Mediterranean Trip Day 7: Welcome to Crete, Greece

Enjoy all that Greece's largest island has to offer! Visit a unique monastery, go to a local village, and have lunch the greek way!

This morning we docked in Crete, Greece! So after a nice breakfast we hit the road and met up with our guide for the day. This time, we chose to use a private guide since the ship excursions didn't have everything that we wanted to do.

After a short drive, we arrived at our first stop - the Agias Triados Monastery. I know, i know. Another monastery! Well let me tell you this one is unlike any other. It is honestly the most beautiful and unique monastery I've ever been to! This greek orthodox monastery has both latin and greek inscriptions on the outside and has 2 super cute pet dogs that greeted us at the door. The monastery is still active today and the monks produce and sell their own olive oil and wine grown right on site - some pretty cool monks! Another thing I love about this monastery is all the plants! There are hundreds of super well maintained plants all around the monastery that really make it feel so vibrant and lively. In the basement, they sell the olive oil and wine, offer tastings, and even have a small museum which displays an array of greek coins, religious garb, recipe books, and World War II relics (since the monastery was taken over by the Germans during the war).

Then it was time to head into Old Town Crete where we grabbed a local Cretan breakfast pastry called Bougatsa from Iordanis cafe which serves only this treat. Bougatsa is a phyllo dough filled with the local pichtogalo goat cheese which can be served plain or with cinnamon and sugar on top (which I prefer). Continuing through the streets, we walked past a religious building that was once a roman catholic church, then a Mosque, and now is a greek orthodox church.

If you want some great photos in Chania, then go through the small side streets which have some adorable colorful doors! While walking we saw the old city walls of Chania which have partially fallen due to old age, earthquakes, and bombing during WWII. Then we stopped by another church before getting... you guessed it... gelato! Before heading out of Chania, I walked along the Venetian port which has many nice shops and restaurants.

Driving out of Chania and into the town of Kalyves we stopped at a coffee shop along a stream (that has geese!) and I got the BEST COFFEE of my life! Our guide ordered it for me and it is called a Freddo Cappuccino which can be ordered at most places around Greece. It was certainly a strong cup since my hands were shaking later even though I typically handle caffeine well. Moving along, we left Kalyves to go to a near by town called Armenoi where we walked around for a bit before getting lunch at a local Cretan restaurant called the Drosostalia Tavern. Our guide ordered three dishes and we ate the greek way! To eat like the greeks, each person orders a dish, but they come in large sharing sizes, are all set in the middle of the table, and then everyone grabs a bit of each meal and puts it on their own smaller plate; like a family style dinner. We had the most fabulous Greek salad, Boureki, and some lamb; plus they brought a chocolate covered vanilla ice cream cone at the end for free. After our big meal, we drove to a fort, not for the fort itself - which is closed- but for the beautiful panoramic views.

Finally, it was time to leave Crete and go back onto the ship for a steak dinner. Overall, Chania and Crete surpassed my expectations! Since it isn't as popular among tourists as some of the other Greek islands, I wasn't sure what to expect, but the people were so nice, the towns were beautiful, and the island was so charming. I really enjoyed that it was less touristy, therefore less crowded than other islands and it wasn't hard to leave the touristy areas and find a more local side of Crete.

See you in Santorini!

Always,

Paris