Paleochora was one of our favorite places. I loved the tiny peninsula that was only a few blocks wide, surrounded by waterfront — rocky beach or sandy beach, we had our pick. Our last morning in town we ate pastries from the shop across the street, walked across town to the corniche and picked up a few souvenirs along the way. The boys found a 1 Euro shop that they were sure held all sorts of treasures . . . but no.
We would come to this side of town to eat dinner at night with its gorgeous view of the Mediterranean.
Our last stop before we headed into the mountains to our next vacation destination was a final meal at our favorite restaurant, the schoolhouse cafe in Anidri Village. The boys brought cards, Josh and I brought our books and we sat for several hours in the sunshine, relaxing, eating and enjoying a lazy lunch.
Our lunchtime view
Always making friends. This baby was at the table next to us and he loved Carter. The two younger boys followed him all over the grounds while we were waiting for our food.
Fresh salads with olives and feta (yes, that’s pickled seaweed on top — delicious!)
Camille wanted escargot today
and she loved it. Caleb wasn’t a fan. He said it tasted good, but couldn’t get past the texture. No matter, Camille ate it all.
I can’t remember what else we ate, but I can guarantee that it was excellent. Every meal has been perfection. Every tomato perfectly red, ripe and with the tomatoey sweet/tart/acic balance that sets them apart. I realized I haven’t had a good tomato since moving overseas. Even the beautiful tomatoes that we had in Turkey weren’t nearly as vibrant in taste as the ones we are getting in Crete. Cretan food is now my #2 favorite cuisine after Mexican (guacamole and salsa are hard to beat).
In order to get to Sougia, a remote spot on the southern coast, we had to drive north to get around a set of mountains and then back down to the water’s edge.
More winding roads through the mountains with zero traffic.
Josh kept teasing me and pretending that we were going to have to drive on roads like this one headed up and to the right. I still hadn’t quite recovered from our harrowing ride to Elafonisi beach. I don’t know who lives on those roads less traveled, but I certainly wouldn’t!
The winding back and forth put her to sleep.
Driving through paradise with the breeze in our hair, spotting goats, sheep and dogs snoozing in patches of sunshine along the sides of the road (and sometimes in the road!) Have I mentioned that we spent our drives thinking of career moves that would enable us to move to Crete?
We arrived in our one road town in time to get unpacked, walk down to the beach and explore before dinner.
He’s reading. A shocking sight.
A rocky beach made up entirely of rounded stones. Easy on the feet, but lots of slipping and sliding and sinking in as we walked.
Rock skipping ammunition for days!
The setting sun signaled it was time to find a place to eat dinner.
More great food, steps away from where we were staying.
Dinner outside on a clear night
We’ve tried the local village wine everywhere we’ve stayed. It’s usually a brownish color rather than red or white. It’s cheap and goes perfectly with all the feta, olives and grilled seafood that we’ve been eating.
You can even buy it in unlabeled bottles at the local grocery store or mini mart. It’s a crazy contrast to the US where everything sold in stores has to be carefully labeled and compared to Bahrain where alcohol can only be sold in special stores. Crete = freedom.