Traveling to Crete

Last Wednesday, Jan 27th, I took at last minute trip with some new friends to Greece. I know it sounds crazy because I had only known them a week but I figured I better go while I had the chance! We took a military rotator so it took us a while to get there since there were a few stops in between. We arrived in Crete that night around 2200 local time. From the airport we took a cab (95 Euros!)to our hotel that was an hour away. Upon arriving at the hotel, Casa Vitae" we were pleasantly surprised! It was quaint and clean. We spent the week visiting Venetian castles and fortresses, Minoan ruins, and driving to traditional Cretan villages. We got brave and rented a car to drive ourselves around. That was an experience in itself! We stayed on the northern part of the island but took a day to travel to the southern coast. As we drove across the island we saw amazing scenery from gorges, to snow, to the ocean. It was beautiful. While on the southern coast we visited a fishing village and many other small towns along the way. The people were very nice and most could speak some English. I forgot about using a map but learned real quick since there was no GPS! We enjoyed traditional Greek food and tried new things. I still prefer a southern menu..but at least I tried it. Some of the highlights included the beautiful beaches, Knossos Palace, and the fabulous shopping. The Greeks have great taste and great shoe stores...I got a few things but had to resist alot! We left Greece on Feb 2 and headed to England where we were catching a military flight back. We flew into London and took a shuttle to the base so we could fly out the next morning. This part of the trip got interesting because Wednesday morning our flight got cancelled..cancelled again on Thursday..cancelled again on Friday. At this point we were ready to get home and decided to buy a commercial ticket home. We flew from England to Spain, then from Spain to The Azores. Now when we got ready land, I realized why they might have cancelled the other flights. The only way we landed is because we were on a Portuguese Airline and they now how to land in a mess. We landed in 65 mph winds and rain that was so heavy in stung. The landing was really scary and I was so glad to be on the ground. To get a taste of our sideways landing check out youtube and search crosswinds landing..see how much fun it looks. Overall, the trip was great and I am glad to be back home. Who knows where I'll go next? To check out all the pics from the trip look on Facebook..I can't post them all here!