Crete island, 25th April- 3rd May, 2009
Kreeta saar, 25.aprill- 3.mai 2009 a.
*This here is part of my travel diary with the photos I made on the trip.Of course it's just a small part of it. Usually I make hundreds of photos & my diary is tens of pages long & naturally I can't put it all here.But I've chosen out the parts I've found more interesting, funny or just juicy:).If there is someone more interest in more photos & the full diary, let me know...I will post them to you.But now enjoy this one here!
*Kahjuks pean ma kõigile, kes ei oska inglise keelt, kurvastusega ütlema, et seekordne sissekanne saab olema valdavalt just inglise keeles.Mul on juba tükkaega olnud komme pidada reisidel päevikut ja seda inglise keeles.Kuna materjal on mahukas- minu päevikud on ikka kümneid lehekülgi pikad, siis ei hakka ma ennast piinama kõige selle tõlkimisega, küll aga panen ma iga pildi juurde ka lühikese eesti keelse kommentaari.Kes on rohkemast huvitatud, sellel ei jää muud üle kui õppida selgeks inglise keel või pöörduda otse minu poole, et muljeid kuulda:).Loodan, et vaatamata kõigele naudite seda siin!
*Kahjuks pean ma kõigile, kes ei oska inglise keelt, kurvastusega ütlema, et seekordne sissekanne saab olema valdavalt just inglise keeles.Mul on juba tükkaega olnud komme pidada reisidel päevikut ja seda inglise keeles.Kuna materjal on mahukas- minu päevikud on ikka kümneid lehekülgi pikad, siis ei hakka ma ennast piinama kõige selle tõlkimisega, küll aga panen ma iga pildi juurde ka lühikese eesti keelse kommentaari.Kes on rohkemast huvitatud, sellel ei jää muud üle kui õppida selgeks inglise keel või pöörduda otse minu poole, et muljeid kuulda:).Loodan, et vaatamata kõigele naudite seda siin!
Saturday, 25th of April, 2009
This trip came kind of sudden.It was only on Wednesday when we, me & Kaire, booked & paid the trip.Kaire has been especially passionate about going to Crete & it kind of infected me too...Wednesday morning Kaire decided to rang to the travel agency to see if there are any vacancies in the first place.There were still two rooms free & so we had to decide quickly what we'll do...I called to my parents to ask if they can borrow me some money & as they agreed it was a done deal...It all went really quickly, so it hadn't really sunk to me on Saturday when I left home.Though I managed to get ready with all the packing which is surprise to consider the speed we had.
My flight was suppose to leave at 4 PM & I had to be in the airport at 2 PM, but still I left the home already at 9 in the morning to drive to the capital.I was already at 11.30 in Tallinn & had plenty of time.Since airport isn't too far from the bus station, maybe some 5 km, I decided I will walk there.With all the luggage it wasn't really the best idea especially going uphill ( there's a small rise on the way but it seemed like Mt. Everest:)).But still I was around 1 in the airport.So, I just sat there & waited for Kaire who came to Tallinn the day earlier.
When Kaire finally arrived we got the vouchers, give away our luggage & were ready to fly.I love flying but this time it wasn't very pleasant.It was extremely hot in the saloon & as our windows were faced right to the sun it made it even worse.So after 4 hours in these conditions I was really happy to be in the ground finally.
The first impression to the Crete was... mountains...& mountains ...& palms.We were welcomed by our guides, 3 nice girls Heidi, Kerli & Kristel who were there to help us out in any trouble we might get into in these 9 days.And then we had the transfer to the hotel.It was dark already( it was 8 PM when we landed) & we didn't see much but it looked nice.The lights of Chania reflecting back from Souda Bay & mountains surrounding it...Lovely!
Our hotel was in the village called Kavros at the beach of the same name ( Kavros beach is the longest in Crete) & of course the name of the hotel was also
* This is the main building with the entrance to the hotel we staid in.The part of the hotel we staid was some 100 m away from it.
* Hotell , milles me peatusime kandis nime Kavros Beach & see siin pildil on peahoone.Tegelikult koosnes hotell erinevatest hoonetest.See kus meie tuba asus oli peahoonest mingi 100 m eemal.
Kavros Beach ( very original I have to admit:) but then there were no misunderstandings what-so-ever:)).The biggest city close to it is Rethymnon & the closest holiday resort is Georgioupolis, some 4 km away.Kavros is really nice & quiet place & as it was just the beginning of the holiday season there wasn't many tourists.For a some days our hotel was just only for Estonians so it felt like at home, only just with blue sea & mountains:).
First in the hotel we had a dinner, it was really good( I basically
*This kind of courtyard or even like a garden between different parts of the buildings took to the restaurant.
*Selline siseõu või isegi aed erinevate majade vahel viis peahoone juurest restorani.
fell in love with Greek/ Cretan cusine during this trip:)).Then we made the check-in & got our room, it was 916.The hotel had many buildings & the one we lived in was some 100 m from the main building & a bit
*This is the building we staid in.Picture is taken from the side of the main building.So it kind of gives the idea how widely were the buildings situated.
*See on nüüd see hoone, milles asus meie tuba.Pilt on tehtud peahoone juurest, seega saab hea ettekujutuse sellest kui laiali tegelikult asusid hotelli erinevad hooned.
more from the restaurant.The room was on the first floor, just facing flowers next to the terrace, it was lovely, quite big for a standard room with
*This is our room.
* Selline nägi siis väja meie tuba.
decent bathroom.Just it was the beginning of the holiday season & it was pretty clammy.But it was definitely better than I had in Sicily in 2007.
My flight was suppose to leave at 4 PM & I had to be in the airport at 2 PM, but still I left the home already at 9 in the morning to drive to the capital.I was already at 11.30 in Tallinn & had plenty of time.Since airport isn't too far from the bus station, maybe some 5 km, I decided I will walk there.With all the luggage it wasn't really the best idea especially going uphill ( there's a small rise on the way but it seemed like Mt. Everest:)).But still I was around 1 in the airport.So, I just sat there & waited for Kaire who came to Tallinn the day earlier.
When Kaire finally arrived we got the vouchers, give away our luggage & were ready to fly.I love flying but this time it wasn't very pleasant.It was extremely hot in the saloon & as our windows were faced right to the sun it made it even worse.So after 4 hours in these conditions I was really happy to be in the ground finally.
The first impression to the Crete was... mountains...& mountains ...& palms.We were welcomed by our guides, 3 nice girls Heidi, Kerli & Kristel who were there to help us out in any trouble we might get into in these 9 days.And then we had the transfer to the hotel.It was dark already( it was 8 PM when we landed) & we didn't see much but it looked nice.The lights of Chania reflecting back from Souda Bay & mountains surrounding it...Lovely!
Our hotel was in the village called Kavros at the beach of the same name ( Kavros beach is the longest in Crete) & of course the name of the hotel was also
* This is the main building with the entrance to the hotel we staid in.The part of the hotel we staid was some 100 m away from it.* Hotell , milles me peatusime kandis nime Kavros Beach & see siin pildil on peahoone.Tegelikult koosnes hotell erinevatest hoonetest.See kus meie tuba asus oli peahoonest mingi 100 m eemal.
Kavros Beach ( very original I have to admit:) but then there were no misunderstandings what-so-ever:)).The biggest city close to it is Rethymnon & the closest holiday resort is Georgioupolis, some 4 km away.Kavros is really nice & quiet place & as it was just the beginning of the holiday season there wasn't many tourists.For a some days our hotel was just only for Estonians so it felt like at home, only just with blue sea & mountains:).
First in the hotel we had a dinner, it was really good( I basically
*This kind of courtyard or even like a garden between different parts of the buildings took to the restaurant.*Selline siseõu või isegi aed erinevate majade vahel viis peahoone juurest restorani.
fell in love with Greek/ Cretan cusine during this trip:)).Then we made the check-in & got our room, it was 916.The hotel had many buildings & the one we lived in was some 100 m from the main building & a bit
*This is the building we staid in.Picture is taken from the side of the main building.So it kind of gives the idea how widely were the buildings situated.*See on nüüd see hoone, milles asus meie tuba.Pilt on tehtud peahoone juurest, seega saab hea ettekujutuse sellest kui laiali tegelikult asusid hotelli erinevad hooned.
more from the restaurant.The room was on the first floor, just facing flowers next to the terrace, it was lovely, quite big for a standard room with
*This is our room.* Selline nägi siis väja meie tuba.
decent bathroom.Just it was the beginning of the holiday season & it was pretty clammy.But it was definitely better than I had in Sicily in 2007.
*And the view we had from the terrace.We didn't really had a balcony like the rooms higher but I liked it this way.We could use it as a second entrance & we kind of had a garden:).
* Selline vaade avanes siis meie terrassilt.Meil ei olnud oma rõdu, mitte nagu tubades , mis asusid kõrgematel korrustel.Aga mulle meeldis just sedasi, sest seda sai kasutada nagu teist sissekäiku ja pealegi oli meil oma aed:).
Sunday, 26th of April, 2009
We were up around 7 this morning.There were some geese in the garden next to us, some big ones & some little chicks.They woke us up.We saw them 
*The geese family in our garden. There were some 5-7 big ones & 4-5 chicks that we saw every day.
*Seda hane peret kõrval maja aias nägime me iga päev.Keegi teadis räääkida, et peahoones olevat suisa kanad olnud. Üldse tundus olema suht palju loomi, muidugi eriti kitsi ja lambaid, neid nägi nüüd küll kõikjal.Aga ka igasuguseid linde oli kah kõikjal:).
constantly in the next days, so it came kind of daily routine to us. ( Somebody told that in the main building there were chicken:)).The sleep was fine, it had been cold but I liked it...I don't like sleeping in the hot room, so it wasn't a problem for me but Kaire told it's too cold for her & at some point we asked the remote control for the conditioner.
*The geese weren't the only " pets " we saw.The first morning there was a huge snail crawling in our terrace...And I mean really HUGE!
*Haned ei olnud ainukesed "koduloomad" keda me nägime.Esimesel hommikul roomas meie rõdul tõeliselt pirakas tigu...ikka tõsiselt PIRAKAS! Umbes nagu meil vahel kohatav viinamäe tigu.Kas ta ka süüa kõlbas? Ei tea.Ju vist maitses küüslaugu leiva järgi:).Meie peal olevast toast oli paar tükki meie rõdule kukkunud ja tigu lasi sellel kohe südamest hea maitsta:).Paluks rohkem turiste!:)
First we had breakfast.We were told that the breakfast might be very poor like it is usual in
*This is our usual breakfast, the one that some called jam & bread...Yeah right!? It definitely looks like it!
*Hommikusöök.Enne reisi öeldi meile, et enamasti on hommikusöögiks mingi moosisai...Palun, see siin on siis meie moosisai:)!Tegelikult oli söök väga hea ja korralikult sai kõhu täis.Meil tekkis hoopis probleem, et mis me teeme kõige sellega, mis meil kaasa oli võetud.
southern Europe but instead it was really full, even too full for me as I don't eat much in the morning.So I don't have anything bad to say about the food in this trip.We had taken some food with us as we thought we might end up in hunger if the breakfast is so poor as we were told.Now we had to worry how to destroy everything we had taken:).
This morning we also had an information hour from our guides to let us know all the basic things we might need to know about the island.And there we could also buy some excursions if we wanted.There were 5 different trips, 2 I knew I wouldn't take...One of them to Samaria gorge.It's a 16 km long walk in the mountains & I'm definitely not fit enough for that:).And the other one I was pretty sure I wouldn't go was the Cretan night.It could have been interesting but I'm not into dancing that much:).So there were 3 trips I had to choose...First to Elafonissi beach.It sounded really interesting but it also included 3 hrs at the beach & so I decided not to take it.And so there were 2 we took- Meet Crete ( kind of overall trip about the island & its culture) & Iraklion+ Knossos.
Later in the day we decide to take a walk to the nearby village Georgioupolis.It's the main
*Kavros beach.At the very far end of the beach is Georgioupolis.
*Kavrose rand.Koht kus siis meie peatusime.Päris ranna lõpus asub piirkonna olulisim kuurort Georgioupolis.
*The beach next to our hotel.
*Rand meie hotelli juures.
*Kavros beach & Lefka´Ori mountains ( the name means "white mountains", we actually could see them with the white spots on top, in summer it would have been melted).
*Kavrose rand ja Lefka´Ori mäestik.Mäestiku nimi tähendab tõlgituna "valged mäed" ja meie veel nägime neid valgete harjadega, suvel oleks kõik see sulanud olnud.
holiday resort in Kavros beach & a 4-km-walk from our hotel which we decide to take at the beach.That was quite a training....
*The sea takes its own victims, dead fish we found on the way to Georgioupolis.
*Meri nõuab oma.Selle surnud kala leisime kui läksime Georgioupolisse.Nimelt otsustasime selle jalutuskäigu mööda randa ette võtta.See on kuskil selline tunnine jalutuskäik.Võttis läbi ikka küll!
The village itself is lovely! We did look around a bit but not too much as we had to go back as
*Harbour in Georgioulpolis.
*Sadam Georgioupolises.See on selline vaikne kuurort linnake, ei midagi suurt ja erilist, aga omamoodi armas.
*Beach promenade in Georgioupolis.
*Rannapromenaad Georgioupolises.
*Train station...in a place I doubt there has ever been any trains & below me waiting for the unexisting train:).
*Rongipeatus kohas, kus vist kunagi pole ühtegi rongi olnud & alumisel pildil mina ootamas seda olematut rongi:).
well.We visited some shops ( by the way, it seems like every little shop is called SUPERmarket...figure it out:)).And at the half way back we found ourselves in the middle of naked men.Where they came from we had no idea 'cos when we went to Georgioupolis there were only 2 guys walking their dogs in this place but one of a sudden there were all these undress male persons:).Maybe it was a nudist part though you couldn't really see it in any other way than thru certain body parts:).
Back in the hotel we were so tired that we didn't do much, only went to swim in the sea, had dinner, read a little & went to sleep.This night we discovered the disadavntages of our hotel- the walls were as thick as paper...I fell asleep around 11 but was brutaly awaken by Lady GaGa " Poker Face " screaming into my ear.We had a young couple as neighbours & they decided to have some music...and not only...;).Anyway we soon found out everything about their sex life:).
*The geese family in our garden. There were some 5-7 big ones & 4-5 chicks that we saw every day.*Seda hane peret kõrval maja aias nägime me iga päev.Keegi teadis räääkida, et peahoones olevat suisa kanad olnud. Üldse tundus olema suht palju loomi, muidugi eriti kitsi ja lambaid, neid nägi nüüd küll kõikjal.Aga ka igasuguseid linde oli kah kõikjal:).
constantly in the next days, so it came kind of daily routine to us. ( Somebody told that in the main building there were chicken:)).The sleep was fine, it had been cold but I liked it...I don't like sleeping in the hot room, so it wasn't a problem for me but Kaire told it's too cold for her & at some point we asked the remote control for the conditioner.
*The geese weren't the only " pets " we saw.The first morning there was a huge snail crawling in our terrace...And I mean really HUGE!*Haned ei olnud ainukesed "koduloomad" keda me nägime.Esimesel hommikul roomas meie rõdul tõeliselt pirakas tigu...ikka tõsiselt PIRAKAS! Umbes nagu meil vahel kohatav viinamäe tigu.Kas ta ka süüa kõlbas? Ei tea.Ju vist maitses küüslaugu leiva järgi:).Meie peal olevast toast oli paar tükki meie rõdule kukkunud ja tigu lasi sellel kohe südamest hea maitsta:).Paluks rohkem turiste!:)
First we had breakfast.We were told that the breakfast might be very poor like it is usual in
*This is our usual breakfast, the one that some called jam & bread...Yeah right!? It definitely looks like it!*Hommikusöök.Enne reisi öeldi meile, et enamasti on hommikusöögiks mingi moosisai...Palun, see siin on siis meie moosisai:)!Tegelikult oli söök väga hea ja korralikult sai kõhu täis.Meil tekkis hoopis probleem, et mis me teeme kõige sellega, mis meil kaasa oli võetud.
southern Europe but instead it was really full, even too full for me as I don't eat much in the morning.So I don't have anything bad to say about the food in this trip.We had taken some food with us as we thought we might end up in hunger if the breakfast is so poor as we were told.Now we had to worry how to destroy everything we had taken:).
This morning we also had an information hour from our guides to let us know all the basic things we might need to know about the island.And there we could also buy some excursions if we wanted.There were 5 different trips, 2 I knew I wouldn't take...One of them to Samaria gorge.It's a 16 km long walk in the mountains & I'm definitely not fit enough for that:).And the other one I was pretty sure I wouldn't go was the Cretan night.It could have been interesting but I'm not into dancing that much:).So there were 3 trips I had to choose...First to Elafonissi beach.It sounded really interesting but it also included 3 hrs at the beach & so I decided not to take it.And so there were 2 we took- Meet Crete ( kind of overall trip about the island & its culture) & Iraklion+ Knossos.
Later in the day we decide to take a walk to the nearby village Georgioupolis.It's the main
*Kavros beach.At the very far end of the beach is Georgioupolis.*Kavrose rand.Koht kus siis meie peatusime.Päris ranna lõpus asub piirkonna olulisim kuurort Georgioupolis.
*The beach next to our hotel.*Rand meie hotelli juures.
*Kavros beach & Lefka´Ori mountains ( the name means "white mountains", we actually could see them with the white spots on top, in summer it would have been melted).*Kavrose rand ja Lefka´Ori mäestik.Mäestiku nimi tähendab tõlgituna "valged mäed" ja meie veel nägime neid valgete harjadega, suvel oleks kõik see sulanud olnud.
holiday resort in Kavros beach & a 4-km-walk from our hotel which we decide to take at the beach.That was quite a training....
*The sea takes its own victims, dead fish we found on the way to Georgioupolis.*Meri nõuab oma.Selle surnud kala leisime kui läksime Georgioupolisse.Nimelt otsustasime selle jalutuskäigu mööda randa ette võtta.See on kuskil selline tunnine jalutuskäik.Võttis läbi ikka küll!
The village itself is lovely! We did look around a bit but not too much as we had to go back as
*Harbour in Georgioulpolis.*Sadam Georgioupolises.See on selline vaikne kuurort linnake, ei midagi suurt ja erilist, aga omamoodi armas.
*Beach promenade in Georgioupolis.*Rannapromenaad Georgioupolises.
*Train station...in a place I doubt there has ever been any trains & below me waiting for the unexisting train:).*Rongipeatus kohas, kus vist kunagi pole ühtegi rongi olnud & alumisel pildil mina ootamas seda olematut rongi:).
well.We visited some shops ( by the way, it seems like every little shop is called SUPERmarket...figure it out:)).And at the half way back we found ourselves in the middle of naked men.Where they came from we had no idea 'cos when we went to Georgioupolis there were only 2 guys walking their dogs in this place but one of a sudden there were all these undress male persons:).Maybe it was a nudist part though you couldn't really see it in any other way than thru certain body parts:).Back in the hotel we were so tired that we didn't do much, only went to swim in the sea, had dinner, read a little & went to sleep.This night we discovered the disadavntages of our hotel- the walls were as thick as paper...I fell asleep around 11 but was brutaly awaken by Lady GaGa " Poker Face " screaming into my ear.We had a young couple as neighbours & they decided to have some music...and not only...;).Anyway we soon found out everything about their sex life:).
*These plants/ trees we could see everywhere in the island, they looked really bizarre.I would really liked to know what it was? So, if anybody knows, let me know!
*Neid taimi/ puid nägime me kõikjal saarel.Õied näevad välja kui pudeliharjad:).Tahaks väga teada, mis see on? Kui keegi oskab ütelda, oleks tore!
*Neid taimi/ puid nägime me kõikjal saarel.Õied näevad välja kui pudeliharjad:).Tahaks väga teada, mis see on? Kui keegi oskab ütelda, oleks tore!
Monday, 27th of April, 2009
When I woke up that morning I wasn't feeling very good, wasn't really my day.So I was glad I didn't take the Elafonissi trip, in this condition it wouldn't have been a very good idea.And fortunately the weather was on my side as well, the day was windy & cloudy all the time.So I 
*These three photos above are views to the stormy Cretan sea.Loved that sea & especially on that day!
*Need kolm pilti üleval on tehtud teisipäeval kui oli väheke tuulisem ja pilvisem ilm.Vaated tormisele Kreeta merele.Nautisin kohutavalt seda merd ja eriti just sel päeval!
took the day easy- layd on the beach, read some books, wrote my diary & slept a little.It was just nice relaxed day to gain some energy for the coming days.
We did do some walk in the nearby village, watched into some shops ( I still can't understand how they take the meaning of supermarket, in Estonia this kind of shops would have been just some local stores...But this is my own problem I think:)), saw some local everyday life but
*A view in the nearby village.Very typaical view actually, mountains & sheep ( or goats) were everywhere in this island.
*Pilt tehtud külas, tüüpiline kreeta vaade.Mäed ja lambad, või siis kitsed, olid igal pool sellel saarel.
*Well, not sure was it a local junk yard or what but in the middle of nowhere there was standing a chair...
*Ei tea, mis see seal nüüd täpselt oli- prügimägi või mitte, aga keset tühja platsi seis tool...
nothing big, just the easy walk.In other condition I would have thought of going to Kourna lake, it was only some5-6 km from the hotel, but as next day we had an excursion & it also included the stop at the lake, I didn't bother to torture myself.
So, it was just a relaxed day, except of Kaire...this crazy chick decided she'll go swimming
*A crazy Estonian is going to have some swim in a day that normal people stay away from the beach.
*Ega hulle eestlasi siis ilm pea, kui juba lõunas, siis ikka ujuma.Mis sellest, et iga normaalne inimene oleks sellise ilmaga rannast eemale hoidunud.
when everybody else is trying to stay away from the sea:). I just enjoyd the sound of the sea, watch waves & read my book.Love stormy sea, it relaxes!
*These three photos above are views to the stormy Cretan sea.Loved that sea & especially on that day!*Need kolm pilti üleval on tehtud teisipäeval kui oli väheke tuulisem ja pilvisem ilm.Vaated tormisele Kreeta merele.Nautisin kohutavalt seda merd ja eriti just sel päeval!
took the day easy- layd on the beach, read some books, wrote my diary & slept a little.It was just nice relaxed day to gain some energy for the coming days.
We did do some walk in the nearby village, watched into some shops ( I still can't understand how they take the meaning of supermarket, in Estonia this kind of shops would have been just some local stores...But this is my own problem I think:)), saw some local everyday life but
*A view in the nearby village.Very typaical view actually, mountains & sheep ( or goats) were everywhere in this island.*Pilt tehtud külas, tüüpiline kreeta vaade.Mäed ja lambad, või siis kitsed, olid igal pool sellel saarel.
*Well, not sure was it a local junk yard or what but in the middle of nowhere there was standing a chair...*Ei tea, mis see seal nüüd täpselt oli- prügimägi või mitte, aga keset tühja platsi seis tool...
nothing big, just the easy walk.In other condition I would have thought of going to Kourna lake, it was only some5-6 km from the hotel, but as next day we had an excursion & it also included the stop at the lake, I didn't bother to torture myself.
So, it was just a relaxed day, except of Kaire...this crazy chick decided she'll go swimming
*A crazy Estonian is going to have some swim in a day that normal people stay away from the beach.*Ega hulle eestlasi siis ilm pea, kui juba lõunas, siis ikka ujuma.Mis sellest, et iga normaalne inimene oleks sellise ilmaga rannast eemale hoidunud.
when everybody else is trying to stay away from the sea:). I just enjoyd the sound of the sea, watch waves & read my book.Love stormy sea, it relaxes!
Tuesday, 28th of April, 2009
This day was one of our excursions.It was called " Meet Crete", sort of overall trip to introduce the island & its culture.We were first ever group to be offered that & we might stay the last ones.Since it was the very beginning of the holiday season, many of the usual attractions were closed & not available yet, so it was sort of alternative to that.
We left the hotel at 8.30 in the morning & the first thing that our guide told us was that we should be prepared for extreme 'cos they have never been up in the mountains with such a big buses.I was thrilled 'cos I loved mountain roads already in Sicily & hoped they would be as cool.But Kaire wasn't very happy with it as she's not good with heights & curvy roads.But she did well!
Our first destination that day was Therisso canyon & on the way we were taught some Greek.Some phrases were really amusing, especially I liked the word "Cheers!"- "Jamas!".Estonian has the similar word but it means "in trouble".So, you begin the evening with raki (traditional Cretan alcohol drink) & at the end you'll be in trouble:).
In Therisso we just drove through it.The sight is just amazing, mountains rising high above
*Cliffs in Therisso canyon.Since we were driving through it, it was impossible to make any photos that give forward the impression of it.But you really have to see it with your own eyes!
*Mäed Therisso kanjonis.Kuna me sealt lihtsalt läbi sõitsime , ei olnud võimalik teha ühtegi pilti, mis annaks ettekujutuse, milline see koht on.Aga koht on võimas, kalju kõrgumas su kohal ja inimene nagu sipelgas nende keskel.Üks selliseid kohti, mida tuleb oma silmaga näha, et kogeda seda tunnet!
you & you are so tiny in it.But it's one of those things you really can't describe in words but have to see with your own eyes.So, no more bubbling about it...
Well, the mountain roads were as extreme as we were told.I was exited when I drove them in Sicily but they were nowhere close what we had in Crete, so narrow that you wonder how anything bigger than motorbike can fit to it.But the sights were amazing...And we got stuck
*View up in the mountains.
*Vaade üleval mägedes.
with the bus when the sight was the best.Even I wasn't sure we will fit to the road there- it was so narrow & you could see gorge going down the hill, blue sea & tiny village glazing from the bottom...Really beautiful but also scary.But our driver was on the top of his job & I'm here to write this blog:).
*Everywhere in the island but especially up in the mountains there were this kind of tiny "churches " beside the roads.They were put to the places where have been car accidents, either as a gratitude for survival ( then the churches were without the cross) or as a memory to those who were killed there (then the church had cross on top of it like the one in this picture).
*Igal pool saarel, aga eriti mägedes võis näha selliseid pisikesi nn kirikuid teede ääres.Need on pandud kohtadesse , kus on toimunud liiklusõnnetus, kas siis kui tänutäheks, et inimene on ellu jäänud ( sellisel juhul ei ole kirikutel risti) või siis kui mälestumärk õnnetuses hukkunule ( siis on kirikud ristiga nagu sellelgi pildil).
Our first stop was in the small village called Armeni up in the mountains.Who wanted could go
*Church in Armeni village.
*Kirik Armeni külas üleval mägedes.
to the toilet, have a cup of coffee, walk in the village...Me & Kaire we went to sneak around
*Two photos above are views to the village streets in Armeni village.
*Kaks ülemist pilti on külatänavad Armeni külas.
the village.We could see the typical village- tavern in the middle, men sitting there & gossiping
*Told to be very typical sight in Cretan village- tavern in the middle of the village, men sitting there at the siesta time, gossiping about everything & watching what is going on in the village.Well, they had something to tell for a while after we had been there.:)
*Väidetavalt täiesti tavaline kreeta küla pilt- tavern küla keskel, mehed istumas seal siestaa jal, rääkimas viimaseid kuulujutte ( kes väitis, et naised on suurmad klatšimoorid?:)) ja vaatamas, mis küla peal kah huvitavat toimub.Arvatavasti peale meie käiku jätkus neil mõneks ajaks jutuainet:).
& an old woman guiding it all. Loved this place!
*This kind of three-wheeled-tractors I could see in many places at the island, probably very convinient to drive at the mountain roads.
*Selliseid kolme rattaga traktoreid nägin ma nii mõnelgi pool saarel, ju siis piisavalt mugavad mägedes sõitmiseks.
After Armeni we drove to Kourna lake.It's the only non-salt-water reserve in Crete.There is
another lake in the island as well but it is connected to the sea.Kourna was told to be a breeding place for turtles.Of course we didn't see them but you could rent a boat & go to their breeding place if you wished for.And there were geese again:).Anyway, it was a very beautiful & I could make some pretty impressive shots.
*This and the photo above: Kourna lake.
*Sellel ja ka ülemisel pildil on Kourna järv, ainuke magevee järv saarel.On veel ka teine järv, kuid see on ühenduses merega.Samuti oluline kilpkonnade pesitsuspaik.
Then we headed to the old Lapa city from Doric times.Not much of it is remained.But we took
*So much is left of the ancient Lapa city nowadays- not much, only ruins of the city walls.
*Nii palju on siis säilinud iidsest dooria aegsest Lapa linnast.Pole just palju, vaid linnamüüri varemed.
a little walk on the ruins of it.There was also a sanctuary of Five Virgins- a little church with
*The sanctuary of Five Virgins with the caves & small church ( in the right, the little white building).
*Viie Neitsi pühamu koos koobaste ja kirikuga ( pilidl paremas servas, väike valge hoone).
the caves.And believed -to- be holy springs that make you feel better & look younger.Kaire drank from it hoping it will heal her sore throat & I washed my face but it neither made me younger nor Kaire better.Maybe it's the matter of belief!:)
Next to the springs there was also a 2000-years-old platanus tree.I like old trees, they give
*2000 years old platanus tree next to the holy springs.
*2000 aastat vana plataania, mille juures asusid ka väidetavalt tervendavad allikad.
you the fake impression of eternity.I also saw some old olive trees on the island as well.
The walk itself lasted some 30 minuts in the forest so it also gave me some idea of the local nature.We were lucky to be in Crete at this time of the year when everything was still blooming & green.I even found some plants we also have in Estonia like white clover.
*White clover.In Estonia it usually blooms in summer but in Crete it was blooming in April.So much difference in the climates.
*Valge ristikhein, mis meil Eestis õitseb keset suve, Kreetal juba õitses.Nii palju erinev on siis kliima.
Then we headed to village Argiroupoli.There who wanted could go to see the local folklore
*View to Argiroupoli village.
*Vaade Argiroupoli külale.
museum.It's a private museum held by a local man & most of the things were collected by him or by his family, many of the things first even belonged to his family.There were all sort of things from weddings 'til funeral & from coffee making 'til warfare.It was very interesting.Then we had some time to walk around the village.I went to the local bakery &
*Ruins of the old Roman period mosaic floor in Argiroupoli.
*Rooma aegse mosaiikpõranda jäänused Argiroupolis.
bought some biscuits- they were really yummie!And after that who wanted could go by feet (like me) or by bus ( like Kaire 'cos her leg was hurting) downhill to the tavern.It was some 15 minutes walk but it was straight to downhill & I was pretty tired when we finally were in the tavern.
*Two phots above: climbing downhill from Argiroupoli.
*Kaks fotot üleval: ronimas mäest alla Argiroupolis.
The tavern itself was in very beautiful place surrounded by small waterfalls or mountain
*Tavern in the valley of Argiroupoli.It was surrounded with tiny waterfalls & mountain springs.
*Tavern Argiroupoli orus.Selle ümbruses oli hästi palju väikeseid koskeid ja mägiojasid.Hästi kena koht.
springs.Really nice place! Kaire & I, we bought a kebab for two which was delicious.This was also last destination that day & we drove back to hotel.
In the evning I had quite some laugh.Kaire was constantly singing some kids' songs & I had always something to say about it.This night out neighbours, the sexy ones:), came to the hotel & the girl was singing loud & wrong all over the hotel- "Ole-ole-olee".I just couldn't stay quiet!:)
We left the hotel at 8.30 in the morning & the first thing that our guide told us was that we should be prepared for extreme 'cos they have never been up in the mountains with such a big buses.I was thrilled 'cos I loved mountain roads already in Sicily & hoped they would be as cool.But Kaire wasn't very happy with it as she's not good with heights & curvy roads.But she did well!
Our first destination that day was Therisso canyon & on the way we were taught some Greek.Some phrases were really amusing, especially I liked the word "Cheers!"- "Jamas!".Estonian has the similar word but it means "in trouble".So, you begin the evening with raki (traditional Cretan alcohol drink) & at the end you'll be in trouble:).
In Therisso we just drove through it.The sight is just amazing, mountains rising high above
*Cliffs in Therisso canyon.Since we were driving through it, it was impossible to make any photos that give forward the impression of it.But you really have to see it with your own eyes!*Mäed Therisso kanjonis.Kuna me sealt lihtsalt läbi sõitsime , ei olnud võimalik teha ühtegi pilti, mis annaks ettekujutuse, milline see koht on.Aga koht on võimas, kalju kõrgumas su kohal ja inimene nagu sipelgas nende keskel.Üks selliseid kohti, mida tuleb oma silmaga näha, et kogeda seda tunnet!
you & you are so tiny in it.But it's one of those things you really can't describe in words but have to see with your own eyes.So, no more bubbling about it...
Well, the mountain roads were as extreme as we were told.I was exited when I drove them in Sicily but they were nowhere close what we had in Crete, so narrow that you wonder how anything bigger than motorbike can fit to it.But the sights were amazing...And we got stuck
*View up in the mountains.*Vaade üleval mägedes.
with the bus when the sight was the best.Even I wasn't sure we will fit to the road there- it was so narrow & you could see gorge going down the hill, blue sea & tiny village glazing from the bottom...Really beautiful but also scary.But our driver was on the top of his job & I'm here to write this blog:).
*Everywhere in the island but especially up in the mountains there were this kind of tiny "churches " beside the roads.They were put to the places where have been car accidents, either as a gratitude for survival ( then the churches were without the cross) or as a memory to those who were killed there (then the church had cross on top of it like the one in this picture).*Igal pool saarel, aga eriti mägedes võis näha selliseid pisikesi nn kirikuid teede ääres.Need on pandud kohtadesse , kus on toimunud liiklusõnnetus, kas siis kui tänutäheks, et inimene on ellu jäänud ( sellisel juhul ei ole kirikutel risti) või siis kui mälestumärk õnnetuses hukkunule ( siis on kirikud ristiga nagu sellelgi pildil).
Our first stop was in the small village called Armeni up in the mountains.Who wanted could go
*Church in Armeni village.*Kirik Armeni külas üleval mägedes.
to the toilet, have a cup of coffee, walk in the village...Me & Kaire we went to sneak around
*Two photos above are views to the village streets in Armeni village.*Kaks ülemist pilti on külatänavad Armeni külas.
the village.We could see the typical village- tavern in the middle, men sitting there & gossiping
*Told to be very typical sight in Cretan village- tavern in the middle of the village, men sitting there at the siesta time, gossiping about everything & watching what is going on in the village.Well, they had something to tell for a while after we had been there.:)*Väidetavalt täiesti tavaline kreeta küla pilt- tavern küla keskel, mehed istumas seal siestaa jal, rääkimas viimaseid kuulujutte ( kes väitis, et naised on suurmad klatšimoorid?:)) ja vaatamas, mis küla peal kah huvitavat toimub.Arvatavasti peale meie käiku jätkus neil mõneks ajaks jutuainet:).
& an old woman guiding it all. Loved this place!
*This kind of three-wheeled-tractors I could see in many places at the island, probably very convinient to drive at the mountain roads.*Selliseid kolme rattaga traktoreid nägin ma nii mõnelgi pool saarel, ju siis piisavalt mugavad mägedes sõitmiseks.
After Armeni we drove to Kourna lake.It's the only non-salt-water reserve in Crete.There is
another lake in the island as well but it is connected to the sea.Kourna was told to be a breeding place for turtles.Of course we didn't see them but you could rent a boat & go to their breeding place if you wished for.And there were geese again:).Anyway, it was a very beautiful & I could make some pretty impressive shots.
*This and the photo above: Kourna lake.*Sellel ja ka ülemisel pildil on Kourna järv, ainuke magevee järv saarel.On veel ka teine järv, kuid see on ühenduses merega.Samuti oluline kilpkonnade pesitsuspaik.
Then we headed to the old Lapa city from Doric times.Not much of it is remained.But we took
*So much is left of the ancient Lapa city nowadays- not much, only ruins of the city walls.*Nii palju on siis säilinud iidsest dooria aegsest Lapa linnast.Pole just palju, vaid linnamüüri varemed.
a little walk on the ruins of it.There was also a sanctuary of Five Virgins- a little church with
*The sanctuary of Five Virgins with the caves & small church ( in the right, the little white building).*Viie Neitsi pühamu koos koobaste ja kirikuga ( pilidl paremas servas, väike valge hoone).
the caves.And believed -to- be holy springs that make you feel better & look younger.Kaire drank from it hoping it will heal her sore throat & I washed my face but it neither made me younger nor Kaire better.Maybe it's the matter of belief!:)
Next to the springs there was also a 2000-years-old platanus tree.I like old trees, they give
*2000 years old platanus tree next to the holy springs.*2000 aastat vana plataania, mille juures asusid ka väidetavalt tervendavad allikad.
you the fake impression of eternity.I also saw some old olive trees on the island as well.
The walk itself lasted some 30 minuts in the forest so it also gave me some idea of the local nature.We were lucky to be in Crete at this time of the year when everything was still blooming & green.I even found some plants we also have in Estonia like white clover.
*White clover.In Estonia it usually blooms in summer but in Crete it was blooming in April.So much difference in the climates.*Valge ristikhein, mis meil Eestis õitseb keset suve, Kreetal juba õitses.Nii palju erinev on siis kliima.
Then we headed to village Argiroupoli.There who wanted could go to see the local folklore
*View to Argiroupoli village.*Vaade Argiroupoli külale.
museum.It's a private museum held by a local man & most of the things were collected by him or by his family, many of the things first even belonged to his family.There were all sort of things from weddings 'til funeral & from coffee making 'til warfare.It was very interesting.Then we had some time to walk around the village.I went to the local bakery &
*Ruins of the old Roman period mosaic floor in Argiroupoli.*Rooma aegse mosaiikpõranda jäänused Argiroupolis.
bought some biscuits- they were really yummie!And after that who wanted could go by feet (like me) or by bus ( like Kaire 'cos her leg was hurting) downhill to the tavern.It was some 15 minutes walk but it was straight to downhill & I was pretty tired when we finally were in the tavern.
*Two phots above: climbing downhill from Argiroupoli.*Kaks fotot üleval: ronimas mäest alla Argiroupolis.
The tavern itself was in very beautiful place surrounded by small waterfalls or mountain
*Tavern in the valley of Argiroupoli.It was surrounded with tiny waterfalls & mountain springs.*Tavern Argiroupoli orus.Selle ümbruses oli hästi palju väikeseid koskeid ja mägiojasid.Hästi kena koht.
springs.Really nice place! Kaire & I, we bought a kebab for two which was delicious.This was also last destination that day & we drove back to hotel.
In the evning I had quite some laugh.Kaire was constantly singing some kids' songs & I had always something to say about it.This night out neighbours, the sexy ones:), came to the hotel & the girl was singing loud & wrong all over the hotel- "Ole-ole-olee".I just couldn't stay quiet!:)
Wednesday, 29th of April, 2009
It was one of those days we stayed in the hotel,Morning we were sunbathing or more like Kaire was, I was reading Stephenie Meyer's " Twilight" ( a good book by the way:)).My allergy to the sun was getting worse again & so I kept myself more in the shade.It was obvious that the bills I had taken didn't help.I wonder if there is anything that could ease my situation?But there I was all itchy & red.
Then we had a little walk in the village & we did some shopping.We found one bio & nature shop.The owner of it was really nice, he offered us all kind of creams, had testers & we could try home made raki that he had in barrels ( it finally helped to heal Kaire's sore throat).I bought myself a body butter which I simply adore, with olive oil & aloe vera.And washing goods with my name "Elin" on it, of course I couldn't leave it there!
This evening we had some new people in the hotel, they seemed to be Polish.As so far we had one neighbors & the room next to us was empty, then now there came a little baby.Nice neighbors!:) Though have to say the baby was behaving better than the ones behind the other wall:).
Kaire also found herself a new hobby- chasing mosquitoes with the sneakers!?There was one flying in our room & Kaire was desperate to catch it but the only thing she could find to hit the mosquito was her own sneaker.You can only imagine the laugh I had!:).
Plants./Taimed.
*I like nature & usually I make a lot of photos of the local environment.There have already been many other photos made of the local flora but I included here some more.
*Tavaliselt kui ma kuskil käin , teen ma päris palju pilte kohalikust loodusest.Siin on juba olnud mõningaid pilte kohalikust taimeriigist, aga lisasin siia veel mõned.
Then we had a little walk in the village & we did some shopping.We found one bio & nature shop.The owner of it was really nice, he offered us all kind of creams, had testers & we could try home made raki that he had in barrels ( it finally helped to heal Kaire's sore throat).I bought myself a body butter which I simply adore, with olive oil & aloe vera.And washing goods with my name "Elin" on it, of course I couldn't leave it there!
This evening we had some new people in the hotel, they seemed to be Polish.As so far we had one neighbors & the room next to us was empty, then now there came a little baby.Nice neighbors!:) Though have to say the baby was behaving better than the ones behind the other wall:).
Kaire also found herself a new hobby- chasing mosquitoes with the sneakers!?There was one flying in our room & Kaire was desperate to catch it but the only thing she could find to hit the mosquito was her own sneaker.You can only imagine the laugh I had!:).
Plants./Taimed.
*I like nature & usually I make a lot of photos of the local environment.There have already been many other photos made of the local flora but I included here some more.
*Tavaliselt kui ma kuskil käin , teen ma päris palju pilte kohalikust loodusest.Siin on juba olnud mõningaid pilte kohalikust taimeriigist, aga lisasin siia veel mõned.
Thursday, 30th April, 2009
This day we had our second excursion to Knossos & Iraklion.I love history & without the Knossos there would have been no Crete for me.So, it was the trip I had waited the most.
Our first stop that day was some kilometers from Rethymnon, in the gas station.Since our bus driver had been up from the early morning he had to make a little stop there for a coffee , toilet or just to stretch your legs.You could see Ida mountain from there, the highest mountain in Crete.
*The mountain of Ida, highest in Crete.Legends say it is the birthplace of mighty Zeus.
*Ida mägi, Kreeta kõrgeim.Legendide järgi ka Zeusi sünnikoht.
When I went to the toilet, I almost could speak some French ( me & French, I really know a lot of it...:)), as little I can speak it.There was a toilet the same both men & women but one French tourist couldn't understand it in the first sight,but he realized it before I could open my mouth & totally embarrass myself:).
Then we headed to Knossos & Iraklion.It was some 1, 5-2 hours of driving during what our guide told us about the history of the island & all the legends that are connected to it, the most of course about Minotaur.
*Coastline on the way to Iraklion.This time we didn't have to drive so much in the mountains though steep was it for sure.
*Rannikujoon teel Iraklionisse.Seekord ei olnud vaja nii palju mägedes sõita, kui varem, aga mägine oli küll.
Our first stop was long waited Knossos, some 5 km from Iraklion though nowadays it's all one big city.
*Ruins of Knossos.
*Knossose varemed.
We had a local guide who took us through the ruins & our guide translating it to those who didn't understand English.The ruins were incredible, I liked it a lot.You could truely understand where came all the legends of labyrinth, Minotaur, king Minos...
* One of the symbols of the Minoan culture- bull horns.
*Minose kultuuri üks sümboleid- härja sarved.
With the better imagination, like mine, they came alive for a moment.
*Clay pottery in the castle. These containers are truely "small" I have to say:).
*Savist anumad.Kohe eriti "pisikesed", peaks ütlema:).
*Throne hall with the original throne & wooden copy infront of the hall.
*Troonisaal koos trooniga ja sellest tehtud puukoopia saali ees.
It was hot there though not so hot as guides told us it could be in summer.Once again we were lucky to be in Crete at this time of the year.And there wasn't as many tourists like there is in summer, another benefit of the season.Nowadays it is very popular touristic place & you can understand why...Not only that there are bunch of ruins but some parts are built up the way the believed to be ( how true they are is another question...)
*Ruins of the castle.Those built up parts aren't original.The excavator of the castle- Arthur Evans, built those up as he believed they originally were.How accurate it is, is another story...100 years ago it was believed that the castle might looked like this.
*Lossi varemed.Üles ehitatud osad ei ole tegelikult originaalid.Lossi välja kaevaja, Arthur Evans ehitas need ülesse sellisena nagu ta uskus neid kunagi olevat.Kui õige see tegelikult on , on hoopis teine lugu...Sada aastat tagasi usuti, et loss võis kunagi selline välja näha.
& it really helps you to imagine how might have looked out the original castle.
*Copies of the frescoes found in the castle,very familiar from the school history books.The original frescoes are in the archeology museum in Iraklion which have been closed for some years now due renovations.
*Koopiad freskodest, mis on leitud lossist, vägagi tuttavad kooli ajaloo õpikutest.Originaalid asuvad Iraklioni arheoloogia muuseum, mis on aga juba mitu aastat suletud ümberehituste tõttu.
After Knossos we drove to Iraklion itself.
*A little bit of modern industry in Crete, so that people wouldn't think it all just nature & history:).
*Natuke ka moodset Kreetat, et ei arvataks nagu oleks seal ainult ilus loodus ja palju ajalugu:).
There we were given free time for 3 hours, do whatever you like.I had a walk on the local market-you basically could get everything from there- from food to souvenirs.Then I was walking around , just to see the city.
*The church of Saint Titus ( Ayios Titos) in Iraklion.
*Püha Tituse kirik Iraklionis.
*A view to the city of Iraklion from the port.
*Vaade Iraklioni linnale sadamast.
By architecture there isn't much to see though something there is , especially from Venetian times.
*Venetian Loggia & its interior.
*Veneetsia aegne palee ja selle siseõu.Iraklionis ei ole säilinud eriti palju ajaloolisi hooneid ja enamik neist on pärit veneetsia jast.
*Morosini fountain in the center of the city.
*Morosini purskkaev linna südames.
I enjoyed the old Venetian fortress in the harbor called "Rocca al Mare" ( in Estonia, in Tallinn, we have an open air museum called the same) the most.
*Venetian times port frotress Rocca al Mare & the coat of arms with the Venetian lion on it.
*Veneetsia aegne sadamakindlus Rocca al Mare ( nagu Tallinnas asuv vabaõhu muuseum, sama nimega:)) ja Veneetsia vapilõvi.
*The harbor promenade.
*Sadamapromenaad.
There was also kind of promenade to walk where I realized that my hands are all burnt & aching.
*Ruins of the Venetian times arsenal.
*Veneetsia aegse relvalao varemed.
Me & sun...you know...and again:(.
Kaire was desperate to find some stamps in the city.Her mother had asked her to send a postcard from Crete.Cards were everywhere but the thing you couldn't find were stamps.Anyway, I think she finally just gave her the card back at home:).
After three hours in Iraklion we were driving back to the hotel.Everyone was so tired that even our guides left us alone.The only news that they gave was that we'll be leaving 5.10 at Sunday morning, the flight can be torture.
Kaire & I, we went to sleep already around 10/ 11 that night, two pensionairs:)!.There wasn't really much to do in the evenings, every night there was kids' disco organized by Mumu ( there was one man who played & did stuff with the children...looking weird, so that we just left the building when he came in...we might have looked silly:)...but kids liked him & that's good!).And also some other events but we didn't really feel like going there.We are the old ones!:)
This day we had our second excursion to Knossos & Iraklion.I love history & without the Knossos there would have been no Crete for me.So, it was the trip I had waited the most.
Our first stop that day was some kilometers from Rethymnon, in the gas station.Since our bus driver had been up from the early morning he had to make a little stop there for a coffee , toilet or just to stretch your legs.You could see Ida mountain from there, the highest mountain in Crete.
*The mountain of Ida, highest in Crete.Legends say it is the birthplace of mighty Zeus.*Ida mägi, Kreeta kõrgeim.Legendide järgi ka Zeusi sünnikoht.
When I went to the toilet, I almost could speak some French ( me & French, I really know a lot of it...:)), as little I can speak it.There was a toilet the same both men & women but one French tourist couldn't understand it in the first sight,but he realized it before I could open my mouth & totally embarrass myself:).
Then we headed to Knossos & Iraklion.It was some 1, 5-2 hours of driving during what our guide told us about the history of the island & all the legends that are connected to it, the most of course about Minotaur.
*Coastline on the way to Iraklion.This time we didn't have to drive so much in the mountains though steep was it for sure.*Rannikujoon teel Iraklionisse.Seekord ei olnud vaja nii palju mägedes sõita, kui varem, aga mägine oli küll.
Our first stop was long waited Knossos, some 5 km from Iraklion though nowadays it's all one big city.
*Ruins of Knossos.*Knossose varemed.
We had a local guide who took us through the ruins & our guide translating it to those who didn't understand English.The ruins were incredible, I liked it a lot.You could truely understand where came all the legends of labyrinth, Minotaur, king Minos...
* One of the symbols of the Minoan culture- bull horns.*Minose kultuuri üks sümboleid- härja sarved.
With the better imagination, like mine, they came alive for a moment.
*Clay pottery in the castle. These containers are truely "small" I have to say:).*Savist anumad.Kohe eriti "pisikesed", peaks ütlema:).
*Throne hall with the original throne & wooden copy infront of the hall.*Troonisaal koos trooniga ja sellest tehtud puukoopia saali ees.
It was hot there though not so hot as guides told us it could be in summer.Once again we were lucky to be in Crete at this time of the year.And there wasn't as many tourists like there is in summer, another benefit of the season.Nowadays it is very popular touristic place & you can understand why...Not only that there are bunch of ruins but some parts are built up the way the believed to be ( how true they are is another question...)
*Ruins of the castle.Those built up parts aren't original.The excavator of the castle- Arthur Evans, built those up as he believed they originally were.How accurate it is, is another story...100 years ago it was believed that the castle might looked like this.*Lossi varemed.Üles ehitatud osad ei ole tegelikult originaalid.Lossi välja kaevaja, Arthur Evans ehitas need ülesse sellisena nagu ta uskus neid kunagi olevat.Kui õige see tegelikult on , on hoopis teine lugu...Sada aastat tagasi usuti, et loss võis kunagi selline välja näha.
& it really helps you to imagine how might have looked out the original castle.
*Copies of the frescoes found in the castle,very familiar from the school history books.The original frescoes are in the archeology museum in Iraklion which have been closed for some years now due renovations.*Koopiad freskodest, mis on leitud lossist, vägagi tuttavad kooli ajaloo õpikutest.Originaalid asuvad Iraklioni arheoloogia muuseum, mis on aga juba mitu aastat suletud ümberehituste tõttu.
After Knossos we drove to Iraklion itself.
*A little bit of modern industry in Crete, so that people wouldn't think it all just nature & history:).*Natuke ka moodset Kreetat, et ei arvataks nagu oleks seal ainult ilus loodus ja palju ajalugu:).
There we were given free time for 3 hours, do whatever you like.I had a walk on the local market-you basically could get everything from there- from food to souvenirs.Then I was walking around , just to see the city.
*The church of Saint Titus ( Ayios Titos) in Iraklion.*Püha Tituse kirik Iraklionis.
*A view to the city of Iraklion from the port.*Vaade Iraklioni linnale sadamast.
By architecture there isn't much to see though something there is , especially from Venetian times.
*Venetian Loggia & its interior.*Veneetsia aegne palee ja selle siseõu.Iraklionis ei ole säilinud eriti palju ajaloolisi hooneid ja enamik neist on pärit veneetsia jast.
*Morosini fountain in the center of the city.*Morosini purskkaev linna südames.
I enjoyed the old Venetian fortress in the harbor called "Rocca al Mare" ( in Estonia, in Tallinn, we have an open air museum called the same) the most.
*Venetian times port frotress Rocca al Mare & the coat of arms with the Venetian lion on it.*Veneetsia aegne sadamakindlus Rocca al Mare ( nagu Tallinnas asuv vabaõhu muuseum, sama nimega:)) ja Veneetsia vapilõvi.
*The harbor promenade.*Sadamapromenaad.
There was also kind of promenade to walk where I realized that my hands are all burnt & aching.
*Ruins of the Venetian times arsenal.*Veneetsia aegse relvalao varemed.
Me & sun...you know...and again:(.
Kaire was desperate to find some stamps in the city.Her mother had asked her to send a postcard from Crete.Cards were everywhere but the thing you couldn't find were stamps.Anyway, I think she finally just gave her the card back at home:).
After three hours in Iraklion we were driving back to the hotel.Everyone was so tired that even our guides left us alone.The only news that they gave was that we'll be leaving 5.10 at Sunday morning, the flight can be torture.
Kaire & I, we went to sleep already around 10/ 11 that night, two pensionairs:)!.There wasn't really much to do in the evenings, every night there was kids' disco organized by Mumu ( there was one man who played & did stuff with the children...looking weird, so that we just left the building when he came in...we might have looked silly:)...but kids liked him & that's good!).And also some other events but we didn't really feel like going there.We are the old ones!:)
Friday, 1st of May, 2009
It's a public holiday both in Estonia & Greece, so there wasn't much to do as many places were closed due holidays.We went to the beach in the morning.I just took it easy, reading & writing.Kaire was looking some more private place for sunbathing but I took a place just among the people but of course under the shadow as my arms were aching like hell.Whatever I do or however cautious I be, I always find a place and/ or time to get sunburned.Yikes! I was really wishing for some sour cream, the only thing i know that could ease the pain & fever in my arms, but stealing tzatziki sauce from the dinner table would have looked too insane already:).I just took some books with me, laid under the shadow, read, listened some music & watched people.I like to observe people.It's not the curiosity to peak into their private life just it gives me the chance to imagine what kind of lives they might have, just can let my imagination flow...
*Beach, as beautiful as always.Love that sea!
*Rand, ilus nagu alati.Tõesti jumaldan seda!
Anyway it was one very calm day , not doing much. just reading, sleeping, watching news (there was only one TV channel we watched, Euronews in Russian, all other channels were either in Greek or in Polish, and obviously we can't understand either of these two...:)) & waiting for the next meal...Yeah, right! Two pensionairs:)!At some point I got really bored & wished to be back at home.
I went to the beach that evening to relax & calm down.And I really enjoys walking in the waves & in the sand, sun setting high in the mountains, coastline is getting darker with every minute & finally you only see the lights crawling at the coast.
*Sunset at Kavros beach.
*Päikseloojang Kavrose rannal.
I would have really liked to take this feeling home with me!
*Beach, as beautiful as always.Love that sea!*Rand, ilus nagu alati.Tõesti jumaldan seda!
Anyway it was one very calm day , not doing much. just reading, sleeping, watching news (there was only one TV channel we watched, Euronews in Russian, all other channels were either in Greek or in Polish, and obviously we can't understand either of these two...:)) & waiting for the next meal...Yeah, right! Two pensionairs:)!At some point I got really bored & wished to be back at home.
I went to the beach that evening to relax & calm down.And I really enjoys walking in the waves & in the sand, sun setting high in the mountains, coastline is getting darker with every minute & finally you only see the lights crawling at the coast.
*Sunset at Kavros beach.*Päikseloojang Kavrose rannal.
I would have really liked to take this feeling home with me!
Saturday, 2nd of May, 2009
This day was meant for the final shopping.Kaire was so eager to do it, that she went to the shop even before they could have opened it.Crazy chick! But a lot of fun too.Without her it would have been less funny trip! And of course she found those pornographic figures.How the hell she always sees them, I never mention those?Anyway, I tried to get her out of the shop fast:).
So, we spent most of the day shopping, going from one shop to another.I still needed something for my brothers & Kaire was looking for the scarf for her friend.But finally we got everything we were looking for.
*This fountain we found in our village, but we never saw it working.
*Selle purskkaevu leidsime oma külast, aga kajuks ei näinud me seda kordagi töötamas.
*These announcements are put up when somebody dies.Because of the hot climate, dead ones are buried as quicly as possible & these papers are put up to let know that certain person has deseased.
*Sellised lehed on surmakuulutused.Kuna kliima on hästi palav, siis proovitakse inimesed matta nii ruttu kui võimalik ja üles riputatakse sellised teate, et konkreetne inimene on surnud.
*Bottle tree.Actually people are taking juice from the mulberry.:)
*Pudelipuu.Tegelikult aga võetakse niimoodi mooruspuult mahla.:)
We had been in the village for a week now & some shop keepers had learnt some Estonian by then, like " Thanks!"- " Aitäh!".The only thing I didn't get was a newspaper for mom.She has this crazy idea to have a newspaper from the places I go.But I don't find it very sane, so I decided not have it .Next time when I go to Crete, I will take her with, then she can buy as many newspapers as she wishes for.
In the evening I went ot the beach to walk again...It was kind of saying "Good Bye!" to the place.And again I was really enjoying it! I was really sad to think I have to leave it! I could have stayd there forever!
So, we spent most of the day shopping, going from one shop to another.I still needed something for my brothers & Kaire was looking for the scarf for her friend.But finally we got everything we were looking for.
*This fountain we found in our village, but we never saw it working.*Selle purskkaevu leidsime oma külast, aga kajuks ei näinud me seda kordagi töötamas.
*These announcements are put up when somebody dies.Because of the hot climate, dead ones are buried as quicly as possible & these papers are put up to let know that certain person has deseased.*Sellised lehed on surmakuulutused.Kuna kliima on hästi palav, siis proovitakse inimesed matta nii ruttu kui võimalik ja üles riputatakse sellised teate, et konkreetne inimene on surnud.
*Bottle tree.Actually people are taking juice from the mulberry.:)*Pudelipuu.Tegelikult aga võetakse niimoodi mooruspuult mahla.:)
We had been in the village for a week now & some shop keepers had learnt some Estonian by then, like " Thanks!"- " Aitäh!".The only thing I didn't get was a newspaper for mom.She has this crazy idea to have a newspaper from the places I go.But I don't find it very sane, so I decided not have it .Next time when I go to Crete, I will take her with, then she can buy as many newspapers as she wishes for.
In the evening I went ot the beach to walk again...It was kind of saying "Good Bye!" to the place.And again I was really enjoying it! I was really sad to think I have to leave it! I could have stayd there forever!
Sunday, 3rd of May, 2009
We had be ready 5.10 in the morning.We didn't went to bed too early to consider that we had to be up around 4 but still I was up already around 2 in the night.And our neighbours were in the action again:).But they fell asleep soon after that & so I was there waiting the time to get 4 & to get out of the bed.We had packed everything already day before, only very few things were left, so there wasn't much to do in the morning- get dressed, get your luggage out, give away the keys & wait for the bus to take you up & drive to the airport.We had to wait for the bus quite some time & also had to take up some people from one other hotel but we were in the airport in time, actually had plenty of time.We gave away the luggage, get through security control ( for some reason, my camera was very interesting for them...:)) & waited the plane to start taking people on board.Kaire & I had to sit separate this time, I managed to have a young couple with the little kid as my neighbours & I defenitely wasn't bored.The little girl was so restless & all the time doing something so that she managed to tire his father so much that he fell asleep at some point:).Really cute kid!And it made the flight more tolerable 'cos it was hot again but not so big of torture as I was afraid.
Finally we were back in Tallinn, took the bus & I went to the bus station to get back in Pärnu.Kaire was staying in Tallinn for one more day, so I drove back home alone again.My brother picked me up in Pärnu & finally I was at home!
Crete was great & if there is a chance I would love to go back one day!And thanks to all who were there to make this trip memorable!
Finally we were back in Tallinn, took the bus & I went to the bus station to get back in Pärnu.Kaire was staying in Tallinn for one more day, so I drove back home alone again.My brother picked me up in Pärnu & finally I was at home!
Crete was great & if there is a chance I would love to go back one day!And thanks to all who were there to make this trip memorable!
