Big Trip (Part 4): Heraklion, Crete and NYC

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!

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.

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.

The Queen’s Megaron

The North Entrance

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).

The traditional Egg McMuffin with sausage

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.

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.

Stylin'

"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? :)

Big Trip (Part 3): Rethymno, Crete

Fortunately for us, we flew out from Santorini at a reasonably sane time. We landed in Heraklion and picked up our rental car.. an exciting experience for us, since this was the first time Nik had driven in a foreign country! The kids even got car seats, since they literally had a pile of them for us to choose from. Driving in Crete was a bit challenging, the highway from Heraklion to Rethymno had one lane of traffic going either direction, and people would drive along the shoulder to let other drivers pass in the median. The drive along Crete's northern coast was beautiful, the sky and water were a deep, bright blue. Along the side of the road, we also noticed what looked like small church-shaped mailboxes.. turns out that they're roadside shrines called kandylakia.

Once in Rethymno, it took us a while to find our hotel.. the streets were difficult to navigate and we weren't quite sure where we were headed. After asking a number of locals for directions, we eventually found our way. Our hotel was tucked away in Rethymno's charming old town. Overshadowing the old town was the imposing Fortezza, a 16th century Venetian citadel which we unfortunately did not have time to visit. After checking into our hotel, we got a late lunch, along with a complimentary dessert of fruit and raki (which tasted like pure alchol).

The Fortezza of Rethymno

"Whatcha lookin' at?"

Then we wandered the meandering streets of Rethymo's old town. Kai loved splashing around the Rimondi Fountain, a fountain from the 16th century which is still operational, and even had a drink.. he insisted on drinking from all three spigots. We strolled along the broad walkway which encircled the Venetian Harbor and were accosted by hosts from trendy and family eateries along the way, and then walked up the stairs to the Egyptian lighthouse.

Loggerhead sea turtles nest on Crete, and an informational booth at the harbor detailed current conservation efforts. All I can say is:

Monkey see..

.. monkey do.

 
That evening, Nik and I decided to venture out into old town once we put the kids to sleep. Nik's mom stayed behind with the kids and we carried the baby monitor (which has a surprisingly long range) just in case. It felt liberating, yet odd to walk around at night without the kids. Knowing that our moment of freedom might not last very long, we walked out and quickly got gelato, a drink and dessert. Just in time too, because Sora started crying almost immediately once we got back.

Freedom!

The next morning, we got a yummy brunch in old town, while Sora charmed some fellow restaurant-goers and earned some beads for her cuteness. Invariably, we found the Greeks to be friendly people and we felt that they were even more gracious to us because we were traveling with young children. Everywhere we went, people commented on what beautiful children we had and strangers reached out to touch Sora's hands or feet.

After brunch, we drove out to find to Mili Gorge, the gorge was lush and verdant and it was a relatively easy walk down the stairs with the kids. There is an abandoned village with a working taverna, though we didn't stop to eat. Kai walked all by himself until the very end, when he requested, "Baba up."

Sora holding her hard-earned beads

After our little hike, we went out to the beach near Rethymno. The day was overcast, but the water was still nice and warm and Kai absolutely loved the waves. Kai got soaked, so we had to strip him down. When we tried to leave, he didn't want to go so we ended up taking him back sans clothing. Our little nudist would crouch down, wait for a wave to approach and then would run away excitedly as the water rushed up.

Soaked!

"I wanna go back, Baba!"

After a quick rinse, we headed out for an oceanside seafood dinner. Between hiking the gorge and playing in the waves, Kai must've worked up an appetite, because he literally demanded salmon for dinner.

"Pink meat!"

For dessert, we got gelato and Kai got his very own cup of strawberry gelato. A bit of a mess, but hey, we're on vacation. ;)

"I like vacation."