Opa!!!

Well it is has been quite some time since my last post... OOPS!  Since then Dustin and I have had some AWESOME visits from my little sister, Nikki, as well as my other little sister, Emily, and her boyfriend, Anthony!  Filled with lots of day trips and a fabulous Rhine River cruise in Germany.  We've also been busy getting our apartment together, and over 6 months later we are.... well lets just say close to being done!  But I am now holding myself to keeping my blog updated and sharing all of our adventures and discoveries for our 2 more years here in Belgium!

Dustin was assigned a TDY in Greece for last week to attend a NATO workshop/exercise, so since it was during my birthday, we decided to take advantage of the free hotel and fly me out there as well!  

Our Hotel (to the left)

We arrived in Khania Saturday afternoon and spent the day walking around and exploring the city.  Our hotel was right on the water overlooking the old lighthouse.  I was just amazed by the place... everywhere you looked there were ruins and mountains in the distance.  We booked an excursion for the morning so decided on an early Greek dinner of delicious vine leaves, staka, and pasta!  

Ready for Our Hike

The next morning we woke up at a very early 5:15 to catch the bus at 6 for our 17 Kilometer Samorian Gorge Excursion!  The bus took us through a very windy drive to the top of the mountain for the beginning of the hike.  The hike to the gorge began with a part known as the Xyloskalo, which is a zig-zag path of 3,300 feet in a little over a mile.    

The Starting Point of Our Hike

  

About 1/4th the Way through the Hike

There were 3 major stops along the hike, the second being in the ancient city of Samaria which was inhabited until the area became reserved as a national park.  There were several ruins of buildings, homes, and walls around.

Samaria

After we reached Samaria, our hike led to the actual Samarian Gorge, which is the longest gorge in all of Europe.  The sight was unreal, between to large rock walls, we were walking through the river basin, up and over pebbles and large rocks.  We had way to much fun!!!  And of course I loved the fact that the only flowers were pink!

We eventually reached the river, which was so clear!  The water is preserved for drinking so you cannot swim in it, although it was so tempting!  There were several wooden bridges that we crossed.  I must admit it got a little nerve racking in the areas where the water was flowing REALLY fast!

Getting a Drink of Water

Crossing One of the Bridges

A few hours later, we made it to the end of the gorge and through the city of Kri Kri to the amazing, black pebble Agios Pavlos Beach for two hours of sunbathing and relaxation.  I couldn't dream of a better way to end an amazing hike!

Agios Pavlos Beach

The Bluest, Clearest Water!

 We eventually met up with our tour guide, and took a ferry to our bus and after a long, windy drive back through the mountains, I passed out in our room while Dustin met up with his boss for dinner.

The rest of the week, I spent my days exploring the amazing city of Khania!  I saw the beautiful churches, really cool Archeology museum, Maritime Museum, Fort Firca, shopped for some awesome pottery, and relaxed at the beaches.  And of course our vacation wouldn't be complete without yummy Greek dinners every night!  I can't say I minded spending the days to myself exploring the city, going wherever I wanted, and meeting up with Dustin and the rest of the guys for dinner and drinks!

On Friday, Dustin had to go into work for a few hours, but then we met up with some new friends for a few hours of sunbathing on the beach before heading out to the touristy snorkeling cruise.

On Our Snorkeling Cruise!

It was so neat to drive around the different islands.  At our first swim stop, we were able to swim over to a sunken German aircraft from WWII.  The little kids in Dustin and I were determined to swim to the bottom and touch it, which we did but now I am suffering from some crazy infected ears from the pressure and water, but it was totally worth it!

The next stop was at a small island where Dustin and I, like kids again, swam over to the island and climbed up all the rocks to see the amazing views!  When we got back to the boat we enjoyed suffered through shots of Raki and ate some yummy watermelon.

Headed back to the Port after our Snorkeling Cruise 

That night we met up with our friends again for a great last night dinner!  Unfortunately Saturday morning brought an early flight back to cold, cloudy Belgium!  I already miss Greece, and the yummy food, extremely friendly people, and plastic bottles of wine!

Plastic Bottles of Wine!

 Click HERE for more pictures of our adventures in Crete.  And until next time.... OPA!!!!!