The beauty of Crete is never-ending. Drive an hour in any direction and you can find the most amazing sights, which is what I love about this island. We have been spending a lot of time on tasks and setting up life here, so some fun has been needed!

On Friday, we headed East to Agios Nikolaos with our sister, Aunt, and family friend. On the way, we stopped at a village called Forni and walked around. Agios Nikolaos is a coastal town where many ex-pats live and is popular with tourists and I can see why. The town is charming and walkable and a great place to visit for families or couples.

On Tuesday, I got together with a fellow ex-pat I met in the FB group and we packed our bags and headed West. First, we stopped in Rethymno and wandered around. The streets of Rethymno are draped in overhanging vines, colorful bougainvillea and history is everywhere. It’s an easy city to walk and you can see Turkish and Italian influences all over. After some walking around and breakfast we headed south about 30 minutes. We attempted to see the Kourtaliotiko Waterfall and got a bit lost finding it. We found out we actually needed to map directions to the Gorge, not the Waterfall on the map, and then walk to the waterfall. By the time we got parked, the winds were crazy high and we actually had a hard time even getting out of the car. The other visitors said the gorge was super crowded and windy, so we decided to move on and try the gorge another day. Strong wind is something that can make or break your plans on Crete. It can make certain beaches dangerous and hikes extremely unpleasant. Most people use an App called Windy or https://poseidon.hcmr.gr/ to track the winds before they make a plan.

We ended our day in Matala, a beach on the south side famous for its hippie history. In the ’60s and ’70s hippies lived in the caves along Matala beach but were eventually driven out by the church and the military. The village embraces its hippie history which makes it a very cute place to visit. I have heard it gets very crowded, but we showed up around 5, when lots of people were leaving so there were plenty of spots on the beach to hang out. We stayed for sunset and the views were breathtaking.

What I love about driving around Crete is the journey is sometimes just as awesome as the destination!

Until the next adventure….. tomorrow, back to the tasks. Greek Class and I have to get my Greek tax number for my residency visa Fun, Fun!