Chania, Crete, Greece

We planned to see as many greek islands as possible, and then that number quickly corrected itself to two. All the ferries off of Crete for the next five days were booked. So on Saturday we will boat across to Santorini for a couple days before shipping off to Croatia. Chania has been kind to us. Great weather, beautiful beaches, markets, and balcony afternoons. It's 10:49 a.m. here, and we're sitting on our balcony watching the festivities as the Olympic Torch is coming through town! The harbor is packed with school children and the locals have gathered on all the rooftops. Any minute now we should get a look at the flames to start the games! And here they are! The torch is being ran down a thin winding road circling the harbor, with a procession of police cars and olympic sponsored Bmw's; Even the coastguard is making an appearance. Wow, like we said, Chania has been kind to us. Our last three days have been great, a little slower paced than the first two weeks but we're still putting the miles on. We hiked through the Samarian Gorge, A 17 km rocky trail that starts on a mountain top, weaves down the cliff side with multiple river crossings made of old driftwood and fallen boulders. Sarah was the only one who managed to stay dry on this one. A tippy stone got the best of me. Once we made it through the gorge we were led to a tiny village only accessed by boat, our way home. They DID have a seat for us. So we waited for the ferry to depart, we soaked up he tiny town decorated with tiny shops, and an amazing beach of tiny black pea sized pebbles (not actually sand). We quickly found a spot on the beach and sat back with the waves crashing on our feet. We didn't bring our swim suits but maybe no one here knows joe boxer doesn't make swim wear. I'm going for it... One of our most amazing dinners came on the dimly lit pathways near our room. We met a restaurant owner as we explored the streets of old Chania, (the part of town surrounded by a stonewall) He invited us in, and I asked him for his recommendation from the menu. He pointed at a casserole dish, baked in an antique clay pot. When we opened the lid we were blown away by a huge serving of beef, pork, chicken, vegetables, veal, and local cheeses. This is flavor country. This lamp lit roofless dining lounge is reason enough to return... Crete is a pretty big island, renting a scooter really helped expand our adventure footprint. We hit up the coast in search of our own beach to spend the afternoon. Traffic here is a little different. To help the flow, bikes don't wait in line at lights! They swoop between cars and vans to the front of the line. And take off first on the green. Lane markings also seem optional, dipping in and out however you see fit is the norm. Sarah was the most brave, I would have not got on the back of the scooter with me! But she let me ride it back to he hotel alone and figured since I arrived alive we stood a chance on the coast;) next stop. Santorini. Stay tuned, Pat and Sarah