Farewell to Crete, Yasoo Athens

We have returned to the craziness of Athens and find ourselves immediately pining for the relaxed way of life in Crete. Our farewell dinner at Yanni and Maria's was fantastic. I think Maria must have cooked all day although she insists she didn't. We had lamb slow baked in a huge earthenware pot, the most delicious potatoes I have ever tasted brought from Aris' (son in law) father's village and cooked in herbs (alas, despite several hints from me the recipe was not forthcoming...we probably have to move to Koutouloufari before any family recipes are passed on), pasticio (like mousaka but with macaroni pasta), Greek salad, cheese, and stuffed tomatoes with rice. Desert was a cream and custard pie made by Maria. The conversation and wine flowed easily and we loved being part of the family in their own home. Maria's cousin, husband and daughter Cleopatra joined us as well and Manny tried in vain to arrange her marriage to one of our single Greek friends in Perth! Yanni's house is beautiful with stunning views over Hersonisis and the ocean. It is built on the hillside and enjoys cooling sea breezes. Yanni and Maria live in a 4 bedroom 2 bathroom house downstairs, while upstairs their daughter Sofia, her husband Aris and daughter Maria live in an identical building, as is the Greek way! Makes for easy babysitting and close family ties.

Cassie and I left around 9pm so Cassie could get to bed ahead of our flight to Athens, while Manny stayed another hour or so and enjoyed some more raki and wine from Chania. He was quite sad on his return - we both felt so welcomed and part of the family so it was an emotional farewell. We really do hope the children come to visit us one day.

And so to Athens. The flight from Crete was fine, although it was a small plane and Cassie wasn't fond of the take off. She adjusted quickly to the noise and was fine on landing. We found our luggage and a taxi and were feeling rather pleased with ourselves for the lack of drama on the journey, when things took a strange turn, well actually the taxi took a strange turn. We were stuck in traffic for about 15 minutes when the driver announced that there was a demonstration in Syntagma square (central Athens) and the road had been closed. He told us that no cars were able to drive to the road of our hotel and the best he could do was drop us a short walk away. He promised it was the only solution and that the walk was less than 300 metres. We believed him of course as we had no reason not to. So, we set off - Manny lugging a suitcase on wheels, as well as Cassie's 15kg bag over his shoulder, along with another 3 hand luggage pieces. I pushed Cassie in the pram with my suitcase on wheels pulled behind me, and our hand luggage strapped to the pram. What a sight we must have made - trapsing down the footpath, the suitcases unsteady and us both breaking into a hot and bothered sweat. I had previously noticed the lack of ramps on road crossings having dealt with the pram on our last visit, but the constant small and not so small steps, pot holes and uneven surfaces really came into their own on this journey. We made it across Syntagma Square only to find cars driving on the other side with no problem. It seemed our taxi driver had merely become bored of waiting in the traffic and decided to kick us out! We asked about the location of our hotel at the first hotel we came to, but they shrugged their shoulders in ignorance. When Manny asked the door man at the next 5 star hotel and he also dismissed us, my temper flared. I spat every word of Greek I could come up with at him, telling his his taxi drivers were the worst in the world and we had been left stranded with 60kg of luggage and a baby and no one to help us. He quickly ran off and found someone who suddenly did know where our hotel was and who offered to store our luggage to make our journey easier. I declined his offer and thanked him for his assistance (albeit delayed). We walked another 2 or 3 blocks, asking for more directions, struggling with wheels up footpaths and steps, crazy scooter drivers and unforgiving pedestrains who push their way through regardless, until we found our hotel - probably about a kilometre from where the taxi left us. Red-faced and panting we checked in. Thank goodness everyone at the hotel was incredibly helpful, taking our bags, giving us a free drink at the bar and doing their best to help us recover from our ordeal.

So, welcome back to Athens! Afterwards, lying in the cool of the hotel room, I laughed hard at our experience, but Manny is yet to see the funny side (give him a few more days I think). We had dinner in the plaka last night and this morning picked up a few more souveniers. We also found our way in to the seedier part of town to the fresh fruit markets and stalls selling dried beans, herbs and all manner of produce. We found what must be the biggest church in Athens and marvelled at the fresco paintings and massive icons. We have also found an icon shop and hope to order some when we get home including one of Saint Susannah which can't be found in Australia. Tonight will no doubt be another plaka dinner before heading to the airport tomorrow.

It has been a wonderful experience and the time spent in Crete with family made the travelling worthwhile. I'm pleased we decided to give up the trip to Kastelorizo, and we know now how we'll plan things next time. Manny will no doubt upload some final photos before we leave. We are looking forward to coming home - we'll be there around 3.30pm on Sunday.
love
Sue, Manny and Cassie