Farewell, Crete

I left Crete tonight with a heavy heart. We’ve had such a nice trip.

Yesterday we went hiking down the Mila Gorge. The kids handled the physical challenges well but were a little too adventurous--Neddy especially. He has the tendency to run ahead without looking back, and we lost him for a bit.

Vinnie likes to go off the path and scale whatever possible.  

At the end of the hike we lunched at a taverna in the gorge. When we arrived at the start of the trail, we saw the restaurant’s supplies sent down on a zipline.  

After the hike, we visited the city Rethymno. Melanie and I watched the kids enjoy one of the beaches while Errol and Andrew checked out the old Venetian fortress. Then we got ice cream, and I bought a straw hat.

Our house on Crete had a pool, and Thom and Vinnie would swim multiple times a day. The beach was also only about 100 meters behind the house. It was fantastic. We ate outside and could hear the waves from the balconies.

It was incredibly beautiful, but my favorite parts were the evenings after the kids fell asleep. Between Melanie’s work calls, the four of us would play the game Cards of Humanity. It was so fun, and we all had bouts of uncontrollable laughter. It was the best.

The only downside of the trip was the mosquitoes. Errol and the twins were hit hard.

On our last day, Errol drove us close to Heraklion to explore Knossos, including ruins of King Minos’s palace. It is mind-blowing to think how old it is. Some was built in 1900 BCE!

We ate delicious gyros in Heraklion and then parted ways. Thom, Vinnie, and I boarded an overnight ferry at the Heraklion port. I couldn’t come all the way to Greece and not see Athens.

The boat left Heraklion at 9 p.m. and is supposed to arrive at Piraeus(Athens’ port) at 6 a.m. Errol and the twins will fly from Crete, and we’ll all reunite at the Athens airport Sunday afternoon.