After a brunch in Rethymno, we drove back to Heraklion for the final leg of our journey. I had booked a relaxing Airbnb rental in the 'burbs of Heraklion which proved hard to find. And unfortunately, in the midst of trying to find our rental, we banged up our car. D'oh!
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| Not cool. |
Our Airbnb host was probably one of the most hospitable hosts we've ever had, she had a plate of fresh fruit and cookies (and chilled raki, which we didn't drink) ready for us when we arrived. Later that evening, she set out a table with coffee and cookies on her front lawn, and we sat and chitchatted as the sun set. That evening, we ordered takeout and stayed at our rental.. a much needed respite.
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| Cretan hospitality at its best. |
The next day, we drove out to Knossos. The Palace of Knossos was discovered in the late 19th century and in the early 20th century a British archaeologist restored it to what he thought the palace may have looked like. In spite of the restorations, a lot of the site is still in ruins and a lot of its purpose is purely theory and speculation. While fascinating, it was hard to really take in everything since it was hot that day and the kids were tired and cranky. We settled for taking a few choice pictures.
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| The Queen’s Megaron |
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| The North Entrance |
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| The Throne Room |
After visiting Knossos, as suggested by our Airbnb host, we drove south down the highway to the town of Archanes for dinner. We had dinner at a taverna in the town square, which was mostly populated by groups of older men. Neighborhood dogs freely roamed the square and hovered by our table, hoping to get scraps.
We got back to our rental just in time to catch a lovely sunset: a nice ending to our trip in Greece.
The next morning was yet another early morning wake up (four in the morning) and flight as we had to fly from Crete to Athens and then from Athens to London. We arrived in Athens with plenty of time to spare, and killed time by getting breakfast at McDonald's and then playing in the airport's awesome children's play area (which was well-stocked with Thomas and Friends engines).
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| The traditional Egg McMuffin with sausage |
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| Greeks certainly love children |
Our connection in London to Newark was chaotic, and we had to scramble to get to our gate because of a misunderstanding with our stroller. Fortunately we made it, catching a special assistance "buggy" along the way to help us get to the gate on time. Remarkably, the flight was mostly empty and once on the plane, we stretched out and made ourselves comfortable.
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| Two kids and no stroller equals special assistance |
We arrived in Newark in the evening and took a taxi into NYC. After a long day of travel, we were all exhausted and were happy to arrive at Harsha's apartment. The next day, we hung out at Harsha's and then met with Harsha, Jeff, Gloria and Greg (and kids) for dinner. Kai was absolutely enamored with Parker's Thomas and borrowed him for the night.
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| Stylin' |
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| "Parker Thomas!" |
After another taxi and train transfer to the airport, we flew back from Newark to SFO.. maybe it was exhaustion, the fact that we flew so much with the kids on the trip or the fact that my memories are just now starting to fade, but I don't remember the flight at all. David picked us up at the airport; Kai had accidentally left his stuffed doggie behind in David's car and he was so excited to see it again during the ride home. I do remember feeling a distinct sense of relief once we got back home. Once at home the kids were so happy and I remember even Sora was looking around everywhere and smiling when I took her up to her room.
Before leaving for Greece a number of people had said we were either crazy or brave to attempt taking two young children on an international trip, but after having done it, I think we will certainly try another international trip in the future. Travel with kids is definitely different from the way we had traveled before, but the kids proved themselves to be great travelers and overall, we had a good time. Next time: Thailand? :)
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