Crete adventures and more Germans than Greek people.

crete is a big island and you cannot do it all in 3 days. one city max and maybe a long day trip if you really want to hike some of the most scenic hikes in the world. when we had the tripped planned, because it was through the company I had won a silent auction through, we didn't choose the hotel in heraklion. This was a mistake for sure, as they did not disclose that it was an all-inclusive (yuck!!!!) place and it was also german fall break, so the place was over-run with screaming german children. additionally, because it was 'all-inclusive', and this is one of my primary reasons for detesting anything that bills itself this way, you had to make your restaurant reservations like a year ago. which meant, we paid for an all inclusive which wasn't disclosed, and other than drinks there, we basically had to eat almost all off site because the restaurants were overrun. do not make this mistake. the view was nice for sure, but mitsis rinela hotel in heraklion is not going to go well in october for anyone.

we did have some Cretan adventures, however.

wineries! there are a lot of them, but it is not within this culture to do the napa thing and hop around tasting stuff. most people just don't do this. so we did do a fair amount of roaming and ending up in a parking lot with boxes of wine being shipped but no tasting room.

1. stilanou winery: the drive will be an adventure if you do not carefully follow the 10,000 signs for the place carefully through a small, narrow path town up and hill, through the woods, over a field, and to their parking lot. the gentleman who owns the place has artfully placed all of the tiny stilanou this way signs at every street corner. do not use google maps. you will end up on an off-ramp on the highway that goes precariously up a very steep hill. http://www.stilianouwinery.com/

2. alexakis winery: another hill over, this is a lovely large tasting house and winery. the views of the surrounding region really are impressive. it is best to call in advance to arrange your tasting because they do it family style and will want to seat you with new friends. http://www.alexakiswines.com/

3. thalissinos microwinery: adorable place, all organic, small facility so don't expect glamour, but the wine is spot on good. Both the red and the white, but their version of santorini assyrtiko kicks all the ass. http://www.thalassinoswinery.gr/

BACK AT THE GERMAN VILLAGE, i MEAN, mITSIS HOTEL, THERE IS LIVE MUSIC EVERY NIGHT, MOSTLY THINGS YOU WILL KNOW IF YOU ARE FROM AN ENGLISH SPEAKING COUNTRY. THE BEST SURPRISE IS THAT JOHN DENVER, COUNTRY ROADS, IS, AND ALWAYS BE, THE INTERNATIONAL SONG OF FRIENDSHIP. BE IT IRISH, BURMESE, THAI, KENYAN, GERMAN, OR WHATEVER, EVERYONE KNOWS THE SONG AND WILL SING ALONG ACROSS THE GLOBE. IT IS A FACT.

CRETE FULL DAY 2 WAS DEDICATED TO in the morning to the palace of knossos, particularly significant for the archaeological history, the story of the minotaur, mycenaen history, gods galore, and a curious period of time where it was a female only queendom. like the golden girls meets pentheselia, queen of the amazonians. at least, that is what i am going to allow myself to believe. no one really knows, right?

That evening we had a really nice surprise outing. along the beach in heraklion going towards kokkini there is a soccer and whiskey bar owned by a scottish couple and their dogs. during games it is lively, but you also have the bonus of chatting with the couple about why they decided to settle on crete. the scotch selection is phenomenal. it is simply called the whiskey bar

that evening we had a new experience. at 2am there was a 5.4 richter earthquake that knocked all cups and toiletries off the wall and bewildered the crap out of me. as with other adventures where my survival mechanisms should have been top notch, i was laughing. in a true emergency, i fully expect to die. I have so many stories.

Hokkini is the greek version of the jersey shore, and this is meant in the nicest way, I promise. The boardwalk and games, restaurants and ice cream shops, day boats for rent, all have a fun and lively atmosphere. we went to a restaurant called the butcher block because Tim was seafooded out and wanted a burger. it was adorable, the food was great, and the full glass front ocean view was perfect. next door, the cocktail and dessert bar is just that. there are cocktails that are paired with a mini dessert meant to compliment it. On the way back, olive oil tasting, but like a bad blogger, I completely have lost the name of the place. but there's only one road and it's a big sign.