NJSD

Knossos “Palace”

sunset first night in Rethymno

Venetian church converted to Ottoman mosque in the Fortezza

Architecture walking tour

Venetian Fortezza

Rethymno Beach

sunset last night in Rethymno

Wednesday May 27

Yesterday we went to Fraola cafe on the water for breakfast. I got a yummy omelete, Caleb and Mom got yogurt bowls, and Aba got waffles. Then we did a self-guided architecture walking tour through Rethymno and got to see lots of old Venetian door frames, old churches, and Ottoman era mosques. We had a nice time walking around the town and learning about the history of the buildings. We also got yummy sheep/goat (me and Caleb think it was sheep, mom and dad think it was goat) milk gelato which was so delicious- Mom got mocha, Caleb got fig and pistachio, Aba got nutella, and I got Ferrero Rocher and hazelnut YUM! We also walked around the Fortezza, the Venetian fortress, for a long time and it was huge, there was so much to see and it just kept going and going! We went home and took a quick power nap and then we went to a very fancy restaraunt Avli that a family friend recommended. It was super duper fancy shmancy (maybe even a little too fancy for my taste)! I got a yummy lamb dish, Aba got goat, and Caleb got cuttlefish calamari. The waiter helped us choose a wine based on the dishes we chose, and it was very nice. They also brought us little yogurt sweet beet parfaits and raki on the house. It was a very special treat to go to such a classy place!

Today we got up early to drive to Heraklion and see Knossos Palace. We had an excellent tour guide, Akrivi, who told us all the secrets and latest findings about the area and the Minoan civilization. We learned it was not a “palace” for a king to live in, but actually a labyrinth for religious and economic activities. We learned that the pipes they used to pump clean water from the nearby mountain tops to Knossos hill were thicker at one end and thinner at the other, so they could connect the pipes, but also to speed up the flow of water, which showed that they discovered and used the Bernoulli effect long before Bernoulli ever existed! Ready for the biggest plot twist? “King Minos” was actually a woman!!! And not just one woman, but a line of women leaders of the Minoan civilization! The Minoans had a badass snake lady goddess and they loved and worshipped the woman as a symbol of fertility and continuation of life. At the end of the tour, Akrivi revealed the truths behind the ancient mythology stories, like how the Minotaur monster is the Minoan people’s  explanation for natural disasters like earthqaukes and volcanoes. When the earth shook or exploded, they tried to explain it with a story of an angry bull-man monster hidden underground in the labyrinth! After the amazing tour at Knossos, we got lunch and then went to the archeological museum of Heraklion. It was so amazing, there was such intricate pottery, metalwork, jewelry, sculptures, statues, and frescoes. It was organized in chronological order so you could really see the evolution of the writing systems, tools and appliances, and art styles and details. 

After the museum we went to Ammoudara beach to rest and relax. The water felt so clear and smooth, and the waves were super calm and relaxing. We got some drinks as the sun set and then we went to Vardis taverna for dinner and Rebetika music. It was such a warm and lively atmosphere, with groups of young and old local people enjoying company, excellent service, delicious food, and the music was so beautiful it brought me to tears of joy (yet again)! We got bread, dolmas, salad, and eggplant cheese rolls for the table, I got spicy chicken, Sophie got plain chicken, Caleb got octopus and Aba got lamb. They brought us fresh watermelon, orange cake and yogurt jelly cake, and raki on the house! At the end of the night, the band asked what song they should play next, I made a request, and they invited me to sing with them! Yay! Another day and night packed full of amazing memories I will remember and cherish for the rest of my life!!!

Thursday May 28

Today we got a late start because we were up late last night and it was good to rest and sleep in. Aba really wanted to go to the south shore beach, so we went to Plakia beach. It was a beautiful drive on the way there through the mountains and gorges, but once we got to the beach we realized it was very rocky and hard on our feet. It was pretty unpleasant to walk on, so we left soon after we arrived and headed back to Rethymno for a softer sandy beach. Sophie was being so silly and giddy swimming and jumping and playing in the water, I think it was the happiest we have seen her in a very long time! The water may have been less clean than the south beach because it was closer to the town with more people and businesses nearby, so we saw a few pieces of trash, but the water was still very clear and nice. The soft sand under our feet made all the difference for me, so I was very happy with our decision to leave the south shore and return to Rethymno beach. We brought big pita tortilla breads and made hummus salad wraps on the beach which were super yummy and refreshing! After the beach we went up to a church on a hill near our apartment to watch the beautiful sunset. We finished up the pita hummus salad leftovers for dinner and then me and Caleb and mom walked into town for gelato to finish our last night in Crete with a sweet treat! 🙂

small beach near our apartment

Venetian port

Botanical Gardens

Omalos plateau and Samaria Gorge

Sunday May 24

On Saturday we got up early to take the subway to the airport and fly to Crete! We arrived in Chania and found our apartment here, did some grocery shopping, and Caleb and I walked around while mom dad and Sophie took naps. We walked down to a little beach which is super close to our apartment, and walked around the old Venetian port which was really cool. Then we went back to the apartment and we all went to Adespoto Taverna for dinner and live music! We had fried mushrooms and dolmas which were super delicious, Caleb got snails and fish, Dad and I got some Skioufikta (Cretan pasta) which was ok but not super. The music was lovely, we knew some of the songs, and I threw them some money and made some song requests, and the musicians even invited me to sing with them! We started dancing and we got other people dancing too, it was great energy. The restaraunt gave us tsipouro and little coconut balls dessert on the house! So nice! 

Today we met Giorgios, the nephew of Balkan dance friends Sotirios and Stasha. He is an environmental engineering student at the Polytechnic University here in Chania. He showed us around the old town and led us up to a nice hill where we had a great view of the town, the water and the lighthouse. We passed some street musicians and did some spontaneous dancing which was fun! After our meetup with Giorgios, we got delicious lunch at Tamam, much more flavor than last night’s. I got greek salad and lamb kebab, Caleb got rabbit (our server said that was the best choice!), Aba got pork sausage, Mom had cabbage salad and zucchini phyllo pie, and Sophie had french fries. Sophie also got pizza on her way home with mom and dad, while me and Caleb explored the old town some more. We asked around some local shops and restaraunts about where to find live traditional music, and the first two people we asked told us not here, not anymore, etc. BUT the third guy we asked really hooked us up! He explained that the places right on the water don’t need live music to attract people, but that we should look further in the little streets of the town. He recommended Taverna Apovrado for traditional Cretan music, so we found it and made a reservation! The owner Mikhalis was very happy that I spoke Greek with him! Caleb and I zoomed back to the house to get ready (we gave big thank you to the recommendation guy on the way back) and then went back to secure our spot. We shared dolmas, staka (buttery cheese dip), fried mushrooms, fried cheese. For dessert Caleb and I shared a mocha milkshake which was super yummy, and they brought us delicious watermelon and tsipouro on the house! There was a lyra player and a lauto player and they were both singing. We did some dances and one of the servers kindly showed us a new dance and gave us names of several Cretan dances. The lyra player came over after the music ended and told us how happy he was that we were dancing and singing along with some songs. All the Greek people (diners, musicians, servers) were watching the Olympiacos vs. Real Madrid final basketball match and Olympiacos won woohoo!!! Sophie Mom and Aba went home while Caleb and I followed the noise into town to see the commotion. Everyone was wearing their red and white colors, waving flags, yelling, singing, honking, partying and setting off fireworks and flares in the streets! The police didn’t even try to break it up, they were just directing traffic to go around the celebration! It was so fun to experience, I have never seen such a wild sports crowd! 

Monday May 25

Today me and Caleb and Judy went to the Botanical Gardens of Crete! There was a big wildfire there in 2003, but the local people worked hard to rebirth and rebuild the nature into this beautiful oasis. We did a private cooking class where we learned about the Cretan diet and we made Yemista (rice-stuffed tomato and pepper), Dolmas, and tzatziki. We walked around the gardens for about 2 hours, and it was so incredible and meditative, I felt so centered and calm. We saw so many beautiful flowers, herbs, and trees. We spied some sneaky lizards, listened to birds and cicadas, and there was a zoo area with tortoises, peacocks, geese, ducks, and donkeys! We had such an amazing time walking around the gardens, and then we went to the restaraunt for lunch, and got to eat the delicious food that we made in the cooking class! We got to sit outside on the porch looking out at the mountains, and the porch was built around the trees for shade which was so nice. and It was such an immersive and powerful experience to be so connected to the amazing nature here. After the Botanical Gardens, we drove up the Omalos plateau to see the White Mountains and Samaria Gorge. We saw lots of cute sheep and mountain goats, and the mountains are so beautiful! We drove to Rethymno and found our hotel, and then Caleb and I followed the sound of music to a concert in the old Fortress and joined in the last few dances! We came back to the hotel, ate up some leftovers, and now it’s well-earned bedtime!

Odeion

Parthenon

Erechtheion and Temple of Athena

Temple of Hephaestus

Ancient Agora

Hadrian’s Arch

Statues of Alexander the Great and Lord Byron

Monument of Lysicrates

Parthenon at night

Thursday May 21

WOW! We are having so much fun. On Tuesday we arrived at our apartment met Katerina, our land lady. We walked around the town and got some groceries for making food. There is a fruit and veggie market right outside our apartment and fish (stinky!) and meat (eek!) market across the street. We tried to get into in the evening Klimataria taverna but it was full! We went to a contemporary modal music show that Caleb and my parents liked but I thought it was boring and a bit pretentious. It was at the fanciest record store I have ever seen and the musicians were playing super gentle and quiet which is not my thing, but there was a cute little toddler girl and a dog so it was ok. The place was called Underflow record store and they had MUGA merch “make Underflow great again” haha. Then we were hungry and the door guy Alex (after Caleb bonded with him over metal music) recommended a 24 hour restaraunt and it was good. Sophie got chicken nuggets, Caleb and I got burgers, Aba got stuffed cabbage, and the waiter even gave us  Mastika shots on the house! I didn’t like the music but the food and drinks made me feel better. 🙂

On Wednesday we went to the Acropolis! We saw the theater of Dionysus, Odeion, Temple of Athena, Erechtheion and Parthenon. It was cool to sneak near the tour groups and overhear the guides explaining history and significance. We went to a total tourist trap place for lunch, Caleb and I got chicken gyro, Sophie got hot dog, Aba got greek salad and mousakka, and Mom got baked feta on tomatoes and dolmas! Then Mom and Aba went home on the subway with Sophie while Caleb and I walked and adventured around. We planned to walk home but then we saw a special rock Aeropagus which was the seat of the Supreme Court of Athens and where Apostle Paul gave a famous sermon. The hill looked down over the Ancient Agora and we wanted to explore it but we needed tickets so we just walked around the town. We went into a crowded touristy area, got gelato, and explored a flea market and found a record store where I got a Stelios book! We asked a guy working where to find traditional music and dancing and he said maybe in another decade but not really anymore right in that area in center of Athens, but he recommended to look in the neighborhoods of Plaka and Psirri. We went home and Aba and I did some research to find Rebetadika places, we found an excellent place called Argo and I made a reservation in Greek 🙂 It was everything I wanted and more! The menu was all in Greek and everyone there was Greek except us. The band was bouzouki, guitar, and singer and they played so many songs I know, by Stelios Kazantidis, Sotiria Bellou, and even a Thanassis song I learned from my Greek teacher Antigoni! We danced and sang and I couldn’t stop crying because I was overflowing with joy! We danced a mean Hasapiko with a cool guy, we met this super fun woman from Chios island and she thought we were from the islands because we were dancing, and the singer Stella couldn’t believe we are American YAY! She even got me up to sing harmony on the last chorus of Zigkouala! Also all the food was so amazing, we got eggplant rolls, garlic mushrooms, bougiourdi (spicy baked cheese and tomato), greek salad, steak, lamb chops and Sophie got chicken and for dessert yummy chocolate trunk fudge thing. Aba texted Katerina that we were there and she called the owner and got us each a drink which was so kind! Sophie started falling asleep around 12:30-1ish so Aba took her home while me and Caleb and mom stayed till the end at 2am, also an OG (old greek) lady gave me thumbs up for singing and dancing! Horray! Everyone was so fun and everything was just right and aligned. BH SO MUCH LOVE AND JOY!!!

Friday May 22

On Thursday, me Caleb and Aba hiked up Mt. Lycabettus and we could see a 360 view of Athens from way up high! Caleb got records and shipped them to US and met some cool metal guys in the flea market. Last night we went to a bar to hear really nice Smyrnaika music but I decided to leave after the first set because I got a scary email from my school about my graduation degree not being conferred because of missing requirements but they made a mistake NOT me, so I was upset last night but now I know it is ok. So me and Caleb and Sophie left early and mom and dad stayed for the second set. Today we went to the Ancient Agora of Athens which was so amazing and full of history! We saw Temple of Hephaestus, Simon the cobbler shop ruins (who was the first guy to write down Socrates dialogues), prison of Socrates ruins, Stoa of Attalos which is now the museum with a bunch of old jugs and statues and stuff. They had Ostraka, the voting system used to kick out the least liked citizen for 10 years! They needed a group of 6000 people and they would all write the name of the guy they didn’t like and the guy with the most votes got kicked out for 10 years bye bye! We also saw ruins of a water clock that they used to keep time for meetings of court and senate and stuff. We also read that they found an ancient tablet with Sukkot symbols from Jewish synagogue! Yay! Then we went to a yummy restaraunt and got so much yummy food! Chicken, beef, salad, eggplant bougiourdi, zucchini croquets, fava, everything was delish! We packed up leftovers for dinner tonight. Now Caleb and I just showered and we are going to have coffee and go walk to a square with lots of cool things to see. Happy Shavuot and Shabbat Shalom! 

Sunday May 24

On Friday Caleb and I walked around Athens and saw Hadrian’s arch, Roman baths, Temple of Zeus, and statues of Alexander the Great and Lord Byron! We ran into some amazing street musicians busking, one was a Greek American guy playing bouzouki called Bobby Damore who lived in Brooklyn for a while and he has been to Golden Fest and knows some Balkan dancing people from NYC, and the other guy was playing oud and singing Turkish songs. We also walked through a street with restaraunt with some shmaltzy live music and joined a syrtaki. It was fun and spontaneous and cool! We got back to our apartment, packed up our bags, and me Aba and Caleb went out to the rooftop bar for a beer and we could see the parthenon all lit up! It was so beautiful and a great conclusion to our Athens adventures.

May 19

Arrived at airport, took the train from the airport to our beautiful lodgings in Omonia (neighborhood near center of Athens, not far from the Acropolis).  Rested and explored, then went to hear some contemporary music at a cool place called Underflow, recommended by Peter Jaques, a musician whom we sort of know through Balkan camp, and whom we actually met at the venue. Beautiful music and great musicians, although it was not our usual folky genre.

Afterwards we ate at a 24-hr diner, conveniently named 24-ώρα.  What was extra special, for me at least, was that our waiter gave us all complimentary shots of mastika to end our meal!  Definitely “not in Kansas” anymore!

May 20

We started the day visiting the Acropolis, which was super interesting for us and apparently for the many other tourists from all over the world.

Afterwards, we lunched at a nearby restaurant—and found out that *anything* anywhere near the Acropolis is priced [€€€] for tourists.  After a necessary afternoon siesta, we went to a Rebetika restaurant called Argo ΑΡΓΟ.  There we had the best immersive Greek experience so far, with wonderful music that was right up our alley.  Dalia has really immersed herself in this genre and was singing along with a lot of the songs.  We all got up and danced with the locals, who thought that we were Greek!  (Like, what [crazy] Americans would show up here and dance and sing?). The singer, Stella, even invited Dalia to share the mic for Zinguala!  Later, the musicians as well as the owner of the restaurant thanked us profusely for “bringing the energy.” 

Dalia told them that it was the best night of her life, and the owner was almost moved to tears.

While enjoying ourselves at Argo, Noel texted our landlady Katarina to tell her what we were doing, and she ended up calling the restaurant and treating us to a round of drinks.  Amazing hospitality!

We arrived in athens to a warm welcome from our first host Katerina at “Above the Fruits” apartment. The entrance is through the open air fruit market, around the corner are meat and fish markets. Also around the corner is a nondescript entrance to a sixth floor rooftop bar with this view! What a great beginning!!

Dalia received her MS in Speech and Language Pathology yesterday from SUNY New Paltz. Here is a photo of us along with Dalia’s friend Caleb.

Stay tuned for travel blogging…..