Week 11 Stoupor, Greece

Dear Ethel, Family and Friends,

We are now on the mainland of Greece in the Peloponnese, Its the middle finger of land that juts out towards Crete. We are staying on the western side of the peninsular about half way down. We started the week in Rethymno and moved to Kissamoss at the western end of the town where we got accommodation for 25 Euro a night so even cheaper again and we were staying right on the esplanade again there is a big difference in the number of tourists. The population is only about 8000 in the town and surrounding area. On the Wednesday we hired a car and did a bit of exploring down the west coast of the Island, when we return to Crete in a week or so we will look forward to doing some more travelling like this as you get to see more and get away from the crowds. Wednesday evening we had dinner and watched our ferry come into harbour. It only comes in once a week on the Wednesday and leaves Thursday morning.

The ferry journey from Kissamoss to Gythion on the mainland takes 8 hours but is a large enough to take cars and trucks and stops twice on the way to a couple of Islands. There is a bar and cafe onboard. We were met by Ralph when we arrived and he drove us the 80km or so back to the other side of the peninsular to a tiny town called Stoupor where he and Titia and their son Janni stay in their holiday house. Like the rest of Greece we have seen so far, it’s a beautiful place.

So since arriving here we have been beaching out every day as Janni just loves the beach. It’s been great to have some enforced rest time on our holiday and catching up with Ralph and Titia who we haven’t seen for 8 years. The Euro Cup is on at the moment so I have been forced to drink beer and watch football with Ralph while Louise & Titia drink wine and gaze out over beautiful harbours.

We catch the ferry back to Crete on Wednesday, so will be reporting on our hardships from there.

All the best till then.

Ric & Louise

Week 11 Crete, Greece

Dear Ethel, Family and Friends,

It has been another busy week, starting with our brief visit to London. We arrived at 6am after the 12 hour flight and headed off straight away to Buckingham Palace where we were in time for the changing of the guards. It’s quite a spectacle and worth seeing, I’ve put a video on Youtube. That evening we went out to see my Uncle Murray for dinner. Tuesday it was more sightseeing starting with the London Eye, the big ferris wheel overlooking the whole city. Murray joined us for the day as well as we wandered around town and visiting some quaint old English Pubs.

Wednesday we were on an afternoon flight to Iraklois, the capital of Crete. Arriving at about 9 and getting settled in to the hotel, we ventured out to dinner at about 11pm, most of the restaurants were only warming up as it is still considered early in Greece. In the light of day the beauty of the location revealed itself, a truly stunning place, every ally and street is a postcard setting, from the harbour town fort to the top of the city walls. Thursday we just walked around taking photos and drinking it in. It’s been a bit of a culture shock as we have come from Bangkok to London and now Greece within a week. We feel a little drab as the locals look so stunningly dressed. On the Friday we visited Knossos which is a palace from the Minoic Civilization dating back 2000 BC. Unfortunately some English git arrived in about 1900 or so and concreted everything he could see. So it was a bit of a disappointment, but worth seeing all the same.

Saturday, we caught the bus 80km to the west to another town called Rethymno where we found a hotel room overlooking the Mediterranean and a group of Restaurants with a balcony for only 35 Euros a night, half the price of Iraklio and twice the view. The old city here is even more scenic. There is also a large fort overlooking the town that we visited today. We were a bit worried about money when we first arrived, but we realise that if we stick to the smaller towns it will be cheaper.

We are staying 3 days here and then moving on to Kissamos, a small town on the far western end of the Island on Wednesday, so we can catch a ferry to the mainland on Thursday. We are going to visit some German friends who have a holiday house in Kalamata. So far the plan is to stay a week there and then come back to Crete.

PS: I have posted some more video on Youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=RicusDeVaux

All the best for now

Ric & Louise