Iraklion, and the road continues on...

Well, I've made it to Crete. The Flying Cat from Thira was fast and interesting. I met a couple from Orange County, CA on the way and we had an interesting conversation. She is a travel agent for AmEx and he is an endocrine cardiologist. They are only here for 2 nights, and, like me, trying to cram as much in in the time alotted. We exchanged email, etc...I'll probably run into them in Knossos on Monday, but they don't know that yet.

I've decided to make this leg of the trip as simple as possible by avoiding unnecessary bus tripping. I'll stay here for 2 nights, and take a day trip tomorrow to Phaestos, on the southern side of the island. Crete is a big place, so more about that later. On Monday afternoon I'll hop a bus to Hania, which is very different than Iraklion. This city is the largest south of Athens and how it does hum. The cybercafe I'm in right now is enormous, with at least 100 stations, and almost all of them are filled with kids gaming against each other. Mostly shoot'emkill'em games, and the sound of hard rock, screaming motorbikes, scooters and the smell of a busy city fills the air. This is culture shock after the touristic pleasantries of Thira, Paros, and Mykonos. Still, the museums and digs call my name as surely as the air is filled with carbon monoxide.

About my hotel...Not as advertised, but it will suffice for now. By far the worst lodging I've had an also expensive at 75Euro a night, but I have very little choice in the matter. It's called Hotel Daedulos, and there is no rubbish bin in my room. The lights are flourescent, and the shower is typically Balkan, i.e., a spray nozzle and a tub made for tub showers and feet washing, chipped enamel to boot. Still, I have a very clear cable connection on the TV and the phone works.

My dinner tonight consisted of Tzaziki (yogurt and cucumbers) and Stoufada, a rich tomato sauced beef stew thin with chips (fries). Not bad, actually, for 14Euro. I'll take a picture of the place tomorrow...the whole place is outside, and on a slanted side street, so you eat on an angle.

The noise outside is compounded by every kid beween 14 and 25 sitting at one of dozens of outside cafes, and these are not the quaint cafes of the quiet streets. these are cafes of fast times and serious trends. Space-age, plateglass, and brushed chromium steel. The newest and the best rock blares from enormous systems as kids drink coffee, smoke cigarettes, and otherwise try to be seen. Amazing. In some ways it reminds me of a middle eastern scene, and we are not far from the coast of Africa. Certanly closer than I am used to.


This place is driving me nutz. I gotta go. I'll update tomorrow when daylight drives the fashionable inside.


Johnnyboy