The 24th was spent relaxing, packing & then catching two planes to get to Crete. Agean is a wonderful airline - such smooth flights.
Picked up our hire car, unfortunately not the little Fiat that I'd hoped, but an Aygo. Scotti did a really good job of driving the 2 hours to our accommodation on the 'wrong side' of the road. Stopped at a little supermarket for a few provisions and arrived in the dark about 10pm. We've noticed it gets dark around 9-9:30pm, whereas in Italy it was around 11pm.
We wandered around the gites (we had instructions) until we found ours right at the top. This place is a rustic maze of scattered cottages amongst steps, olive trees & rocks. Outside our gite was a patio with furniture & inside was like a little whitewashed stable, complete with dual stable door. The complex is built into the rock, & the owners tried to keep it as authentic as possible, so it was built around the landscape. Absolutely amazing.
We had the best night. I made a plate of sliced tomatoes, cucumber, ham, & 'flat' peaches - the best we've ever tasted! Jill & Nick had this simple dish & we love it. There isn't a TV, which is fabulous. We sang our own version of karaoke & stayed up chatting till 4am.
Slept in till 9, then did all our washing in between swimming in the stunning pool. 35C today & it was wonderful to relax all day.
Went for a drive in the late afternoon along the coast road - the Greeks drive almost in the middle of the road, making it very scary. Walked on the beach & collected stones - no shells. The water is so warm!!
Stopped at the supermarket for a few more things & met a quintessential Greek who tried to chat to us!! Good on him!! The pictures will explain.
Got ready for dinner & drove to the top of the mountain to the village of Pefkoi. Very small, & as far removed from tourism as you can imagine. Went to the Piperia (The Pepper Tree) restaurant on recommendation. Beautiful slow cooked lamb with local beans & onions. Crete is known by the Greeks as having the best produce of all the islands. At the end of every meal anywhere, they give you watermelon, honeydew & a local drink. Tonight was handmade raki made with pomegranate. So lovely. It was also the cheapest meals due to the lack of tourists.
The town is small, quaint and, as Scotti said, completely different to anything we've seen so far. This is what we'd hoped for during this trip. We stopped at a tiny church with winding steps & a bell that is still rung by a rope.
For as far as you can see to the sea, there are olive trees. These olives are far smaller than ours & Scott loves them.
We are loving this rural retreat!