Today we docked in Crete. I had scheduled a private tour before we left with Lefty, a highly recommended tour guide. We docked at 8am and reached the port building by 9am, right on time. As we exited the building, there was Gregoris, sent by Lefty, to show us around. Standing there with his sign "Al & Karen Meadows", we acknowledged him with a wave whereby he greeted us both and showed us to his car, a nice Mercedes. He had two cold waters and a box of Greek pastries for us as he proposed an itinerary he thought might be suitable for first time visitors. We agreed and off we went.

A quick tour through the city of Iraklion brought us to a beautiful church. Now he pulls right up on the sidewalk and drops us at the door where we go inside, walk around the building and then back in the car where he takes us to an area in the old part of the city where the best shops are. Dropped us right at the Main Street and we walked around for about an hour. We spent about an hour and Mom found some real neat places with different things we hadn't seen before. We returned to our drop site and there was Gregoris, asking if everything was ok. Then to palace of Knossos. We arrived to a huge line of people waiting to buy tickets. They only allow so many in at a time and control this by selling tickets slowly. Remember, I don't like lines. Gregoris asked us to wait at the car while he went in. He returned with 2 tickets, told us to skip the line and go right in. That saved us an hour right there. We walked through the Palace of Knossos and returned to two more cold waters. Then off through the countryside checking out real Greek villages. He spoke of life in Greece, the government, his family and offered us a real incite into Grecian life.

We went to the coast to see the resort area, taking pictures along the way. We finally returned to the port after 5 hours. What a great person. We paid him along with a nice tip and assured him a good review when we returned home. Mom really liked the private tour thing. I have a surprise for her. We have another one scheduled for tomorrow in Athens.