So we are at home after 10 days in Crete, Greece. 3.5-hour flight and we landed at the airport of Heraklion. Heraklion is the capital of Crete. City changed its name over the centuries many times. There is another international airport in Chania city. After passport control, we took the bus and went towards the west, the city of Rethymno. From the window of the bus it was opened a fabulous landscape: on the one side – the sea and cliffs, on the other – great mountains.

The way we hold was on the national road of Crete, which was built during the ruling junta. Then Greece was a closed country, but almost every Greek had job and could feed his family. At the present time Greece is considered one of the poorest European countries, despite the fact that it has great history and amazing places for leisure and travel.

We stoped near the village Panormo, at the Creta Marine hotel. The hotel has 4 stars. It is situated in an excellent location, between Panormo and Rethymno. However, I must vanishes, that our room did not tugged at 4 stars. The hotel has a great animators, and for children there is a lot of fun. Meals – Chic! Among the disadvantages I can include:

1. No wi-fi in the rooms, only in the lobby – 4 euros per hour.
2. Sport Gym is not well equipped.
3. Do not know how the rest of the room, but ours was very scarce, especially the bathroom.

The next day we met our guide and got a voucher for two tours: the island Gramvousa and Santorini. Then we explored the local beaches. The water in the sea is unbelievably beautiful, a kind of turquoise-blue … In general, we enjoyed plenty of Cretan sun, sea and eating.

The next day we visited the village of Panormos. Small streets, houses of the 15-th century, buried in flowers. We had lunch at a local tavern, where we got a gift Raki (the local vodka) and watermelon. We came back to the hotel by taxi because it was very hot. Taxis in Crete are not cheap, both in principle and throughout Europe. Among the cars there are a lot of Mercedes-Benz’s. For example from the hotel in the city of Rethymno it costs 22 euros.

Travel to the island Gramvousa was quite informative and interesting. We arrived in the most extreme western port and 50 minutes we were sailing on a ship on the defensive island Gramvousa, where we watched the local fortress built by the Venetians. Once the island of Crete was bought by Venetian merchants from the Crusaders for a low amount of money. For merchants Crete was an excellent strategic location and this place had to be protected from pirates. Therefore, all over Crete, you can see many defensive fortress. From the island Gramvousa we went to Balos lagoon – the perfect place for scuba diving and spending time there.

In one of the beautiful sunny days (and there are about 300 sunny days a year in Crete) we went to the town of Rethymnon. Old city was well preserved, unlike in the cities of Chania and Heraklion which have been destroyed by a series of earthquakes. In Chania earthquakes occur every year. Let’s return to Rethymnon. The city is a perfect example of how looks like an old European city. At this time the old town is full of shops, tavernas and restaurants. In Rethymno there is a fortress too:) The prefecture of Rethymnon is situated almost at the middle of the island, in between the Prefectures of Chania and Heraklion; it is considered the most traditional Prefecture of the whole of Crete.

The Prefecture of Rethymnon is devided into four districts: Rethymnon, Ayios Vasilios, Amari and Mylopotamos. There is a daily steamer connection from Rethymnon to Piraeus. For many centuries the Prefecture of Rethymnon has been a centre of culture. Today also, the arts and literature flourish here, and together with the attempts of the inhabitants to keep their traditions and customs alive, they have succeeded in giving a particular colour and identity to both the city and the Prefecture. The latter is famous for its historical monuments, such as the Monasteries of Arcadi and Preveli, and the well-known cave – the Idaion Antron – where according to mythology Zeus was concealed and raised by nymphs. There has been great tourist development along the coast to the north-east of Rethymnon, in the villages of Prevolia, Missiria, Platanes and Adelianos Kampos, with large hotel complexes along 11 kms of beautiful beach. If we travel southwards, into the mountains, we arrive at Spili with its rich vegetation and crystal-clear waters.  Continuing on our way to southwards we come to the Kourtaliotiko Gorge, with its many caves filled with springs, the waters forming a cataract of 40 metres and then the Kourtaliotiko river which has its mouth at one of the beautiful beaches of Crete, that near the Monastery of Preveli. On the southern shores there are 2 villages, Plakias and Ayia Galini with well developed touristic facilities and pristine beaches. The capital of the Prefecture of Rethymnon is a city full of Venetian buildings and Turkish houses withthe little Venetian harbour and the fortress of the Fortetsa dominating it from the cliff. Visitors will be delighted by the beauty of this city: a stroll through the narrow alleys will leave long lasting memories.

Let us travel to the island of Santorini – the beauty and pride of Greece. We were saling at the high-speed catamaran Mega Jet. The trip took 4.5 hours, although we were promised a maximum of 3 hours. Probably due to the small storm but may due to the fact that catamaran had slow speed, 800 tourists remembered that voyage as a nightmare. Catamaran rocked so hard that most tourist developed seasickness. My advice to anyone who wants to see Santorini – fly by airplane: there are regular flights from Heraklion and Athens.

Our trip to the island of Crete we definitely liked. The next time we will take a car for rent and drive through the southern Crete, and in fact there are a remarkable villages, monasteries, mountains, rivers and beaches. My story about the holiday on the island of Crete is ended for now You may enjoy the photos I made in Crete.