| Glenn's Crete Journals 5-9-02 Thursday (I have to keep reminding myself as the day of the week only matters if it is Sunday or Monday) we are off to Malia. It was a beach town that we had seen on the bus ride yesterday to Agios Nikolas. We awoke to a sunny day in Iraklion, but that was no guarantee around the corner in Malia. First we were off to breakfast, a little earlier than yesterday as we were looking forward to breakfast today, especially the hot chocolate!!! After breakfast we went through the same routine as yesterday, which included walking to the port, catching the next bus to Malia, and exploring a new town. The buses left more often to Malia, as it was closer along the coast than Agios Nikolas. The weather in Malia was nicer than yesterday as the sun was shining and brightly. We were dropped off in town where we walked along the strip of shops before turning down a main street that led to the beach. Along our walk down to the beach I had a chance to check out a "Smart" car in more detail. (There was one at a car rental place and the nice gentleman allowed me the chance to look at it more closely than I had previously). It is an interesting car that would probably not do well in the states as it is too small and unsafe for U.S. drivers. As we continued our walk down to the beach we also ran into a Mexican restaurant that was to open for the first time this season tonight, weather permitting. Erin had been craving Mexican since early in the trip and this was our chance to fill that yearning. As we continued on we continued to notice that most of the bars and restaurants along the way were British. (We determined later that this was a big tourist stop for the Brits after schools let out for the summer. We met quite a few Brits that owned the stores along the "strip". We finally made our way to the beach. Of course the only way to get to the beach is through one or another establishment that offers a place to eat and drink, along with beach chairs and umbrellas, all for a cost. We made our way through a few establishments on our way to finding a somewhat quiet beach spot that we could lay on our own towels at no cost. The day was a very sunny day and the water was plenty cold to help cool you off when required. We lotioned up, grabbed our books to read, and otherwise just relaxed on the beach. The beach is always a great place to people watch. The guy promoting the beach chair rentals was having a great time talking with everyone and anyone that came any where near his section of the beach, especially the women!!! As the day passed the beach became more crowded. This was not a bad thing for myself, being the guy and all, as most of the beach goers were women. We (O.K. "I") had the luck to have 8 or so English women, ages 18-20, take seats right in front of us. They were young, each pretty in her own way, and were ready to have some fun in the sun. The guy renting beach chairs was having fun just getting the girls all settled in. They went in the water to cool off, and then returned to sunbathe (topless). (This is why I say that "I" didn't mind.) Anyway, as the afternoon progressed clouds moved in and put a little damper on the rest of the afternoon. It didn't actually rain but the sun was hidden behind the clouds for most of the remainder of the day. No big deal, as we improvised and went to play putt-putt golf for an hour or so until the Mexican restaurant opened. The Mexican restaurant opened at 6:00 pm, only if weather permitted. Well, luckily for Erin weather permitted and the restaurant was open. We went in to an almost empty place, except for the group sitting at the bar. We sat down and quickly ordered a margarita, burritos, and enchiladas. They delivered the margarita along with a shot of peach schnapps. The peach schnapps was good but the margarita was all alcohol. We sent the margarita back to have more mixer added. They brought back 2 margaritas which tasted at least drinkable but definitely not my favorite. The dinners were interesting as well and, again, not the best I had had, but what do you expect in Malia, Crete? The Brits may not know the difference anyway, especially after the strength of the margaritas. After dinner we grabbed the next bus, actually one of the last, back to Iraklion. We arrived around 9:30 pm, headed back to the hotel, cleaned up, watched a little television, and fell asleep. Friday was to be a long day as the boat to Santorini did not leave until 8:00 pm and check out was at 10:00 am. |
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| The Venetian seawall in Iraklion also hosts many boats from far-away ports |