Welcome to Crete

I've been in Crete for about 48 hours now... I arrived late on Wednesday and joined up with 2 other travellers who were looking for a room in Heraklion. We managed to find our way to Hellas Rent Rooms which was supposed to be a decent, hostel-like place. Unfortunately it was past 11:00 PM and they were closed. The couple decided to head for a cheap hotel (not much more expensive for them, but much more so for me as a single) and I decided to head for the international youth hostel, the only other cheap place in town. Unfortunately, the Lonely Planet's poor review didn't even come close to describing how bad this place was. I think it said old and run down. How about no blanket, no pillow, no locks on any of the doors - rooms, toilets or showers! And dirty as well. It was the worst place I have ever stayed.

The next day I got the heck outta there as fast as possible and put my backpack in left luggage at the bus station. I made my way to Knossos, the home of the mythical Minotaur kept by King Minos. Some eccentric British archaelogist has done some restorations of the palace there, but expert opinion disagrees on the accuracy. Regardless, the ruins made for a lovely afternooon excursion in the wonderful weather.

Since the archaelogical museum was closed, and Heraklion is not a very pretty place, I decided to head to Rethymno a day early. Unfortunately, Zeus was not on my side today, as I had planned for a beach day and it has been cold and rainy. Miserable in fact. I am also battling with a sore throat so I lazed around for half the day. I did make it out for a walk around town, the harbour, and the Venetian fortress. The hostel that I am staying at now is probably the best I have ever stayed at... so many fantastic people, including several Canadians! To try to cure my cold, Ivan (the hostel manager) gave me a free shot of raki. I've taken a break from the wine and conversation to get caught up with my blog... finally!

Tomorrow morning I head to Plakias, a very small village on the south coast. The plan is for hitting the beach... so Zeus better be in a better mood tomorrow!