Some Pre-Camino Thoughts

The Camino has always been way off in the distance and now suddenly it is racing towards us. One day left here at home. Do we have all we need? Do we have too much? Have we done all we need to do? Have we trained enough? Have we trained too much? What the heck are we thinking??? These are all middle of the night worries. When I'm awake and thinking sensibly I know that we are in great shape, both physically and mentally for our pilgrimage. Our shoes have taken us on many good walks, our packs have been checked and weighed, rechecked and reweighed. It's all good. We will take each step as it comes, value each day and each experience. The goal is to stay in the present, to embrace the Camino and accept whatever has to offer.

As previously mentioned Brenda is dedicating her Camino to Melanoma research and awareness so you are invited to go to http://www.saveyourskin.ca/ and read all about what this foundation is involved in and if you are so inclined please make a donation to this very worthwhile organization. Donations go towards educating and raising awareness, providing critical and timely treatments, and promoting ongoing research into the disease. Thank you for your support.

And so, we drive to Calgary tomorrow for some granddaughter time and then it's off to Spain on Wednesday. Please come along and enjoy the trip!

One final thought - a T. S. Eliot quote recently posted on a friend's Facebook:

Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.

T.S. Eliot

Preparation for our Pilgrimage

One month from today we will arrive in Bilbao Spain on our way to Saint-Jean-Pied-de Port in France and the start of our pilgrimage walk across Spain to Santiago.

We have been training for the 800 km walk by working out in the gym and taking long walks wearing our backpacks that are loaded with everything we will take with us for our 10 week journey. The pilgrimage should only take us about 5 weeks, then we will spend a week of recovery on the Algarve in Portugal (ahhhh!), a couple of weeks in Italy and then on to Scotland to see family.

Robert will of course be capturing all the moments of our trip with his camera and we will share some of his images with you along the way.

Brenda is fulfilling her dream to walk the Camion Frances. We will start the day after her 60th birthday. Two years ago she had a brush with melanoma and is therefore dedicating her pilgrimage to melanoma awareness and research. Her hope is that through this blog, guests will learn about how to take care of their skin, will connect with The Save Your Skin Foundation, and perhaps feel that they'd like to support this group through a donation. More about that later.....

Glasgow - PureDeadBrilliant part 2

The great CRM did not monopolize our entire time in Glasgow.  We visited a number of galleries, including Kelvin Grove Art Gallery.  The highlight there was Salvador Dali’s “Christ of Saint John of the Cross” - very impressive!  

The Pollok Estate comprising 361 acres of parkland situated right in Glasgow, was given to the city in 1966 by the Maxwell family who had owned it since the mid-13th century.  The current house is a huge 18th century mansion filled with the family’s wonderful collections of Spanish art, antique furniture, silverware, ceramics and an impressive library.  Included are works by El Greco (the famous Lady in a Fur Wrap) and Goya, as well as works by the English poet and artist William Blake.

When the Pollok Estate was gifted to Glasgow, provision was made for a site to house another collection that had been gifted to the city in 1944.  Sir Willam Burrell’s donation of over 9,000 works of art had languished in storage at Kelvin Grove Art Gallery waiting many decades for a suitable pollution free site.  No visit to Glasgow would be complete without seeing this collection of Medieval art, tapestries, stained glass, English oak furniture, many European paintings, including works by Degas and Cezanne, Islamic art and modern sculpture by Epstein and Rodin shown to their best advantage in the purpose designed building.  It is one of those WOW places!  

We had lunch at Pollok House, in what used to be the grand kitchen, then walked through the park passing by a small herd of shaggy Highland Cattle, to The Burrell.  A perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

On another day we drove a short distance from Harry’s house to Cathkin Braes, a sprawling natural park with open fields and wooded areas - the Big Wood for one (nope we didn’t run into Pooh Bear).  We had a lovely clear fall day, and as this is the highest point in Glasgow we had excellent views across the city and beyond.  There is a large cairn, “Queen Mary’s Seat”, where Mary Queen of Scots is reputed to have observed the defeat of her forces at the Battle of Langside in May of 1558.  

After leaving the Braes we visited Holmwood House, a fine 1858 classically inspired villa designed by Alexander ‘Greek’ Thomson.   Conservationists are currently working on the house so you can see glimpses of its original decor.  There had been a Halloween Party there on the weekend so we had to look beyond the ghosts and fake cobwebs for the true beauty of the place.  We were the very last visitors to tour Holmwood House for the year so we had the complete attention of the volunteers - yet again the last of the tourists ;-)

Daylight was fading as we left Holmwood House but we had one more stop on the itinerary - Greenbank Gardens.  We arrived just in time to quickly walk through the 2.5 acre walled garden before dark but saw enough to encourage us to return the next day.  This gave us the opportunity to see the garden and its 30 different areas in daylight.  Following this and a walk through the surrounding parkland we proceeded  to Harry’s gym for a proper workout - first one in way too long! 

Our last outing took us to Prestwick for a long walk along the shore and the sand dunes.  It threatened to rain but the weather held and we had a bracing walk in the sea breeze.   As we walked on the beach we watched what we believe to be an Easy Jet pilot practice landing at nearby Prestwick Airport.  The same plane flew over, touched down, and took off again numerous times - it was kinda cool to see.  

Glasgow is an amazing place to visit.  There is so much to see and do whether you’re interested in nature, culture, history or food - both local specialties and international.  We had amazing Indian food, the best Chinese food we’ve ever eaten, and we’re not telling how many, but let’s just say enough fish & chips  suppers to last until our next visit!  A “pint of heavy” at Glasgow Central one afternoon while we waited for our train was a real treat.  

Epilogue

We came away from Scotland with a larger family than we realized we had, a true appreciation for our central heating and a few extra pounds!   

Our heartfelt gratitude goes to Harry who spent 2 weeks of his vacation time taking us to many marvelous places and made us so very welcome in his home.  Prior to our arrival he completely redecorated our bedroom.  We love you Harry!

We said at the beginning of our travels that our lives may be changed by what we would see and do during our time away.  Our lives were certainly enriched by the people we met as well as by the things we saw and did, but now that we’re back home to our “normal” life, it seems that we are the same people who left here at the end of August.  We’re people who want to continue to travel, that has not changed, but we have a clearer idea of how we want to travel in the future.   Our next trip, the gods willing, will be in a couple of years to Spain to walk the Camino.  Until then, please keep in touch, and thank you for joining us on our travels.

Glasgow - PureDeadBrilliant

We arrived in Glasgow in the early afternoon of Thursday, October 23 and took the bus from the airport to the Buchanan Street Bus Station.  Robert’s sister Ann was arriving there from Newcastle at 6:00 PM so we stored our luggage and decided to spend the next few hours walking around downtown Glasgow.  There was quite a blustery storm that day; on almost every street there were garbage bins stuffed with discarded umbrellas that had lost their battle with the wind.  Luckily we had good rain gear on so we didn’t have to endanger our umbrellas.  We checked out some of the shops before having tea at the Willow Tea Rooms, designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh - Robert’s favourite Glasgow architect and designer from the late 1800’s and early 1900’s -- more about CRM later.

Harry arrived to pick us up just as Ann’s bus pulled in - the Rutherford reunion began.    We started with fish & chips for supper and spent the evening catching up and reminiscing.  It had been 25 years since the three of them were all together so there was lots to talk about.  

 

Friday was a fairly quiet day.  Brenda’s cold had never really left and she was feeling quite poorly so Harry made an appointment for her with his doctor.  We all walked up to the doc’s office and later had breakfast at a little coffee shop up at the “toll”.  Later that evening Harry’s good friends Wally & Joan hosted us at their home for dinner.   

Saturday was very rainy - “chucking it down” as Harry says.  We drove to the national heritage village of Strathaven to visit with the Marshalls, Robert & Ann’s mother’s side of the family .  Robert had contacted his Aunt Jennifer before we left Canada and found out that two of his his uncles had passed away since our last visit in 2004.  Although Jennifer is Robert’s aunt (his Mother’s half sister), she’s actually a couple of years younger than he is.  She organized the family get together at his Aunt Jenny’s home.  Robert hadn’t seen this side of his family since before he left Scotland in the 1960’s.  He expected to see maybe 3 or 4 people, so you can imagine his delight when we walked in to a room full of people.  We spent a wonderful afternoon reconnecting with Robert’s family.  Truly a highlight of the trip!

When we were in Scotland in early September we bought memberships in Historic Scotland and the National Trust.  These organizations own or manage many properties throughout the country; everything from gardens, to estates, to castles and more.  Basically, 3 visits to any of the sites covers the cost of membership and since almost every place we wanted to visit was under one of these organizations it made economic sense to invest in these very worthwhile charities.  Besides seeing some of the best sites Scotland has to offer, the volunteers that are on hand at each location are real treasures as well.  They are very knowledgeable and personable so we came away with a more intimate sense of each place we visited.  Enough about that, let us tell you about the places we did visit.

On a rainy Sunday we drove to South Ayrshire to visit Culzean Castle & Country Park, a magnificent eighteenth century estate.  The grounds are extensive with paths leading for miles through woodlands, past a Deer Park (with a herd of red deer), and to a Swan Pond;  or you can walk along the four miles of rocky shore, sandy beaches and cliffs with spectacular views over the Firth of Clyde.  There are a number of buildings including a glass house called “Camellia House” where exotic plants are grown.  The estate had it’s own facility for converting coal to gas, there’s an interpretive centre explaining the whole process in the little house where the “gasman” once lived.  There’s a walled garden holding on to its incredible beauty even with the flowers finished for the year.   

And then there’s the castle!   Between the years 1777 and 1792 the architect Robert Adam converted the castle into a bachelor residence for the Earl of Cassillis.   We took a guided tour and were shown the best features of the house including Adam’s masterpiece, the Oval Staircase, as well as the fine collection of paintings and furniture.  A top-floor apartment was presented to General Eisenhower for his lifetime in 1945 in recognition of his role during WWII.  It was interesting to see his office as it was when he was there.  As the daylight started to fade, we were on the top floor of the castle looking out over the Clyde when dark clouds gathered and the wind began to blow huge white caps onto the shore.  It felt like there should be a clap of thunder and the lights should suddenly go out to the eerie sound of the wind - or was that a ghost?  A great place to visit!

On Monday morning we said farewell to Ann at the bus statios and headed to Helensburgh to visit Hill House, a home designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh for publisher Walter Blackie, at the beginning of the 1900’s.  We had a couple of hours to kill before the house opened so we walked the 3 miles along the Clyde from Helensburgh to the village of Rhu in sunshine with a brisk wind blowing in from the sea.   We didn’t spend a lot of time in Rhu just visited the war memorial in front of the parish church and then returned to the car for a short drive up to Hill House.  We had visited Hill House in 2003 and were happy to wander through the familiar rooms once again.  Of course, as it is with any intricate work of art, no matter how often you see it, each time something else comes to the fore.  The lovely fabric designs and gesso panels created by CRM’s wife Margaret Macdonald really caught our eyes this time.  Considering the age of the home the main bathroom is quite ingenious with the hot water pipes running through the towel rack to warm the towels, and in the shower the encircling pipe work has multiple spray holes on different levels - a thoroughly modern idea!  Although the entire house is spectacular our favourite room in Hill House remains the White Bedroom, as it incorporates the many aspects of Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s genius.   We enter this room with a reverence usually reserved for a holy place.

A quick lesson on Charles Rennie Mackintosh

“The Scottish architect, designer and artist, Charles Rennie Mackintosh (1868-1928) was one of the most individual and creative designers of the turn of the last century.  Today he is internationally celebrated for many architectural masterpieces, the Glasgow School of Art, the villa, The Hill House, and his remarkable city-centre team room interiors for Catherine Cranston.  His beautiful interiors place distinctive pieces of furniture/sculpture with subtly harmonious colour schemes, the whole imbued with a sensitivity to light and atmosphere which at times verges on the spiritual”  (quoted from a flyer we received. )

On our journey down the “Mackintosh trail” we also visited The Mackintosh House in the Hunterian Art Gallery on the University of Glasgow campus.  The principal interiors of  the home were removed prior to the demolition of the original home in the 1960’s and reassembled, with the original fixtures, and is displayed, with the homes contents, as an integral part of the University’s Hunterian Art Gallery.  

We spent an afternoon at the House For An Art Lover, the greatest house that Mackintosh never built.  It was designed by CRM with much contribution from his talented wife, as an entry for a German design competition in 1900.  As this was not a commissioned piece Mackintosh was not restrained by budget or other considerations so he was free to let his creativity flow.  The result was a design that is stunningly beautiful, but not in your usual “family” home way.  Unfortunately, the design was disqualified because he did not include vital interior perspectives.  No first prize was awarded in the competition and he was instead the recipient of a special prize.  Decades later, using the original drawings the house was built in Glasgow and is a wonderful place to visit.  We particularly like the fact that since the furniture is not original turn-of-the century Mackintosh, you are free to touch, photograph and sit in them.  Indeed, the house is available for private functions and is a popular wedding venue.

Leaving Naxos

Time is running out...

Well, we’ve done it, we’ve booked a hotel in Athens for Wednesday night - our last night in Greece. How is it possible that our time here is almost over? Before we leave we need to catch up on our last week.

Last Wednesday we had checked out of our hotel in Paros and were sitting at a cafe on the little narrow market street, feeling like we’d love to stay, but wanting to go to Naxos. From down the street we heard a lovely sound - it was a little hunched over man leading a donkey laden with baskets of fruit and vegetables. He was calling out his wares in a gentle singing voice. Out came the cameras! He stopped at a shop close to where we were sitting, so the shopkeeper could make her purchases, and of course we had to also check out what he was selling. We bought a delicious yellow melon that we enjoyed with yogurt at breakfast for the next two days. He led his donkey along the street and up the stairs to the next square selling his produce as he went - now that’s eating locally! Apparently he is the last of the donkey merchants operating on Paros and perhaps all of the islands as we certainly did not encounter or hear of another

We took our melon and all our baggage and hopped the ferry for Naxos, the island that features predominantly in Greek mythology. The story goes that Theseus abandoned Ariadne here after she helped him escape the Cretan labyrinth. She soon hooked up with Dionysos, the god of wine and ecstasy (sounds like the kind of god one could really warm up to!). Another myth tells that on the peak of Mount Zas an eagle gave Zeus the thunder, through the power of which he became ruler of Olympus, home of the gods.

As you approach this beautiful island you see the Portara, the remains of an unfinished temple to Apollo; it looks like a giant marble door frame. People have been living on Naxos since 3000 BC. It’s landscape is rich with citrus orchards and olive groves and was one of the first islands to use marble.

During our week here, we’ve wandered through Chora’s kastro and old village’s market streets, we’ve enjoyed delicious meals, and travelled around the island to other villages. The Venetian kastro is very unlike the Frankish one on Paros. You can see how the labyrinth of streets were built to confuse invaders. We always managed to find our way out!

The bus system, as we’ve found on all the islands, is excellent for getting around. Our first trip took us on a breathtaking 2 hour ride to the northeast coast and the village of Apollon. We visited the Kouros of Apollo - a 10 metre unfinished statue that lies, as it has for centuries, still attached to the rock it was being carved from. There are 3 Kouros on Naxos, this is the only one we visited. After leaving this impressive gentleman we returned to the village and enjoyed lunch at a taverna situated on the beach, and then enjoyed a swim in the Aegean.
Another trip took us to the village of Filoti on Sunday morning. While sitting in an empty square reviewing our map for our planned hike, when we were suddenly inundated by a crowd of black clad, white bag carrying people. (Robert says a flotilla of Filotians cascaded down the stairs.) Something had taken place during the church service - we think maybe a baby Christening. Everyone was dressed in their Sunday best (mostly black) and carrying a white bag with fancy gold printing; some people were eating the contents of the bag. Later, as we wandered the back streets towards the church, we found one of the bags and saw that it contained what looked like crumbled fruit cake. A bit later on we met a young man with an 8 month old baby in his arms. He said that the baby was being Christened that day at another church, so we believe this was the day for christenings. We need to read up on this custom, because we have encountered it before and it appears to be cause for a very big celebration.

After our brief brush with modern day religion we left the village and hiked up Mt. Zas (Zeus) to visit the Cave of Zeus for a bit of mythology. Once again, the scenery was spectacular! The trail went from asphalt road (that most people drove up), to a marble trail, with the last bit being a bit of a scramble. Brenda, who was recovering from a cold, waited at the end of the marble trail while Robert continued on to the cave. Also, along the way was a natural spring under a huge old shade tree that served as a cool place to rest on the way up and back down.

We walked back down through Filoti to the village of Chalki, where while waiting for our bus, we visited a distillery. A fine spirit called Citron (say Kitron) is made from the leaves of a tree that produces a large citrus fruit that is neither a lemon or lime. The still has been in continuous use since the mid to late 1800’s. This liquor is only available on Naxos, so we are enjoying it while we’re here and Brenda proclaimed it medicinal for her cold.

As we only had a short time in Chalki before our bus came, we returned a couple of days later to spend some more time photographing this beautiful Venetian influenced village. We also visited a Byzantine church just out of town, in an olive grove.

Our time here on Naxos has been very special. A woman from England, Charlotte, has become a very good friend - we had great fun with her and will see her again. The experiences we’ve had and the things we’ve seen in Chora, in the villages, on the buses and the beaches will stay with us for a long time. We are very sad to leave here.

The “season” is quickly coming to an end. The taverna’s are power washing their tables and chairs before stacking them. The few establishments that are still open are empty except for the bored staff lounging and smoking while staring out at the sea or at their ever present cellphones. Even most of the street cats have gone somewhere else. It feels like we should turn out the lights as we leave.....

So, on to Athens and then to Bonny Scotland which by all reports is windy, rainy and cold - yea. (no exclamation mark)

Paros

The Super Jet ferry got us to Paros in about 5 hours from Crete. There’s none of the romance of the big slow ferries involved with the super jets. They are clean, efficient and fast. The seats set sixteen across, are just like the ones on airplanes and there are no outside decks because they travel so quickly.

We arrived to the usual flurry of offers of cheap rooms - we chose to stay in Parikia the port town and were quickly whisked away by Phillipp our host. His hotel is just a short walk from the port. There is a lovely quiet courtyard that our room overlooks; the front door of the hotel opens on to Market Street in the old town. This is a lovely Cycladic village with narrow streets that wind past great little shops and up to the Kastro with a Frankish Castle. The castle was build on the remains of a temple to Athena so the wall that remains is a jigsaw of unpainted column based and dressed blocks. The water front is a great place to walk and enjoy a meal.

Unfortunately, the day after we arrived the wind started to blow and for the next 3 days it continued to pick up speed until it reach force 9 and the ferries were cancelled for a couple of days. As a result of that we decided to book flights from Naxos to Athens on October 22 rather than risk being stranded and missing our flight to Scotland on the 23rd.

The wind does not reach into the old village or to our courtyard so we were able to take refuge when it became too much. We did take the bus to the next village up the coast, Naoussa, to see if it might be somewhere that we might like to stay. The wind was even stronger there and the village just did not appeal to us - it almost seemed contrived. We will stay here in Parikia for now.

Yesterday the wind had calmed down quite a bit so we took the bus to the mountain village of Lefkes. This is a quiet, beautiful place that is built in a natural amphitheater with pristine streets; the hilltops are dotted with old windmills. We walked through the entire village taking pictures of the charming houses and narrow streets - and of course the cats. At one point Brenda heard, from around a corner, the sound of a person huffing and puffing. As she turned the corner there was a very old lady climbing up a steep flight of stairs, struggling with her cane and a huge bag of fruit hung on her arm. Brenda hurried down to take her bag and carried it to her house. She told us in sign language that the fruit had blown off the trees. She rewarded us with two persimmons that she was carrying in her other hand, they were so ripe they would have been crushed in the bag of apples. We had never eaten persimmons like that - what a treat.

After walking through the village and a quick visit to the beautiful Agias Trias Cathedral (Church of the Holy Trinity) for photos, we found the real purpose of our trip to Lefkes. No - it’s not some tasty gourmet treat! The town is the start of a Byzantine path that leads to the village of Prodromos. The path often is paved with the original marble slabs, it climbs up and down through olive groves, with spectacular views of the country side and off in the distance the island of Naxos. We were reminded that most of you would be enjoying a Thanksgiving turkey as the path we walked was lined sage and the air was filled with the scent so familiar at this time of year. What a lovely way to spend a day.

Prodromos was still asleep when we arrived - these people take siesta time very seriously. We didn’t see another person on the path or in the village until we walked through to the other side to the bus station.

This morning we decided that we will leave for Naxos tomorrow. We have really enjoyed our time here on Paros and we are going to really miss the bakery right next door to the hotel. They have become our favourite breakfast place and the reason that we need to walk more ;-)

Leaving Crete

We’re on the move again

Our travels are in the hands of the gods. As we checked our options for the next two weeks it became evident that staying in Crete was not feasible at this time of year. Flights are expensive and there are fewer and fewer as the tourist season draws to a close. So, this morning we on a ferry heading for the island of Paros.

Let’s take you back to where we left off in our last entry. We were busy exploring Western Crete looking for places to possibly go to after leaving Platanias. Our quest took us to Paleochora on the south coast of Crete. We boarded the early morning bus ready for almost any eventuality - money, credit cards, passports, beach stuff, a change of clothes - you name it. The journey took us through the White Mountains past many little villages and of course, hundreds of orange & olive groves. Paleochora is a great little seaside village with a ton of little tavernas lining the sea shore. The village in on a peninsula so you have your choice of a couple of beaches. We stopped at a taverna for brunch and had fresh squeezed orange juice with our omelets. It’s going to be hard to go back to processed orange juice :-(. From the taverna we walked along the seawall which which turned into a path, and eventually disappeared, but since we were still following the shore we continued on. We passed by the ferry dock, a concrete soccer field and found ourselves, quite suddenly, at the city dump! Off in the distance we could see a beautiful beach so we carefully picked our way through the least awful part of the dump up to a road, that we had somehow missed earlier. None worse for wear, we finally got to the beach and spent a few hours on rented sunbeds under an umbrella. Of course because our packs were loaded with most of our valuables we were a little concerned about leaving them unattended while we swam. Our concerns were unfounded but we decided to take less with us on day trips.

The next morning we took the bus to Falasarna, a remote, tiny, former hippie settlement on the west coast. This time we were only carrying enough money for bus fare, a couple of meals and minor incidentals - what we could afford to lose should anything happen. So, we arrived. There was a couple of small hotels right where the bus let us off and signs for a beach taverna but that was pretty much it in the immediate area. We decided to have breakfast at the hotel closest to the sea because of the view from the terrace. The waiter informed us that there were no eggs, but they were expecting to receive some any time. We ordered bread, butter & jam, yogurt and honey, sausages, orange juice and coffee and asked to be informed when the eggs arrived. Shortly there after the waiter returned and said that the eggs had arrived so Brenda asked for one fried egg. Then the food started to arrive - two huge pieces of bread (about 1/2 a french loaf each), our sausages (that turned out to be more like fried wieners - yuck), the usual basket of bread - different than the butter and jam bread, and 2 fried eggs with more sausages!!! We just laughed about the pile of food that was enough to sustain us until dinner and fed the sausages to the dogs that were handing around the tables. This caught the attention of a couple at the next table and started a conversation with them. They are from Sweden and had taken a week away from their 6 children, 11 horses, dogs, cats, etc. The husband, Tjabbe had been to Crete years before and had returned to Falasarna with his wife Anita. We ended up spending the day on the beach with them and really enjoyed their company. We also fell absolutely in love with the area and wanted to stay over until the next day so we checked the rates at the hotel and counted our money and figured that we could make it work if we were very careful and didn’t go crazy like we did at breakfast.

Long story short - with a bit of help from our new friends we had 2 fabulous days on the beach at Falasarna. The water was perfect for swimming, there were waves to body surf in and the sand was warm and soft. Best of all it was not crowded at all. When we left the next day we arranged for Tjabbe and Anita to meet us in Platanias the next day so we could repay their generosity and kindness, and to spend some more time with them. We took them to Panorama, the restaurant that Nikos works at, for a delicious meal and all round great evening. We said good-by with promises to keep in touch and to visit each other someday.

On our final night in Platanias we walked to the next village, Agia Marina, for dinner at a restaurant owned a man named John who is a friend of Nikos. John is from New Zealand, he’s cooked for years and decided to open a steak house because the most successful restaurant he ever worked in was a steak house. His place is a little out of the way, but the food was fabulous and the decor very classy. We hope that he is successful.

We left Platanias on Tuesday and took the bus to Heraklion where we continued to explore this wonderful city using the Kronos Hotel as our home base. Our first stop was the Historical Museum of Crete, we were very impressed with this little museum especially the exhibit on the Second World War. After leaving the museum we walked the massive fortifications of the old Venetian city walls, at one of the seven bastions we climbed down into the busy streets and wandered back towards our hotel. That evening we dined at a Taverna that is purely Greek. From the pungent spicy salad with local soft cheese and some cooked wild greens, to the grilled lemony oyster mushrooms, the village sausages and french fries (Robert declared them the best of the trip so far) the meal surpassed many of the “tourist” places we had eaten at - this was real Greek food!

As we wandered the side streets the next day we came across a rather grande house with a lovely Boxer pup peering through the gate and wiggling with excitement. We stopped for a cuddle and a couple of wet kisses. The next time we passed by we saw the lady of the house and found out the pup’s name is Lola. Just down the street from Lola’s house we stopped for a cup of tea at a place that had we had noticed the day before. The thing that had caught Brenda’s attention was the tiered trays laden with delicious looking cookies. So, for 5 euros each we had a pot of tea, lovely sweets and a bottle of water. A bit of an extravagance but a very nice experience, rather like high tea only with Greek goodies.

Heraklion had changed quite a bit since we were last there - just over 2 weeks ago. It had transformed from a tourist focused city back to being a Greek city. Most of the souvenir shops were closed and there was very little signage in English. As we sat in a square on our last evening it was apparent that the Greeks had reclaimed their city - tourist season is pretty much over. This is a great time to be here.

So, now we are on our way to Paros because that is where the ferry was going today. We’ll see what the gods have in store for us there.