Crane House B & B

In September 2010, we rounded our first year of living in Hania, Crete.  This adventure has truly been a once in a lifetime experience packed full of surprises.  Emersing ourselves into the local culture has given us the opportunity to enjoy many beautiful moments as well as a few frustrating trials.  Such is life anywhere.  Now we look forward to maximizing our last year here by living each day to its fullest.  And what better way to do that than enjoy the company of each other and good friends.

This autumn we had a full schedule of dear friends from the States that blessed us with their visits.  First off the plane was the Nelson family from Kentucky.  Lindsey and his wife, Anne and three kids (Brianna, Tessa and Rowan) were great fun!  

We had some memorable times together (see previous grape-stomping blog) including a day wandering around the old port of Hania.

Richard especially enjoyed seeing his "old" buddy "Nelson".  They go a loooong way back and Lindsey was in our wedding.

The marina at the harbor is always a fun place to explore or just hang out.  Those buildings behind us used to house Venetian ships in the 15th & 16th centuries.  Originally the entire marina was lined with these giant structures but most fell to ruin.  Now some of the lucky ones have been restored as museums, exhibit halls or event centers.

Another outing with the Nelsons included a boat ride to Gramvousa Island and Balos Bay.

The Nelsons wasted no time getting settled in to the local beach and taverna scene.  Thanks for coming, you guys.  It was really great to see you!  

Next off the boat (literally - off the ferry from Santorini) were Mel's girlfriend Gil (AKA Gertie) and her sister Leslee (AKA Lola).  First stop, dinner and a visit to a local wine cellar where they sampled their first taste of raki.  (This photo must have been taken BEFORE their first sip because they're still smiling and their eyes aren't watering!)

The three girls spent a relaxing day in Hania's old city shopping and visiting Mel's (Mabel) friend's art studio.

By far, the highlight of the girls' visit was a road trip to Paleohora on the south coast where we stayed a couple of days doing some serious beach time, tiki hut meditation (OK that's really just fancy wording for hanging out on the beach and doing nothing).....  

 ....and raising our glasses to every sunset and every memory we made together that day.

After leaving Paleohora behind, we drove along the beautiful west coast road and leaded north to to Falasarna.  

We pulled into the Panorama Taverna just in time to toast yet another grand display of God's creation.

Lola, Mabel and Gertie made a vow to keep laughing ("who are you and why is your arm around my shoulder?"), loving (in spite of wrinkles and cellulite) and learning (thongs used to be something you wore on your FEET to the beach).   
"Stini yiasas" and skinny bottoms to you, girls!

Thankfully, Mel didn't have much time to feel sad about Leslee and Gil's departure because a little over a week later the Lafata's from Colorado arrived.  We had a blast together doing all kinds of couples activities including dinners out, sightseeing and traveling.

 We spent a couple of days and nights in Paleohora where we had lots of laughs and great fun.  One memory included renting four P.O.S. bikes from a chauvanistic Greek ("Sorry, ladies, this is Greece so the men get served first.") and riding up a steep gorge to the little village of  Amidri where our labors were rewarded with phenomenal views and food at a charming taverna.  The trip DOWN was hugely popular with the girls.
We also rode the bikes to the Venetian fortress and took photos of the village and the pebble beach of Paleohora from the top.  

Our last day there warmed up enough to jump in the water at Gialiskari Beach where laying on the black pebbles warmed by the sun felt like a spa treatment.  Tony and Kristi were wonderful friends to share some of this island with and we wish they could have stayed longer!

Positively, the best part about having visitors was that they each brought a taste of special friendships from home.  It was such a pleasure to share our piece of paradise with them reminding us that once again, it's not what you do or where you go but who you're with that counts.  And if you happen to be with some amazing people doing amazing things in amazing places that's a real bonus!  Love you all!

Exploring new terrain - Beach Spots!

FALASARNA

In March we ventured out to the west coast of Crete to check out Falasarna Beach - a spot that is popular with the locals. We'd heard that it's not the place to be when the westerly winds are blowing unless you like being sandblasted. So, when we woke up one Saturday morning to a blue sky and gentle breeze, we decided to take advantage of the nice weather and jumped into the car. We headed out to Falasarna which is about 45 minutes directly west of our place on the Akrotiri. When we arrived there, the giant beach, aptly named "Big Beach" was totally empty of anyone. (I guess the Greeks don't like cold water!) We staked our claim and enjoyed a very relaxing Saturday on the beach. (No, we don't like cold water either so we just sat in the warm sunshine and took in the view.)Falasarna has a big agricultural community and the landscape is filled with greenhouses (the white rectangular shapes near the beach).
In the busy summer months, Big Beach is filled with umbrellas, lounge chairs and people! Hard to imagine that early Spring day.
Ancient Falasarna is the site of Roman ruins including these terra cotta baths.
Excavations suggest that this area was part of an old harbor dating back to 1st century B.C.

PALEOHORA

Yesterday, we ventured a little farther to the south coast of Crete to Paleohora, a rapidly growing town on a spit that juts out into the Libyan Sea. At the point of the spit are the ruins of Castelo Selino (a castle built by the Venetians in 1279 and destroyed by the pirate, Barbarossa in 1539.)

Paleohora means "Old Town" in Greek and used to be known as the "hippie town of Crete". Today it is a thriving tourist destination but still has that laid-back feeling with a pleasant promenade, lots of great tavernas and shops and two very different but gorgeous beaches - Pebble Beach to the east and Sandy Beach to the west separated by only about 5 blocks of town.

When we arrived, we had a light lunch at a taverna on the east side of the town. The wind had kicked up and the surf was very rough.

After lunch, we walked to the top of the castle ruins and looked down onto the west side of the town. The water was still and there was only a light breeze flapping through the beach umbrellas. We headed down to the beach right away and tried out our new snorkeling gear. Awesome day on the beach!

ELAFONISI

One of our favorite road trips was with some friends from base and their two boys. We were all curious about a beach we'd heard of on the farthest southwest tip of Crete called Elafonisi so we headed inland through the mountains.

Along the way we saw many interesting sites including a one lane tunnel in the Koutsamatados ravine...
...and roadside advertisements for local produce,
which we stopped and sampled.
Another stop was the cave Ayia Sofia, one of the largest caves on Crete (and there are thousands of caves here) which now shelters a small chapel with many stalagmites and stalactites. This cave has been a holy place since Minoan, Neolithic, Roman and Byzantine times. The boys really thought it was "cool"! (So did Mel)
The white monastery of Chrysoskalitissa is home to one last monk. It sits high on a hill above the sea and was undergoing some restoration when we arrived. This monastery is built on the remains of an ancient Minoan site. The name means Virgin of the Golden Step and legend has it that the top step (of about 90 steps) is made of gold but only visible to the person who has known no sin. Obviously, none of us even saw a glimmer.
Ginger, Melanie and the boys enjoyed the view from the top of the monastery.

When we finally made it to the beach at Elafonisi it was very windy but it didn't stop us from enjoying a nice swim.
Elafonisi is a gem of a beach because the incredibly warm water is so clear, calm and shallow and the sand has a pink tinge to it. Elafonisi island can be easily waded to through ankle deep water on the sand bar.
Every time we experience these wonderful sites we are reminded that God is so very near to us and thank Him for blessing us with the beauty of nature and friendships.