Creta

I'm standing in water - crystal clear, blue as the sky, the waves are lapping up around my elbows, and the wind is gently caressing my face. I'm on a sandbar off the island of Crete, and everywhere I look is beauty. To my left I see rocky crags of the island - many shades of brown, but they are shimmery in the intense sunlight. There is no shade in Greece - which Becky and I find out to our delight and consternation. To my right, the beach town built into another mountain. Behind me, the combination pebble-and-sand beach sparsely decorated with beach chairs and umbrellas. Becky is asleep in the sunshine, and behind our stuff is a tiny beach restaurant where we ate a giant greek salad for lunch. I think to myself, if heaven is like this - then I am in. In front of me, the water and sky converge in a lovely, confusing mixture of blues, turquoises, and greens. There is not a cloud to be seen.

Becky and I have alternated beach-days with site-seeing and excursions. Each day is its own adventure. We have already hiked the longest gorge in Europe (12 miles, see another post for that story) and tomorrow we will visit Knossos, the 3000 year old palace. Crete is a study in fascinating terrain - it's located on a fault line, and over centuries the island has been crumpled by multiple earthquakes creating beautiful mountains. The beaches switch between rocks and sand, and vegetation pops up in the most surprising places. We have visited the towns of Chania ('hanYA') and Rethymnon, explored the ancient ports, shopped, eaten SO much food, and just generally relaxed. For me, this vacation was the perfect combination of activity and rest - Crete was FULL of places to explore, but when we wanted chillax days - they were easy to come by.

More posts to come, but here are a few shots of Crete: free shots and dessert,

getting on the ferry,

and B exploring the ancient port of Chania