On our first night in Stavros, while relaxing on the terrace of our house, we noticed a little light halfway up the slope of the imposing Vardies Mountain. The next day, we'd learn that this is the location of a cave church, and that there's a short, steep path which leads to it. We decided to check it out that very same day. The path to the cave is easy to spot, and more or less a…
After a month spent in the relentless chaos of Chania, we were greatly looking forward to the following month. Stavros would be our haven of peace, nature and tranquility. This ultra-quiet smattering of houses along the coast of the Akrotiri Peninsula barely qualifies as a "town", and is just half an hour away from Chania. Our month-long home had a full garden, a grill, tons of space, and even a hammock. It seemed custom-made for relaxing, and…
Not far from Chania, on the eastern side of the Akrotiri Peninsula, you'll find one of the strangest beaches on Crete. Seitan Limania is a small, sandy beach, emerging from a canyon shaped like a lightning bolt, out into the open sea. This isn't the kind of beach you can get to easily; with no public transportation anywhere near by, you'll need your own car or scooter to arrive. And I wouldn't rent a car for the…
After one month of living in the heart of the old town, it was time to say goodbye to Chania. We'd had a decent time, and the city is gorgeous, but our spirits were no match for the endless stream of tourists, the ceaseless noise, and the touts who never, ever, stopped trying to convince us to eat at their crappy restaurants. Dudes! Don't you know us by now? We've been saying "no" for a month! We…
Having planned a weekend road trip in the mountains for some time, we were disappointed to wake up and learn that heavy rain was expected for the day. Our rental car was already booked, and we couldn't cancel our plans, if we didn't want to lose the deposit. So we decided to embrace the misery. As it turned out, the weather created an interesting mood for the trip, and we ended up at a rustic mountain restaurant,…
Over a decade ago, Chania announced its plans for the new home of the city's Archaelogical Museum: a modern construction of glass and steel. Luckily for us, there have been a lot of delays, and the museum is still in the same old converted mosque that's been its home since opening in 1962. Nothing against modern buildings, of course, but we can't imagine a better place to host an archaeological collection than this place. The museum itself…
Even if you've never been to Greece, chances are you know these kinds of woven chairs, because they're found in Greek restaurants around the world. We love seeing traditional crafts being made... but we never expected to open our front door and see a guy weaving a chair, directly across from us! I was sitting in the kitchen of our Chania apartment, working with the door open. Although I was absorbed in my work, I could feel…
There aren't many beaches around the world with pink sand, but Crete is lucky to be gifted with two of them, both situated on the western coast of the island. Today, we're shining the spotlight on Elafonisi Beach. The other, Balos, we hope to visit soon. On the second day of our road-trip, we woke up at the crack of dawn, eager to get on the road. The earlier you show up at famous Elafonisi, the better.…
We're finally on the road again! After a long break of nearly six months, we packed our suitcases and left Valencia, to spend two months on Crete, in Greece. If you follow us on social media, you might have noticed that Greece is an annual destination for us. And there's a reason for that. As all frequent travelers know, flying can be a nightmare. But a few years ago, we learned about a great way to achieve…