Crete, Greece 10/12-19/2006

We arrive in Heraklion, the airport for the island of Crete.  There has been 4 planes come in from Copenhagen, Marseilles, Manchester and Newcastle, so we wait awhile for our luggage.  We finally get our bags.  There is a lady outside the terminal from Spies directing you to the correct bus.  It's a pretty ride thru the mountainous countryside along the sea.  You can see olive tree orchards on the mountainside.  It takes about 45 minutes to an hour to get to Rethymnon where we are saying at the Hotel Olympia.  We are in 101 and it is an apartment with a balcony overlooking the pool, bedroom with twin beds, bath and a kitchen w/table & chairs and an extra bed in this room.  The apartment can accommodate 3 people it appears.  I go out for groceries, buy a phone card and get some wine.  We go to dinner at the restaurant on the corner and I have the lamb dinner and split a Greek salad with Janeen and a small carafe of wine.  I call Inge & Jesper to let them know of our accommodations and then call Amy on the first phone card E4 from the grocery store.  I loose her because the card is used up.  I ask at the desk for another closer place and walk to a nearby kiosk for another card.  A Greek woman helps and I get a much better card for E5.  Call Amy back and the Waterford has arrived.  She has looked at it and likes it and I tell her it's not for me, but for her and Mark.  Have leftovers from dinner and bring back for later.  Tired and go to sleep.  Up late, it's Friday and I have slept in.  It's about 9 a.m. and Janeen is still sleeping.  I have put my mask on to sleep.  Fix potatoes, garlic and onions with an egg, juice, croissant and coffee for breakfast.  Call Franz to wish him a happy birthday as it is 10/13, his birthday.  Today it's warmer and sunnier but is changing to cloudy.  I try to find the post office and Internet.  It's downtown and people lead me to believe it's too far to walk.  I walk to the grocery store and bump into Janeen.  Get her to buy the candles and dish soap.  I buy stamps and mail my letters down near the marina.  The girl at the grocery store sells me the stamps and tells me where the mail box and Internet are.  I buy some post cards in route.  Stop along the way and buy some thongs as I broke mine at Inge's.  I find the mail box and mail the letters.  I have stopped along the way to sit by the sea and write Franz because I want to mail these cards too but can't find my stamps.  I stop at the Internet and it's E1 for 15 minutes, too much to write so I just check email and bank.  An email from an apartment Mike is applying to rent and they want a reference.  I write them and answer Chuck Kerr as I have a nice email from him.  Walk on stopping to look in some shops and buy 3 bars of olive oil soap w/heads of different Greek Gods & Goddesses glued to the top of the bar.  A nice gift for some of my friends at home and I will keep one myself.  Call Sasha when I get back and then Mark and Amy later as I find out Franz has his own apartment and wants a divorce from Heather.  Quite a surprise that it's over for him.  Too bad for Myles though.  We go to dinner at this place I saw along the way.  I have the white fish which is delicious with a great sauce, the veggies o, the rice not so good, the Greek salad great, white wine and ouzo, cappuccino and tiramisu.  Buy a book on Greek Mythology on the walk home.  Read a bit and go to sleep.  Up @ 8.  Cook my potatoes again but burn them.  Somehow the burner is too hot this a.m.  Have juice, coffee and roll from last night.  Write in journal.  We walk to downtown to find an Internet.  Across from the back side of the hotel is a bakery.  I buy 3 small pastries and 2 chocolates.  I like all but one of the chocolates.  It's good but on a cookie covered with chocolate and hidden in the center were cherries.  The cheese pastries and the spinach one were very good.  I'll buy some tomorrow.  We finally find an Internet and yahoo has changed something.  I can't forward or reply or compose.  It frustrates me.  Nick has changed the flights but I can't confirm to Sally.  Maybe I'll call her.  I write the article on Mumbai or Bombay at this Internet, so I'm really behind already on my blog.  It's E2 an hour.  A little expensive but better than E1 for 15 minutes.  Stay there till 3:45 p.m.  I am to meet Janeen at the apartment at 4:30, because I have the key.  I walk towards the beach and get caught in rain.  Stand under the cover of a supermarket for a short time and then just go on.  I come out just past the mail box so drop 1 card and then stop in the shop I bought the soap and get some more stamps.  Here I learn it takes only 1 stamp for any country.  I hope that is right.  Walk back and mail the other cards except Nancy's and Franz's.  I buy a tablecloth en route.  They are very lovely but not hand done.  I get one that has cut outs and black and green olives embroidered on it.  I'm looking at others and considering buying them.  The cloth was E23 and discounted to E15, which is about $19.  Stop a few other places and look at jewelry.  Nothing that grabs me.  I'm such a nut for jewelry.  Back at the apartment about 4:25 and on time, YEAH.  Warm up my lamb and play some cards.  Wonder where Janeen is.  I hear a knock and go to the door, no one there.  I finally decide to go downstairs and she's sitting down there.  She says she has knocked and rung the bell, but I never heard her.  Maybe it was my way, who knows, because I truly never heard her.  It's been a test for me.  We go to dinner about 6:30 or to walk for shopping I should say.  She wants to shop.  After tablecloths, slippers and soap and then a return back to the slipper shop that is closing, we go to Pazliaccio for dinner, the same place as before.  I have the most delicious salad of romaine, pine nuts, croutons, sultans, shaved Parmesan with a wonderful dressing and split a pizza with Janeen.  I pick this time!  We get the 4 cheese and I ask for sliced tomatoes on top and a glass of wine.  She only has the pizza.  Back to the apartment and I'm cold from the walk, so I walk way ahead.  Go to bed and read over the journal that I will write about again tomorrow.  I might call T.  I'll definitely call the kids, Franz for his address and the same with Nancy.  Janeen is watching a movie that is actually pretty good but I can't stay awake.  Up later, around 8:45.  Fix coffee, warm up pizza, use the bathroom and am sitting on the cool veranda (as in COLD!)  Another cooler day.  Some blue sky but mostly white clouds and dark clouds and a cool breeze.  The Danes are down in the "in & out sun" trying to get some tan and warmth.  I clean some of my jewelry with the cleaner from South Africa and it works pretty well.  Go down and try and sit in the sun and write a bit to catch up in the journal.  I'm still behind 8 pages all of South Africa.  It's too cold down here by the pool so I go upstairs to change.  I have called Franz for his address and leave a message on his cell.  It's early and maybe he's still sleeping.  I'm going to the Internet and writing another article.  also try and check the yahoo if anything has changed.  Janeen isn't feeling well and has taken a pain pill from the pain in her back.  I leave a note and go downstairs about 2:45 p.m.  I call the kids from the phone down in the lobby.  Talk with Amy and it's a great conversation.  Jenna has spent the night and Amy had to separate them.  She says Stephanie's not doing so good.  I'm sad for her.  Amy is a great friend to her.  I call Mark and have a great conversation with him too.  He makes me laugh on our conversation of Istanbul.  He says "That's where east meets west: and I think he's right.  The Turkish woman I met in Edinburgh talked about the European side and Asian side.  He jokes about the flying carpets and turned up toe shoes.  I joke that I'm buying him a pair if I see them.  Talk with Margaret and she tells me about being at the Garden Room and the clerk there, Sandy, asked Mark if his mother is still on that trip?  I'm surprised and don't really remember which gal she is.  It's great talking with them and my card runs out talking with Margaret.  I come back upstairs to see if Janeen is still dead asleep.  She's awake so we make a plan to meet at 6:30.  I walk the sea way to the Internet.  Stop and buy the bathing suit and buy the girls each a set of worry beads which the Greeks fiddle with in their idle time.  I check yahoo an still can't answer.  It's frustrating.  I write the article on Goa.  Someway thru I feel someone next to me, it's Janeen.  We will meet at 6 or so at the end of the street.  Before I finish she is back.  It has taken me longer than I expected.  I am almost finished and complete it in 5 minutes.  We walk towards the sea stopping in a shop to buy carrot suntan oil that you can only buy here in Greece, at least to my knowledge.  Of course, it's terrible for you, no sunscreen!!!  We walk down this street for the umpteenth time and try to decide on a place to eat.  I had seen a sign for lamb, but can't find it now.  Janeen makes several stops and I wait.  I look at another bathing suit.  May try on tomorrow.  We stop by the grocery and buy grapes, cheese and wine.  Go to the same place for dinner and have the lamb dinner and it is wonderful but think it would have been cheaper to stop at the all inclusive dinner @$12.50, but I didn't want to walk back.  Janeen did not like her lamb because she said she got alot of neck piece.  Oh well, she's the reason we didn't stop at the all inclusive dinner place.  She calls Tammy and I go upstairs.  She has gotten another key from the desk.  I'm smoking a few cis and drinking wine on the veranda.  I'm tired and would like some stimulating company so decide to go to bed.  Enter amounts in check book, read some Irish tales and polish my nails.  She comes back and knocks on the door while I am reading.  I'm puzzled because he has a key.  She has forgotten.  She goes back to talk with Tammy as she had to pee and is calling her back.  Jeff has to go to prison for a year for his numerous DU Is.  I think that is awful.  We need to change our system to rehabilitate people like Jeff and Jerry.  Next morning I' up around 8.  It's going to be a beautiful day.  The wind has died down and it isn't as cloudy.  I fix a egg, bread from dinner at agliaccio, juice and grapes.  Clean my jewlery and put a second coat of polish on my nails.  The jewlry has come out good.  The cleaner from South Africa is good.  I'm catching up on my journal.  I go downstairs by the pool to sit in the sun finally.  I talk to a couple Swedish girls who came in on Thursday night.  The dark haired girl can speak English and her children want to go to Disney.  I tell her some pointers on Florida.  We talk quite a bit.  I come up to the room and fix some lunch.  Bring it down to poolside.  It's now clouding over.  I have ate my lunch and read some of the Irish stories.  I;ve almost finished that book.  I come up to the apartment because it's getting cold sitting in a suit.  I ask Janeen to call the travel lady and she responds, "Can't they help us at the desk?".  I respond back in a negative way because she never listens to me or realizes common sense.  We get into it.  I'm having such a difficult time with her.  We get our stuff together, she calls the Dane and they direct us to a travel agent in the old town.  We head there and stop at a tourist place we see before this travel agency.  She helps us quite a bit but cannot check her computer for flights and directs us on to this agency.  We do book tours with her.  I'm going on the Samaria Gorge tour tomorrow for E18 and E11.50 park fees.  On Wednesday we'll both go on the Phaistos tour of central Crete for E28 and E8 park fees.  I'm excited for the 6-hour hike thru the gorge, the longest gorge in Europe, 11 miles and 4,000 feet up.  She also gives us information of ferries to Santorini, Paros and Mykonos.  Knows nothing about ferries going to Turkey.  We go on to the tourist office and this guy is a piece of work.  Talks fast, wants to know what we want to do rather than guiding us with options.  We find out the cost of air from her to Athens to Istanbul.  Ferry leaves from here on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday to Athens.  We need to go to the travel office to find out about trains.  Janeen will check tomorrow.  I won't be able to mail my tube.  We head back to the room with sprinkles.  I stop to buy buy a phone card and go to the bakery for rolls for tomorrow, candy and sweets for tonight.  Warm up my lamb, finish the carrots, tzatziki and a little cheese.  There is a knock at the door and my tour for tomorrow is off due to weather.  I'm disappointed.  Go to bed and finish the Irish Legends.  Will send home in tube.  Eat too much caffeine at bad.  Wake up about 2 to use the WC.  It's raining and I can't get back to sleep.  I think it's the caffeine, too much at bedtime.  Finally get back to sleep and wake a few more time, up at 6:45 for the WC again and back to sleep till 8.  Have breakfast.  It's a terrible day, we lose power for a short time.  Can't even sit out on the veranda because of rain blowing in.  I'm getting annoyed already with Janeen and all the stuff in the fridge.  I thought of discussing but I don't want another confrontation.  The Swedish girls mentioned the dispute with sympathy to me on my return back to the resort last night.  I wonder how it sounded.  Did they sympathize because they had met me and liked me or from what they heard???  On to shower and get ready to leave.  We walk to the tourist information place and get my money back from the cancelled tour.  Go to the tourist information island place and the lady there cannot speak much English.  She gives us some maps and directs us to the police information.  We are wet now and the weather has gone from bad to worse. Th guy at the police station is very nice.  Gets us a map of Greece but doesn't have the train schedules or information on Athens for a room.  He does tell us the time the ferry leaves on Thursday and the costs.  You can get a bed for E54 and just the ferry for E35.  We go on to mail the tube containing the posters Inge has given us in Hjorring.  I have packed foreign money for the girls, the Greek worry beads for them, travel papers and the Irish Legends in the tube with a note for Amy.  Stop on the way back at a pharmacy and talk with the pharmacist on my indigestion meds.  He sells me some generic omeprasole, 28 tablets for $41.91.  The brand name prilosec in the States costs $24 for the 28 tablets.  Oh well, I'm out and need this.  That is $1.50 a day or $547.50 a year!  It is absolutely miserable outside.  We are wet throughout except where my coat is.  The rain has run down my sleeves and my arms are wet.  My shoes are soaked.  My coat is very wet.  The gloves and inside pockets soaked.  I'm miserable.  The ferry has not even left for Athens tonight, the weather is so bad!!!  We stop for dinner as we are hungry and hope to dry off in the restaurant.  I have souvlaki with fries, tzatziki and a Greek salad on the place, split calamari and eggplant with Janeen and have a glass of wine.  We stop for groceries returning to the room.  We take our wet clothes off and hang them all about the room.  It is quite a sight.  Get into my long underwear and sleep.  Eat some chocolate when I wake up.  Watch some movie but turn off before it is over.  It's not that good.  Have a hard time going to sleep.  Wake up in the middle of the night and put the underwear back on again as I had gotten hot and removed it.  Alarm rings at 6:30 a.m.  Don't want to get up.  Hit the snooze button.  Janeen up at 7 and I get out about 7:10.  Make potatoes, onion and garlic with an egg and coffee.  Wash face and brush teeth.  Jump into wool pants, leave long underwear top on and put the tan cotton shirt over it keeping my sleeper socks on and put on the tevas.  Last night when we return the water had come in the door and soaked my papers that were on the floor.  Spread those out on the bed to dry.  Had my passport drying last night and put it away.  Janeen goes down to the desk and goes on without me.  I ask the girl where it is and she says to the right.  It's another miserable day and we are heading for the hotel for pick up on the tour today.  I see her up ahead and get the name from her as she has the paper on the tour.  It's Hotel Flisvos.  We go inside and wait.  We see a bus go by.  Ask the guy to call for us and they say the bus is just late.  We wait, Janeen is convinced they have left us.  I get the gal to call after I try and use my card with no luck at the phone there in the reception area.  I talk to the guy and they have the original pickup of Taverna Akrogiali, so we weren't there and the driver went on.  Oh well, it's a miserable day anyway and I didn't want to go.  Walk back to the hotel and stop at the bakery for some goodies.  Catch up on the journal and go to the Internet.  I write Delhi and Agra today.  Still can only read on yahoo but responded to the beta mail, which was loading slowly, at 8%.  Hopefully when I get on again I'll be able to anser.  I walk home by the sea, stop by the travel gal and get our return.  She's obviously disappointed as she probably makes a commission.  I stop by Pagliaccio and they are opened.  We'll have dinner here again tonight.  Stop and buy the bathing suit.  Back to the room to rest and write.  Go to dinner around 7.  Have that wonderful salad and carbonara, 2 glasses of wine.  This restaurant is very nice.  Back to the room and watch a movie with Helen Hunt about chasing twisters.  Asleep.  My alarm goes off at 6:30 a.m. as I had moved the switch in the wrong direction.  Up to the WC and back to bed.  It's pouring rain again.  Up at 9 and it's still dreary.  I start to pack.  We have to be out today by noon.  I fix potatoes, garlic and onions with an egg.  It's excellent this morning.  I let the burner cool down before staring the potatoes.  We'll catch the ferry hopefully tonight at 8.  Checked out and met Mia in the lobby, the gal from Sweden.  Give her my blog and email and invite her to call me should she take her children to Disney.  Writing in lounge area of our hotel.  Call Amy and she's having a melt down.  Bob's been out-of-town last week and now this week.  I called about 6:30 and she was in the shower.  The phone woke the girls.  Poor girl, wish I was there to help her.  I think it was my first tear on this trip!  I call her back at 7 and talk briefly.  Tell her about stuff in the shipment and ask about a Greek tablecloth.  She would like one.  I call Inge and leave a message.  Head for the Internet.  En route stop and buy a lace and cut out table cloth as they are all marked down and very reasonable.  The island is suffering from the lack of tourists due to the weather.  It's October and should still be beautiful but instead they have gotten this gale off the Aegean.  Write 2 articles on the Internet, Janeen comes and I try to help her buy her airline ticket from DTW(Detroit) to GRR(Grand Rapids) upon her return to the states in December.  No luck just frustration.  I have some emails and still can't answer.  A nice email from Inge and Dan Manas.  Sign up for something on the yahoo change, can't figure it out and still can't email.  We leave the Internet called MouseNet, and buy our ferry ticket from the tourist information office we booked the tours with.  Walk back to the room, no time to stop for food.  I buy the orange suit in route for E10 today.  The young boy is at the counter.  I should have bought 2.  Stop at the grocery for grapes, olive oil and anise seeds.  I'm tempted to buy the 500ml pouring glass bottle of olive oil, but don't want to drag it around for 2 more months.  Only 2 months left now and I'll be HOME!!!  It sounds good.  Back at the hotel, drop my stuff and go to the bakery for rolls nd candy.  Put my stuff in the suitcase andJaneen has the desk call us a taxi.  We're on the ferry and it's huge and impressive.  Lounges, escalator, elevator, bar, dining room, snack self-serve.  I get a wine and go on deck to watch us leave Rethymnon.  We're headed for Athens, no room, no other transportation plans.  I'm extremely tired.  Check on a cabin and they want E84 or $53.34 each for a cabin.  We say "no way"!  Sleep on deck for awhile in the fresh air.  Get cold and move inside under the stairs with my sleep mask on for dark.  People are sleeping everywhere.  We're sleeping on the floor of the ferry with all the Greeks who have not paid for a cabin.  It wasn't as bad as the train from Hjorring but I kept waking from being uncomfortable.  Aching and joints hurt from the floor.  This trip has been quite an experience in so many ways.  I get up a few times to pee.  Finally get up around 5.  Get coffee and water.  Brushed teeth and am writing in the journal in this very nice lounge.  Capaccinos are great, had 2.  I have awakened Janeen.  The ship is coming into port in Athens, Pireaus.  It's such a shame we saw nothing of the island of Crete or Cretan as the Greeks call it, because of the terrible weather.  When we arrived it wasn't too bad but we waited and it got worse.  The only thing we saw was Rethymnon and the airport of Heraklion and the drive from Heraklion to Rethymnon.  We're in the lounge where the luggage is........next is Athens..........