We hit the road around 11 am, and after some searching, found the German War Ce
metery just west of Hania. Over 4,400 soldiers from WWII are buried there.
There's an equally large cemetery in the other direction that is the last resting place for Australians, British and Greeks who gave their lives. The German cemetery bears a message of peace that one cannot help but take to heart, thinking of the terrible losses.
We drove on to a monastery, which we somehow passed by, and over a curvy, narrow road up a peninsula. When we reached the town at the end, we got out to stretch our legs and relax our muscles, which had been tensed up during the ride! We decided to take the road back that went down the middle of the peninsula, and it was less nerve-wracking.
The drive took us down the gorgeous we st coast of Crete. We could see beuatiful blue water, and, as we drove, a kri kri (native goat) in the road. Then a dog, tied to a donkey, tied to the side - we took this as a sign to stop in the small town for lunch. The first taverna we approached was closed, and a man sitting out front gestured to us; I wasn't sure what it meant. We walked to another tavernawhich also appeared closed. As we started back to the car, a little old man came hustling up - he owned the taverna and would open it. He asked if we spoke German, and although we said no, his German was better than his English - and our Greek! - so we ended up using German.
He offered fish or "cutlet" (pork), salad, bread and wine that he had made. Sounded good to us! So he made our meal, right then and there! It was funny to be the only ones in the taverna except for the owner and his wife, especially when we had our meal and they sat there watching us eat! It was so good though - everything was incredibly fresh. We were very lpeased with our lunch, and with a unique experience.
From then on, the roads got crazier. Twisty, turny, high on the mountainside, somtimes with a guardrail, sometimes not. The scenery, when I looked, was stunning; it also made my stomach flip to see how high we were. At one point, the road climbed and the rail was so low that it looked like we were driving into the clouds.
The road finally began to descend, and before long, we were at Elafonisi beach. Gorgeous. There is no other word. Some of the sand was pink, and there were volcanic rocks poking out of the deep blue water. The mountains rose behind us. We walked the beach, wading in the water, taking in the beauty.
Too soon, it was time to go back if we wanted light on the mountain drive. We chose to go up through the middle of the mountains, and it turned out to be a less stomach-turning route. The villages were a little bigger on this road, too.
Dinner in Hania was back to Tamam. It was too cool to sit outside, so we sat in the dining room that was once a Turkish bath. Originally we were giong to order all different food, but we ended up getting the tzatziki again, and a variety of croquettes. Everything was delicious once again.
After dinner we wandered the town looking for a place for a nightcap. In trying to find a place we saw early in our wandering, we stumbled across a bar - a proper bar, which is rare in Greece - and it had an amazing selection of beers! Charlotte ordered a Hoegaarden and I haad a Saint Landelin Blonde. A nice way to wind down a busy day.
Today, we're sticking to Hania, checking out the sites, a museum or two, and the shopping. Then back to Athens, where I'll be for.... I don't know how many days! The flights are pretty booked so it looks like I'll be there a little longer than planned. Stay tuned!
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