Greece 05: Crete

Arrived in the town of Iraklio in Crete from Santorini via a 1.5 hr highspeed ferry ride. Checked into Mirabello Hotel which was run by a pleasant old couple. Iraklio from what we knew wasn't much of a tourist destination but was more of a stopover town to get to Hania. The streets were dark and quiet where our hotel was located and we were happy to find a spot of light signalling a dinner place. Rayvees & Anny, meals were just not the same without you both!

Day 10 - Mon 19 May 08 - Crete
The day i stayed in the most charming room ever

Breakfast near Plateia Venizelou, otherwised known as Lions Square in Iraklio. We weren't expecting to do any sightseeing at all in Iraklio but since we were here we thought we would walk around a bit before taking the 3 hr bus ride to Hania.

Sights around Iraklio. For what it's worth, the morning we spent in Iraklio turned out to be pretty nice after all :)

Waiting for our 12.30pm bus to Hania. Thats Teik's bags to my left and mine to my right :)

We found this signage at the entrance door to Pension Theresa, which Teik had the foresight to pick out from Lonely Planet cos herein lies my next best trip experience ever! This quaint little pension charmed me so much i went into another bout of squealing but this time it wasn't the giddy-laughing kind cos i simply felt very very touched by the sheer quaintness of everything about it. From the creaky spiral wooden staircase up to the corridors filled with old photos of Hania to the wooden cupboards and dresser to the delightful table by the wooden casement window and bookcase just next to the window where soft daylight was filtering in, to the paintings and pictures of artists and artisans hung on the walls by the dresser and above the bed to the assorted hooks in surprising corners which provided strategic hanging points as we soon realised. I loved sitting by the table and looking out of the window which provided a skewed view of the waterfront which i liked cos you don't see the full view due to the location of the opposite building whose facade had a lovely green creeper wall to and from which pigeons ducked in and out. It was all so nostalgic-charming and in my inability to speak coherently when faced with such quaint beauty, i exclaimed to Teik, referring to pigeons on our window ledge as penguins. Needless to say, what follows next would be a series of pictures trying to capture all the things i loved about this room. And it cost just 40 euros for a room.

We headed out for a very late lunch and to explore Hania's old town which was made up of a network of inner streets leading out the the waterfront which was laced of course with cafes and restaurants and eager waiters trying to draw in the customers.

We decided to head back to the hotel to rest abit and shower before coming out later for dinner and experiencing the nightlife by the waterfront.

The building with the pink walls is Pension Theresa and the middle window belongs to our very room on the 3rd floor.

The charming black spotted white penguins, i mean, pigeons perched on the ledge outside our window.

Staring out into the night view of the waterfront from the room windows. I love watching the light quality in the room change as afternoon became evening and evening became night. More pictures as a result! Teik is busy penning his thoughts while i lazed around and did some reading.

We were strangely not very hungry but headed out as planned anyway to grab some dinner, maybe a takeaway pizza slice and sit on a bench and enjoy the sea breeze and night view by the waterfront.

The cafes by the waterfront did kinda remind us of Boat Quay back in Singapore but the weather truly makes all the difference for alfresco dining.

Had a very full dinner at this restaurant at the opposite end of the waterfront from our pension cos the guy who served us seemed genuinely nice when he invited us in earlier in the day. The grilled squid-fish was so succulent and fat and juicy and yummy - just recalling it is making my mouth water.

Bedtime reading of the novel i started on earlier presumably left behind by previous occupants. It's called Lake Wobegon Days and had very nice tiny little sketches.

Oh and a pic of the toilet just to complete the tour of this charming little pension.

Day 11 - Tues 20 May 08 - Crete
The day of the nightmarish overnight seater ferry

Heated up the leftover pizza from last night's dinner in the kitchen by the roof terrace at Pension Theresa.

Spent the morning leisurely reading and packing up in the room until it was time to leave at noon.

Savouring the last view out from windows of Room No. 6 at Pension Theresa.

The corridors leading to the creaky spiral staircase at Pension Theresa

Lunch at Portes for the slow roasted fish wrapped in paper and meatballs in tomato sauce and leek as recommended by Lonely Planet.

The weather was incredibly hot as spring had already turned into summer and i felt kinda sleepy under the hot sun so we sat down for some ice-cream and cold coke.

Love these handmade ornaments, these people seem so creative and artsy. I would love to get some but they were all so expensive.

Nearly fell asleep and baked in the hot sun while Teik checked out photography locations in and about the streets.

I'm quite tickled by Teik's yellow tee-shirt against all the yellow walls in Crete.

Another yummy meal of calamari, grilled mushrooms and chicken souvlaki, where a hopeful kitty-cat stood by and watched as we ate.

We decided to get the 30 euros seater instead of the 70 euros sleeper for our overnight ferry back to Athens to save money. Huge mistake cos while the seats were relatively comfortable despite being a little on the hard side, the tv was screening some really awful singing competition and the volume was on full blast so even though i was plugged in to my music the mix only gave me a headache. The singing was truly one kind of bad and don't even get me started on the stage dancing or the facial and body theatrics, not that i bothered watching anyway. Also just outside the toilets by the corridor there were a couple of cigarette-smoking police officers chaperoning a group of convicts in handcuffs - yes handcuffs - i saw them with my own eyes. I don't think either of us slept very much tonight.

next: Athens