Now that the holidays are over and the summer crowds aren’t here yet, life is pretty average. We are finding our new norms and getting into a nice groove. Winter has been cold and rainy, so some days are just spent staying inside, watching TV, reading a book, cooking, regular stuff. Sometimes I feel guilty, I have been given all this free time on this amazing island but everyday can’t be a wild adventure, somedays are just marathons of terrible reality television. I figured I would give you a little glimpse of a day here.

I wake up and walk the pups, one at a time is easier with all of the cats and occasional stray dog in the park. We live 5 minutes away from Georgiadis Park, it borders the Venetian wall that surrounds the city and has lots of trees and good shade so it’s perfect for a dog walk, even in the summer.

Walking in Heraklion is a challenge to say the least and walking with a 16-year-old dog who will stop traffic to pee in the middle of the street is super fun. Sidewalks “exist” here but most are taken up by the parked cars, so we walk in the middle of the small, one-way streets. This means every time a car passes, we have to wait between 2 parked cars for them to pass. We are lucky to live so close to the park and the pups always enjoy their time there. Kids always gravitate towards Finn, he’s pretty good with them, unless they have food, that dog will knock a kid down for a chip.

After dog walks are complete, I have breakfast, if the weather is good, I sit on my balcony and listen to an audio book and have my usual Greek Yogurt, Honey and Granola. The city noises can get a little loud, but I don’t mind them. We rarely have honking or police sirens. Mostly I hear motorcycles and daily the man selling watermelons or fruit comes through with his megaphone, announcing what he has to sell.

After my slow start to the day, I either go to Greek School or Pilates most days. Jeff has been joining me at school to improve his Greek. Since he learned Greek as a child he doesn’t know the rules of the language, he just knows what sounds right. Also, I think he just wants to visit the classroom dog, Lilly. Currently we are learning Future and Past tense. We are almost through the A1 book and according to my teacher the next book is a lot of reviewing because we are almost through most of the grammar rules, now I just have to remember them-oy.

In the afternoons, we have been either going to the beach with the dogs, going to a friend’s house, shopping, or just having a lazy day with TV. Lately, we have been working on some house stuff, buying a new washing machine and shopping for little things to improve the apartment. We haven’t decided if we are going to stay in the same apartment for another year or move so we have started to see what else is out there, just to compare. It would be hard to find a place so close to the city center that allows dogs, with a parking space but we are hoping we might find a more updated place, our bathroom and kitchen are aged to put it nicely. Otherwise, if we don’t, we will be fine here and probably paint and do little upgrades ourselves. Having the parking space here has been a game changer, I go to friends’ houses a few times a week so not stressing about finding a parking space every time has really made life easier.

In the evenings Jeff and I either cook or order food delivery. The delivery company here doesn’t tack on a bunch of charges like UberEats. The total for most of our meals is between 20-25 Euros including delivery and tip and because the drivers are all on scooters, it’s a fast way to get food and we have a few favorite places that make salads or homecooked meals although once a week Jeff gets a Gyro and I order a chicken skewer and make a salad here.

After dinner sometimes I take a walk with Jeff’s cousin or practice Greek with my friend Clare. I’m looking forward to the time change so we get more sunlight. Europe does Daylight Saving Time the last Sunday in March, different than the US. For now, the rain has stopped, and we are back to sunshiny days, which is nice. The temps are still chilly but as soon as you walk into the sun, you’re warm. Anyone coming to Crete in March, wear layers. You can leave the house needing a sweater and as soon as you’re in the sun you’re sweating in a t-shirt.

So that’s a bit of a rundown of an average day here, sometimes I’m bored, sometimes I’m busy with helping Clare and her farm, going to meals with family, or walking the dogs with Jeff. It’s not always tropical island vacation life, but it’s not bad. I think at some point I will want to work again, I’m lucky to have the option because I’m on a spouse Visa. I don’t think I will go back to corporate life, but you never know. Some ideas are in the works for hosting events. I love to meet people and share what makes this place so special and I’m really passionate about events that bring visitors and locals together, is a casual setting, not on a crowded bus or following someone with a flag through town.

One of my favorite things Jeff and I did while travelling was a cooking class in Italy, in a small apartment where a woman showed us a glimpse of her life while we cooked. Something is brewing, stay tuned to see what it becomes. In the meantime, I have made good friends and am excited for visitors this year. My mom and sister are coming to Greece for the first time, and I can’t wait to show them around. Jeff’s American side of the family will be here again this summer and we are planning lots of fun stuff. Maybe I’m not saving lives or curing world hunger, but I know we are happy and healthy and right now I will take that.

We celebrated Jeff and Aunt Marina’s birthday with the family.

Made kimchi pancakes from the kimchi my Greek teacher made

Celebrated International Women’s Day with some great people at Clare’s farm