!

My fears of finding my favorite place in the world (Italy) just another stop in so many stops and nothing special, were alleviated pretty quickly!  Nothing has changed in that, every time I go to Italy, I fall in love all over again!

 

 

If you’re ever in Corfu, Greece, a day trip to southern Albania shouldn’t be missed!  Saranda is a small town on the Albanian Riviera and tourism is its main source of income.  The town boasts beaches and resort hotels but, more importantly, easy access to a visit to the Blue Eye and the Roman ruins of Butrint.

Getting there was simple enough.  A bus picked me up (and later dropped me off) at my hotel and, depending on the ferry you are on, it’s only a 30-60 minute trip across the Ionian Sea.  Getting through passport control was NOT simple enough!  Patience was required and a sense of humor helped!  Passport control staff and angry travelers provided entertainment with a lot of yelling, waving arms, and even sobbing!

Once in Albania, I walked around Saranda, enjoyed lunch with a sea view, and then I rented a car.  The man I rented the car from offered to go with me to drive since he knew exactly where Blue Eye and Butrint were.  I will never do THAT again!  There were a lot of stops so he could take care of business and, once back at the port, he insisted that I owed him quite a bit more money.  I paid him a little bit more as he did help but then I left him arguing to himself as I ran to just make my return ferry!

The roads getting outside of Saranda were atrocious!!  Giant potholes everywhere.  I did drive on the way back and did a much better job at missing them than the rental guy had!  I honestly don’t understand why the Blue Eye is such a draw.  Sure, the spring is pretty and swirly and it’s supposedly 50 meters deep…well, that’s as far as divers have gotten anyway…but so what?  It’s called the Blue Eye due to the deep blue center surrounded by a light blue giving it the appearance of an eye.  I didn’t see that either!

The water itself is extremely cold but swimmers still take advantage of it!  At the entrance, there are cabins and a restaurant so rental guy and I sat to taste the local beer and enjoy the view.  The Bistrica River water is so incredibly clear!  You can see every plant, rock, and fish in it!

Butrint was amazing!  The countryside surrounding it is nothing short of beautiful and the remains of the ancient Roman city are impressive.  I think they need to do something to provide drainage of rain water, though, as I’m sure the standing water in some of the ruins is wearing them away.  Expect to walk a lot but it’s pleasurable thanks to the history soaked surroundings!

The day trip lasts about 10 hours (I had to get up early too!) so I was extremely tired by the end of it.  If you decide to go, I suggest doing a tour bus, the local bus, or rent a car and drive it all by yourself!

 

 

 

 

From the Aegean Sea to the Ionian Sea, it took a ferry, a bus, and a plane to get me there but I finally arrived on the Greek island of Corfu.  As I’d had to hang out in the Athens airport for 4 hours awaiting my early morning flight, I was exhausted.  However, there were no buses to my hotel, Pontikonisi Hotel, and the taxis were exorbitant!  So I hiked for a couple of miles before a helpful store owner pointed me to a bus stop that dropped me at my destination.

After a nice long nap, it was time to see Corfu Town.  I wandered (I really did!) through the romantic cobbled streets and alleys, gazing up at the beautiful church facades, and dodging tourists.  Realizing how hungry I was, I stopped to eat then realized how late it was.  It was late enough that the buses were no longer running!  I headed to the Sea as I figured I’d reach my hotel if I followed it.  Just in case, I stuck out my thumb.  Very quickly, an older man, who spoke no English, stopped and gave me a ride on his scooter.  It’s a long story on the actual getting to my hotel but he did get me there!

Making sure I had the bus schedule, I spent the following day exploring the sights of Old Town.  There are two fortresses, old and new.  I did not venture into the new one but fully explored the old, most prominent, fortress.  It offered up canons, St George Church, a prison, and incredible views of Corfu and the Ionian Sea.

In my wandering, I found a fabulous spot near the port to enjoy the sunset and a beer.  The diverse architecture throughout the city was a pleasure for me.  The beautifully paved Liston Promenade is a fantastic spot for people watching while enjoying a rest and a drink or a gelato!

I have to say that I was tired at this point in my travels.  I had been moving fast and carrying a heavy load for months and it was catching up to me.  This will explain why I was only interested in Old Town and did not take the time to explore the rest of the island.  From what I understand, the numerous beaches are gorgeous and I did see that the clear, cobalt blue of the sea is entrancing!  Mouse Island (Pontikonisi Island) was actually the view from my hotel, and I actually could have swam to it, but I didn’t bother to visit it or the monastery on it.

Probably because of my disposition, Corfu was my least favorite Greek island and a challenge to truly enjoy.  I drank and dined well, had amazing views from my hotel, enjoyed a day of hotel hospitality (private beach, pool, bar, and wifi), and got a lot of exercise.  Maybe I should go back one day to see the rest of the island…just to make sure!

Remember the difference between a vacationer and a traveler that I mentioned in my Santorini blog?  Well, I decided to give myself a bit of a vacation on the Greek island of Ios!

I booked 2 nights at Rita’s Place but loved it so much that I stayed an extra night!  I spent most of my time at the gorgeous pool and in my comfy room.  However, I did venture out daily, if only for food!  The descent to the port and, subsequent climb back up, was a good workout but I found little of interest there.

The village of Ios Chora is small but, like all of the Greek Isles, charming.  There are the usual narrow alleyways with shops, bars, and restaurants.  The largest building in town is the church.  Where I ate 2 of my meals, they made their own wine and I fell in love with it!  I even bought a bottle to enjoy on my balcony my last night in Ios!  Unfortunately, they don’t make enough of it to market.  It didn’t even have a name!

At the urging of numerous people who heard that I was going to Ios, I went to Mylopotus Beach, the most visited beach in Greece.  It was definitely a beautiful beach as was the water!  I didn’t stay long though as I’m not much of a beach person and the pool was not only deserted but was amazing!

It’s a wonderful feeling approaching another Greek island from the Aegean Sea! Especially after a bit of a rest!  The white, pale yellow, and blue buildings against the brown hills and blue sea are, in themselves, soothing.  Hopping off…well, trudging off of the ferry with only some iPhone photos of google directions to guide you.  Naxos was no exception.

Having deposited my bags at my hotel, I wandered (as you likely have seen that I have a tendency to do).  I was lost most of the time but, at one point, stumbled upon an incredibly cute outdoor cinema!  Enamored, I decided that I would return the next night to see the Meryl Streep movie, Florence Foster Jenkins, that would be playing…and I did!

One of the first things you notice when arriving in Naxos is the Portara on Palatia!  The first evening and the next day, I made the walk to Palatia.  It’s not only a gorgeous sight but is also the view to gods…or so I’ve read.  For me, I just love doors.  I’m sure psychologists might have some insights as to why!

Wandering, determined to go to the beach at some point, I found jewel after jewel in Naxos, one of them being a fabulous alleyway restaurant, Metaxi Mas, where I enjoyed the most amazing dish of veal, baked with vegetables and feta cheese!!  I was still enjoying my wine when they closed but they just locked up and said goodnight!  I love the Greek!

Finally, I found the beach, St George Beach!  As usual, I didn’t stay long.  I had a beer and watched the wild array of people and left.  I enjoyed my wanderings and discoveries on Naxos island!

Upon arriving at my next Greek isle destination, Paros, I dropped my packs at a luggage storage spot and wandered the port town of Paroikia.  I had a couch in Paros but my host couldn’t pick me up for a couple of hours.  Once he did, we went directly to Tango Mar beach where he swam and I ate some lunch and we got to know each other a bit.

Having dropped my stuff off at my hosts’ amazing home, we headed to the village of Noussa.  He had things to take care of so I wandered.  I enjoyed a beer at an adorable cafe facing a cove of Aegean blue and, further down the road, I helped an older gentleman set up his outdoor restaurant tables for the dinner crowd.

After a brief rest at my hosts’ home in Kostos, we hit the road again to meet up with his friends.  After dinner, 2 of his friends, he, and I went to different Paros villages bar hopping.  We had a great time and arrived back home in the early morning.

It was hard to believe how much of Paros I saw in ONE day!!  I had an incredible time and am so glad that we did so much because, though I was supposed to stay another night, the cheaper route to my next destination meant that I needed to leave that night.  My considerate host and one of his friends drove me to the port to catch my ferry and I can’t say enough about the men, the Greek men, that I spent a day and night with in Paros!

Every Greek island offers up its own treasures and I hope to be fortunate enough to explore all of them! Paros was my last Greek isle in the Aegean Sea…for now!

I have been to Santorini before and it is the reason I had to go back to Greece!  It is beyond beautiful, unique, and is one version of Heaven!  However, the last time I was there, I was on vacation.  This time, I was a traveler!  There is a big difference between the two.  A vacationer is more interested in relaxation, luxury accommodation, shopping, and some sightseeing.  A traveler is on a budget and wants to see as much as possible in the time available.

I had a couch but, as it was literally right beside the airport, it was quite a distance from everything. I decided to rent a 4-wheeler so that I had more freedom, reliability (the buses can’t be trusted), and so that I could see the entire island (unlike my last visit)!  However, on my first day, I simply hiked through the gorgeous alleyways of Fira all of the way to Imerovigli.

I hadn’t been to Imerovigli before so had no idea that there was a huge rock that could be hiked!  This rock is Skaros Rock which was apparently the first fortress in Santorini!  I only had my flip flops on but I couldn’t help but descend to the peninsula and hike to the top!  The views of Santorini were amazing, the climb back up was not.

After renting the 4-wheeler, I immediately drove to Oia.  I ambled the gorgeous streets and colorful shops.  I then ate a nice dinner where I met a couple of  fun, American girls sadly at the end of their backpacking journey.  Before I could make it back to my hosts home, the rain commenced!  I’ll just say, it was an interesting ride!

The next morning, I drove to the village of Kamari where I had some lunch and visited Santorini’s black beach.  From there, I drove up the steep, narrow, and winding road to Ancient Thira.  The ruins, the history, and the views had me sitting down to imagine it all!

Back aboard the 4-wheeler, I drove all of the way to the other side of Santorini island to it’s red beach.  A gorgeous beach but extremely windy!  Off I then went for a wine tasting at Boutari Winery where I learned something very interesting!  Because of the terrain and wind in Santorini, the grapes aren’t grown on your typical vine.  The vines are placed low to the ground, pruned in the shape of a basket, and the grapes grow inside of that basket!  You certainly don’t see that anywhere but in Santorini!

For my last evening in Santorini, I wanted to find a good place to watch it’s fabulous sunset.  So once I was done driving around, trying to make sure I had missed nothing, I turned in my 4-wheeler and wandered back to Imerovigli.  After a bit of scouting, I found the perfect restaurant so settled in to wait with pizza and wine.

Early on during the sunset, there was a weird, spooky effect when clouds rolled in below me.  At times, it completely blocked any view of Skaros Rock and the Caldera but held its own beauty!  I really had found the perfect spot to watch from!

The following morning, I waited at the airport bus stop for the bus to Fira where I would take another bus to the port.  From there, I was taking a ferry to the island of Ios.  The unreliable bus finally showed up and unloaded passengers at the departures section of the airport.  I stood at the stop with all of my packs and it drove right past me!!  I couldn’t believe it!  Not having a clue how long it would be until the next bus, I loaded up and started hitchhiking.  Soaked in sweat (it was a very sunny day) and about 2 miles down the road, an Australian woman picked me up! God love her!  She dropped me just outside of Fira and I made it to the bus and, not long after, to my ferry.  Don’t rely on buses when visiting Santorini but DO go!!

Landing in Chania, on the Greek island of Crete, felt like heaven after the scorching heat of Cairo!  After a bus ride, hiking in circles then finally just taking a taxi, I settled into the studio apartment I had rented for 3 nights and walked the 2 blocks to the beach.

The beach offered up cute restaurants, a beautiful sunset, and scenes of children of all ages playing soccer and paddle ball, sunbathing, and swimming. Walking along the beaches and losing myself in the view, I followed the Greek example and relaxed my first day in Crete.

On day two, I found my way to Old Town and fell in love!  Chania is a beautiful old city that hugs the Venetian Harbor and serves up an amazing array of restaurants and cafes, churches, museums, and narrow streets full of shops.  The harbor itself seems to change as the sun makes its journey west but is always captivating.

I was so charmed by Old Town with its obvious Venetian influence that, after soaking it in for what was supposed to be my last day there, I decided to stay 2 more days…but in the heart of it!  I booked a room through Airbnb right next to the Church of the Trimartyri and enjoyed another day of wandering the narrow streets and harbor, conversing with shop owners, dining in unique restaurants, eating gelato, and drinking the local beer and wine.

My final day on the western side of Crete, I took a bus to the White Mountains and hiked the Samaria Gorge!  It took me 4 1/2 hours to hike Europe’s longest gorge (11 miles/18 kilometers from Omalos to Agia Roumeli) and it was a workout!  It’s almost all downhill…steep at first (not great on my bad knee!) then just plain rocky!  I would have to stop to look at my surroundings as watching where I stepped was paramount to not twisting an ankle or worse!

Eventually, I came the ruins of an ancient Samarian village where I, and many others, stopped to enjoy our picnic lunches and to rest among the agrimia goats which are mountain goats only found in Crete.  Moving on, I crossed then hiked alongside of a mountain stream before going through a very narrow part of the trail.  This section is known as the “Iron Gates” and is the narrowest part of the gorge.

Finally making it through, I departed Samaria National Park and hiked down to the village of Agia Roumeli.  I ate, drank, and hid under a beach umbrella while waiting for my ferry to arrive and deliver me to Chora Sfakion (the southernmost part of Europe), where my bus was waiting to return me to Chania.  I must say too how amazing the views were from the bus on the way up and back down the mountain!

I found myself painfully (I was so sore from the hike!) hauling my backpack through town to catch a bus to my next destination, Malia.  I had honestly never heard of Malia until I was offered a couch there when I did a search for the Heraklion area!  Apparently, it’s a party mecca for young British tourists who revel in alcohol and noise!  Lucky for me, I arrived about 2 weeks before those shenanigans!

During my time in Malia, I rented a 4-wheeler and randomly drove around, visited the Minoan Palace, walked through the old village, relaxed on the beach (beautiful beaches in Malia!), enjoyed a bar that had swing seats, ate well at a gorgeous family restaurant, and watched a movie with my amazing couchsurfing hosts.

I was on my way to Heraklion, the largest city of the island of Crete, after my 2 nights in Malia.  I managed to get a couch for my first night there and my host picked me up from the bus station.  After dropping my things at his place, he took me to Knossos Palace before taking himself back to work.  Knossos Palace is quite impressive!  Being the center of Minoan civilization for over 2000 years doesn’t hurt!  After wandering through the ruins for a couple of hours, I ate a late lunch then caught the bus to Heraklion’s city center where I roamed and shopped until my host picked me up.

My final Crete destination was Amoudara Beach, outside of Heraklion’s city center.  My couchsurfing host had to leave town so he had convinced one of his clients to give me a 30% discount at the beach hotel, Yannis Apartments.  I spent my final day on the amazing island of Crete, dozing on the beach, eating seafood, and reading my book.

I was already in love with Greece and the Greek but Crete’s beauty and my experiences there have sealed that love!  If you haven’t been yet, GO!!