Crete, coming to an end

Our last full day on Crete. What an awesome place. Every glance is a postcard and every postcard doesn't do the place justice. It's a very mountainous island where, you could be 500 meters from the ocean as the crow flys but 3000 meters up on a narrow, switchback dirt road made all that much more dangerous for trying to steal a peek at the view. The sunsets from the beaches are serene. There's not much in the way of aquatic life, but the clarity of the water makes up for it. Every night when the moon first glances up over the horizon it's dirty red and gorgeous. The water is true blue. And salty. So very salty. There are goats everywhere. EVERYWHERE. Driving from one side of the island to the other through the mountains is both fun and maddening. But in a good way. Most of the road signs are either covered by shrubbery, spray painted over or have been used as target practice so many times that they're unreadable( I guess the gun laws are pretty loose). The larger cities ( Heraklion, Chania) are reminiscent of Athens as they are very cramped, but the island air and feel seem to open them up some. The north, as it faces the rest of Greece and Europe, is more densely populated. The south much less so.

   After picking up our rental car on the 18th, a less than spacious Fiat Panda, we made our way to a beach between Heraklion and Rethimno. After a few hours in the water we headed south to find a beach. Figuring that it was only a reasonable sounding 80km away we thought to be there in time to get back in the water. What we got instead was a drive through the mountains and hillside villages that brought us out in Agio Gallini. Perched on a sloping hill, nestled into a cove we walked out to the marina to watch the sun set. I didn't think we'd see anything prettier. Then we drove to Matala. Wow. Tucked in a larger cove with a sandy beach in the middle, village to the left side and a cliffside pocked with old caves to the other. We arrived at nighttime and slept on the beach under the caves. When we woke up we went to a cafe to get some coffee and wifi and met the lovely Francesca from Italy and we talked about traveling as she's lived and visited all over. After consuming a reasonable amount of caffeine we hit the water. We swam. We, of course, jumped off cliffs into the water. We layed out under the forgiving Mediterranean sun. Then we got intimate with the caves on the cliffside. 
    
    After we were off to try to get to Agia Pavlos. And were unsuccessful. Then Loutros. And again we were unsuccessful. After failing to reach a couple of places and pushing the Panda farther than it was probably meant to go we made it to Triopetra beach. It was a very cool beach with craggy rocks jutting up all over and large rocks everywhere, someone took some and made a calf-height maze, very cool. Also, it was a nude beach we learned .It was, however, incredibly windy there and after a restless night of sleep on the ground, which we discovered in the morning was littered with goat turds, we moved on to more hospitable grounds. Which meant more mountain driving. We wound up at Imbros gorge, the second largest on Crete. We declined the bungy jump. After discovering we couldn't go further west  on the inland road we headed north and by the time we reached Chania it was late in the eve so we found a beach to bed down there. On the morn we headed west to find our next spot to post up. We stopped at Fallasarna which had a long sandy beach( that the signs attested to). It looked great but was more windy than Triopetra so we shoved off. 


    While driving down the west coast we spotted a dirt road off the side of the main road. We decided to check it out. It was in Ormos Sfarina. It looked heavenly. From the hilltop looking down it was perfect. Good beach, large rocks to jump off of into the water and it was secluded. We went out to the next town to get some food for the day and wound up driving all the way down to Elofonissi , stopping at a panorama taverna for coffee and food and a view. Elofonissi has a cool lagoon, but was way to packed. As we headed back north to get food JD noticed a sign that read "Winery, free tour, free wine." With that combination it didnt take anymore convincing. There was only one guy working at the time so he showed us up to the tasting room and gave us carte blanche to pour and taste ourselves. Probably not the best idea, but we showed a modicum of restraint and only wound up a bit tipsy. Except for Estefanos. He was d-runk. The guy working was named Donya, a Romanian ex-pat, and after sampling the selection (a few times, to be sure) he gave us a tour of the winery. They make 3 types of white and 5 reds, simply labeled dry, table, sweet, etc. And the regular Raki as well as a honey infused Raki. Raki is an interesting( and new to us) type of alchohol distilled from the leftover mash from the wine grapes. The regular tastes similar to tequila, minus that agave tang and the honey flavored tastes altogether different, more floral with that honey sweetness. It was a nice, modest but honest operation. When we were done and after purchasing some of their product, including some honey raki and dry red red we  drove back up and grabbed some food and headed back to Ormos Sfarina. We had to park the Panda as there are no roads down, and hump down the hill. We swam. We jumped off rocks. We drank. Estefanos snorkeled. We built a fire. It was a glorious night. And a rough morning. Neil went to resupply the water and wound up going up and down the hill a couple more times to get some other supplies. JD required minor surgery. A fitting morn to an epic eve. 
     After spending the day on the beach soaking up the last we could from Sfarina we made off to go to Samaria Gorge, not knowing that it closed in the afternoon as there is no camping there. So we sat at the cafe looking down into the ravine that lead into the gorge admiring the view.
    As it was getting late we hustled back north and then east to try and find a place to sleep for the night. After driving for hours we accepted defeat and slept in the car. And that leads to now. We're going to Knossos, the seat of power for the ancient Minoan Empire to get some history. Tomorrow, we return to Athens to clean our beach-bummy bums before making our way to Italy. This time on Crete has been a pleasure and we're going to miss this island. Clarity comes more and more with each passing day.

 A beer in Matala

 Four faced tree in Matala

 Friends are that way -->

 Herbie Sighting

Cute lil Greek Humvee. 

 Cafe overlooking the entrance to Samaria gorge

 we got fire

 Snorkel bros

 YAMAS!

 Donya, our wine guide

 Tipseeee

 

Yamas

Stay Awesome baby

One day in Crete, In love

So we managed to book our boat to Crete at a different port from where our car rental was so we spent the morning on a bus ride down the coast to pick it up. After we went straight to a beach between Iraklio and Rhythmno and snorkeled and got crispy burned. After we headed to the less densely populated south of the Island. We got to a little place called Agia Galini at sunset. At the time the first thought to come to mind is this might be the purtiest place we've seen so far.  Then we went down the coast to a town called Matala. This place is surreal. It's nestled into a little cove with the beach in the middle, cute little village to one side opposite a series of caves and caverns that are lit up at night. Absolutely gorgeous. We had a beer at a tavern overlooking the cove, saw Michael Cera (or at least his weird-hippy-german doppelganger). And then went down to the beach for a simple dinner of bread, pesto, tomato and knock-off nutella. We retired under the cliff wall looking at the caves. Saw some shooting stars. Made a wish for you. Camera's not handy, pictures to follow.
Stay Awesome

I'm on a boat!...to Crete...

Athens has been fantastic. We can't say enough good things about it. It's a melting pot of culture and has a unique, busy, metropolitan charm. The people are, for the most part, beautiful and friendly. It lends itself to being a bit dingy, but a lot of that is probably due to the fact that every building is white. And busy. It's striking to be atop the Acropolis and look out and see a sea of white. That was also amazing; you can walk blocks and kilometers in the bustling urban area and look up and "oh hey, there's the Acropolis!" Very cool.

JD got GA onto Couchsurfing.org and through that we met some really great people. Our new friend Vanessa was quite awesome. We met her at the Acropolis, as well as a few other folks from CS, for a free concert and had a blast on top of a hill across from the Acropolis. Great conversation with great people. We met up with Vanessa a day or so later for more of the same in what is apparently the "riot area" and had some good food and drink with more great people and met another friend, Roxani, who we're looking forward to hanging out with again.

Another aspect that stood out was the flora and fauna. It's an arid climate and has many of the same plant life that you can find back in Arizona, except there's the Mediterranean sea. Which we got a more intimate experience with, thanks again to Vanessa. She took us about an hour outside of the heart of Athens to a beach looking out at the Temple of Poseidon. Awesome, awesome, awesome day sunning, swimming, skipping rocks, talking and partaking of some fine Greek baked goods. Towards sunset, we went to the Poseidon temple. Probably the most gorgeous sunset ever. 

It was interesting to compare how the stone work had aged versus the temples in Athens. 

We've since booked our tickets to Crete. We rented a car for a week so we can drive around the island and camp on the beaches. We also picked up fins and snorkels. Our boat leaves in the evening and we'll arrive in the morn. It's gonna rule something fierce.

 Temple of Poseidon

 Temple of Hephaestus in Athens

 ......

 Diz and Vanessa

 Fuzzy dinner party in Athens

 Aww, Sugabear! You so handsome!

 I can't read greek, but I know a pirate party flier when I see one

Too pretty for words

Stay Awesome

Awesome in Athens

 We arrived yesterday. Had a great flight into Greece(some airlines still take care of their customers, thx Olympic Air). On the usual unintended (and never unappreciated)detours to reach our hotel, we got a nice feel of the city. It's probably a common misconception that Athens (or the whole of Greece) is stuck in antiquity, being that it's steeped in it, but it has the usual hustle-and-bustle of a major metropolis. Busy traffic, people elbowing through each other on and off public transport, beggars, swaggards, and normal people. Except in Greek. We even saw a whole alley full of heroin junkees. Very illuminating.

After settling into the hotel we made a dash for the beach. After figuring which bus to get to we arrived at the water. It was gloriously tepid and the beach strewn with rocks, most of which were washed up brick and mortar. G even got all his clothes wet after a quick surge in the tide. After getting enough sun we moved on to The Temple of Zeus. AMAZING. Rocks are old. Like beginning of time old. Any rock you look at. But it's easier to get a sense of it when in conjunction with construction by man. Some of these works were touched and molded almost 2500 years ago. And the main portion was constructed some 1900 years ago. The detail that remains is phenomenal. A pillar on the west end of the temple fell 150 years ago. It looks like it happened yesterday. 

After admiring (and of course, illegally interacting with) The Temple, we went in search of food. We of course chose souvlaki gyros. They were the BEST we've had. Period. We wound up talking to the guy that made them for an hour. Very cool dude. Name of Spyros. He speaks 6 languages, works 60 hours a week, has a Greek-American girlfriend he's going to see in San Francisco in October, played pro- basketball in here in Greece and doesn't like French Canadians. 

We experienced a little bit of the night-life last night. More on that later but the coolest part was drinking under the spectre of the Acropolis. 

 Pillar of Man gazing on pillars of men

BEST seat in the ruins

We're off to see more awesome that needs seeing.

Stay Awesome

Bye Bye Bucharest

Bucharest-  GA arrived in Bucharest not knowing what to expect, but the initial impression was …. We got off the train and the first thing I noticed was all the coffee machines. They are pretty prevalent all over the region but in the train station they were everywhere. Several dozen. As an American who loves his coffee this was almost taken as a personal affront.  But, this is a diplomatic mission after all.

            The city was a mixed bag of some of the friendliest people you’ll ever meet to people trying to pull a fast one on you every chance they got. One set of buildings would be baroque, art deco, and the set across the streets looked like they came out of the Jolani district of Fallujah. As we walked by the pretty lights and pretty clothes inside the Armani and Hugo Boss stores we had to be careful to avoid the the puddles of piss.

            The city (and culture) is only 20 years removed from communism and it's evident all over. There are many testaments to the change, good and bad, everywhere. There are several striking piata's around the city, as well as several statues and abstract sculptures testifying to the populace's sense of triumph in the political revolution. Bucharest is also home to the second largest office building in the world, the Palace of Parliament. The Pentagon is the largest. We win again. They also have their own version of the Arc de Triumphe. It's basically a replica. But in romanian, not french.

       As far as the nightlife goes, there are several cool bars and clubs in the area, which we tried unsuccessfully to go to that were recommended to GA by the son of our hostel owner. (they were undoubtedly the best people in the city by the way). The son was a really cool guy that had some good insights as well as a fierce, if subtle, pride in his city. We had a good conversation about Cocorosie. 

       Since we couldn't get to/find the better local spots we were relegated to the heavily touristy/douchey bar area in the old town. It was like a bad episode of Jersey Shore. Or a regular one, GA wouldn't know the difference. 

      All in all, it was wasn't a wholly bad experience. But, it wasn't the best. The next time GA rolls through Romania we'll make it a point to see the more rural attractions.

Now- ATHENS!

Stay Awesome.

P.S. DO NOT take a taxi in this city. 100% of the stories told to us by other travelers involved the cabbies ripping them off, as well as some slight physical violence as well as some credit cards being stolen.

Midnight Party Train To Transylvania

So spending the extra couple of bucks on a sleeper car was probably not worth. Probably. We got on the train and after an issue with other people in our cabin we went to the dining car for a beer. Then it became and an issue of: the more we drink then the more we drink. After a few stops, more party people began to come in and it became an issue of: the more we party then the more we party. Music was playing. Dancing was involved. As were some illicit materials. A french guy hit on JD....or he was just being french. JD neither hit on him nor hit him. Cultural courtesies were involved. We apparently drank the cart out of booze. Except for the white wine, but we were only a bottle shy of that. Met some very cool people and we all managed to party into the wee hours. After, it was probably a good thing thing we had the sleeper cabin.

 Our first, innocent beer. Little did we know it would turn into this:

 And this:

 And this: 

That was our dining cart host Yuri. And that's our new french friend Mathilde dancing on the table next to him

We've since made it to our hostel, rested, recouped and ate. Tomorrow we will see what Bucharest is all about. And keep a lookout for Gypsies. Can't Wait.

Stay Awesome my friends

Bucharest by Budapest

We've had an amazing time in Budapest. The sights abound as do the views. The older part of town still has that classic feel speckled with a modern flavor. The city is split into the Buda and Pest sides by the Duna river or Danube as it's called in the west and there are multiple bridges to cross. The Pest side has the most bars and livable area(i.e. groceries, corner stores and pubs) while the Buda has the best views (from Gellert Hill where the Liberty Statue stands)and the best sights(Matthias Church and Buda Castle), as well as two of the better clubs. 

After being in the Czech Republic the beer wasn't going to compare but the locals made up for it in spades. The language is lovely drawing it's roots from all around the region, including Turkey. They, the locals, are very friendly, once you engage them. Otherwise you get almost the same mean-mug you'll get in Prague.

GA met some awesome folks while we were here to include some Budapest locals. There were some nice girls who were in medical school we met at Romkert, some British fellows Nick and Jason who we're looking forward to hanging out with in the U.K. and our new pals Derrick and Vincent from Groningen who challenged us to a drink and smoke off. Apparently(if I remember correctly) Neil will have to out-drink their town drinking champ and J.D. will have to do the same for their smoking champ. Doesn't sound like anybody will be losing, just getting awesome. I think that G should take on their town-hot-sauce-eater-guy-champ.

The hostels have been mostly ok, but they've all had kitchens. So we've been cooking up a storm. Lot's of fun and so far (knock on wood) no misses. Constantly cooking in someone else's kitchen has taken getting used to but there are generally the same staples in every place (lot's and lot's of paprika over here). We discovered a new hot sauce for G that he L-U-V-S. Salsa chipotle something. Always garlic. Neil digs that.

The sights in the city are largely reconstructions of previous monuments done because they were destroyed during the wars or during the communist occupation. It would be very sad but the re-do's are expertly wrought. Hero square is especially well done. Gellert Hill is gorgeous. It's lined with history and lush greenery and has a fantastic, if steep walk to the top where the Liberty Statue and citadel stand. We ran up it. In the dark. It was of course, awesome. 

The city definitely has a charm all it's own. And I guess MC Hammer-pants are en vogue around here. It's been a pleasure Budapest. Now, Romania! J.D. gets to go to a place he hasn't been before and we all get to see Bucharest. Til then, we have a 16 and a half hour train ride. But it's ok, we went with the sleeper car on the train. Smooches from Eastern Europe.

Stay Awesome

 Viewing the Duna from Margrit island

 J.D. and our new friend Vincent from Groningen

 zoom in. feel the fury. and these rocks

 We got all this catapult ammo, anybody have a catapult?

 Mf'ers were dusty

 Enjoying the view from in the castle wall

 Got your Mexico. In a can

 This'n?

 Those'ns?

 That'rn?

 or thisr'n?

 The Liberty Statue. Glorious

 Next to the Liberty statue. Caught J.D. unawares

What's she doing now G?

 J.D. won

 Neil did not

 The sheer awesomeness of this could not be denied

 Yanni will be playing in concert the 16th of September if anyone was wondering. Or if you were (like I was) curious as to whether he was alive or not, he is apparently alive. And #1

 That's a whopper of a fish ya got there kid

 Dusk on the Duna. From the Pest side

 The Hungarians have a real knack for capturing the heroes of their past in epic form

YO DAWG! I heard you like to take pictures so we took a picture of you taking a picture so you can take a picture WHILE you're taking a picture

G taking in the brilliant view from next to the Liberty Statue. And recovering from our run in the dark up the hill to get there.