Friday, 01-05-26

Morning, everyone.  Welcome to the first day of May and into the second third of 2026.  

I didn't show you what I brought back from Crete yesterday so I'll do it now.

The fridge magnets.  Starting at the top, this is a disc they found while excavating Knossos.  It is called the Phaistos Disc and contains information of some kind but, as yet, they haven't managed to decode it.
The Phaistos Disc - Heraklion Archaeological Museum

Then, clockwise, it's an aerial photo of the monastery we visited, a painted stone from the Botanical garden, an abstract olive leaf design on Greek marble, the Chania lighthouse and another olive leaf magnet with the mati in the centre.  The purpose of the ‘mati’, a schematic representation of an eye, is to ward off the envious gaze, which, confusingly, is also known in Greek as ‘mati’. According to the tradition, anyone offering effusive praise risks giving the recipient the ‘evil eye’, which can bring illness or misfortune, even if the giver’s intentions are pure.
Copied from here.  The Only Greek Charm You’ll Ever Need - Greece Is

While wandering around Chania, I went into a pottery centre and bought these two wee mugs, just the right size for a shot of coffee.

They have a web site but, sadly, not an online shop.  I suppose postage would be eye-watering anyway.

Flakatoras Ceramics

I bought the wee bottle of honey raki from the winery we visited.  Raki is a grape based spirit and I am advised that the nearest sub for cooking would be vodka.  
Honey raki is lovely.  

Rakı - Wikipedia

For my birthday, One Traveller gave me a little gift, a set with a mini bottle of garlic infused olive oil, three different olive pastes and a small tea towel (not shown - it was in the washing machine!)

Some of these came from the olive oil place and the rest from the Botanical Garden shop.
The body balm is absolutely gorgeous and you need so little.

And, finally, I treated myself to some olive wood bowls and a little scoop from the Bee place and from the olive oil factory shop.  I love olive wood things and they often have some lovely things in HomeSense.

I did intend to do some gardening yesterday but I was so very tired I rested up apart from a little bit of housework and tidying.

Oh, and I made some Cretan rusk bread as the barley flour came.  I was pleased with the results although I realised the barley flour was not high enough in protein so I've ordered some gluten powder.  I've also realised that I could make my own barley flour just using pearl barley and Thermione.

I made the rusks but I bet a normal loaf with some barley flour would taste good and I might try making some soda bread.
I'm waffling now, aren't I?

On to today and it is Friday so Slimming World and I am NOT looking forward to getting on those scales.  Not at all!

Diane is coming to our group because she can't make her usual Friday group and is staying for lunch so I'm putting together a meal where Crete meets Essex!!  Fusion food.
Fingers crossed.

Time to get the day going, I think.  Have as lovely first of May, everyone.  See you tomorrow.  xx

Thursday, 30-04-26

Good morning, everyone.  It's another lovely sunny start to the day; not that warm yet but it will be, I am sure.

I found a few more photos on my camera.

Where the Cretan party was held.  The poolside bar is to the left and the photo was taken from my dining table.

We had live music

And dance.

There are no photos of us attempting a couple of dances.  It was a riot!

OK, yesterday - it was a busy day what with three loads of washing, unpacking and tidying to finish and shopping.

It was lovely to be able to dry three loads of washing on the line and even better to get it all ironed and away.  

I went to M&S and then on to Sainsburys and managed to get stuff to start my Cretan food adventure.

Here's my first efforts - very tasty although the fruit was nothing like the Island fruit.  But then it wouldn't be, would it.

Talking of fruit., I seem to have six baby pears on my little tree although whether they survive the June drop is anyone's guess.  Still, that's half a dozen more than last year.  The apple tree has produced no blossom at all this year.  

I never thought of getting anyone to water the garden while I was away and when I got home several things were wilting.  The mint has picked up fine again but I fear one of the pots of raspberries has had it for this year.  I will let it all die back, cut the canes right back and cross my fingers for next year.

I went onto Wholefoods Online and got some barley flour and even paid for next day delivery so maybe I can have a go at making the barley rusk bread that I enjoyed so much.  I gather it is really just a bread made from wholegrain wheat and barley flours and then sliced and baked into rusks - a bit like savoury biscotti, in fact.)
However, according to the recipe I will use, you can make barley flour from pearl barley so I will give that a go at some point.

(this is why I call it an adventure)

Better stop - I need to get over to Chris for our coffee and chat.  See you tomorrow.  xx

Wednesday, 29-04-26 - a bit long, sorry!

Good morning, lovely people.  Welcome to Wednesday and the first post back home after the most wonderful holiday.  I'll start by thanking you for following my adventures (for want of a better word) in Crete and then apologise for the lack of photos in this post.  I did intend to take photos of my Cretan loot but by the time I was home and had popped round to Morrisons for something to eat, I was so weary that I just crashed out.

I did some limited unpacking but there's a bit of a mess still so I will deal with that this morning.  The first load of washing is in and fingers are crossed for a good drying day.  BBC says it should be sunny with a fresh breeze which sounds pretty much perfect, doesn't it?

Let's go back to yesterday morning.
I did most of my packing on Monday so there was very little to do but I still woke super early - I am delighted that I slept until six this morning, eight in Cretan time, so maybe adjusting back will be ok.  It's only two hours difference, after all.

Breakfast was leisurely.  No worries about cases as the hotel staff collected everything and all we had to do was see our own stuff onto the coach, just to make sure it was there.  
For me, the main problem was that for some unknown reason, between getting out of the bath and getting dressed, my back decided to go on me.  How stupid is that!

We left the hotel at eleven so there was plenty of time to say goodbye to staff, have a last wander round, tip as we wanted to, etc.
A work about tipping - One Traveller includes tips in the cost of the holiday so we don't have to worry, just tip if we want to for over-and-above service.  I like it - it takes the pressure off 'how much is right or culturally expected'.  So I tipped our coach driver and Patros, the Cretan guide who stayed with us all week and explained things, etc.  I tipped the hotel staff as a body, asking Adonis to share it out amongst everyone.  It's a small hotel so that wasn't an unrealistic ask - I have a feeling they pool all the tips anyway.

Taking my luggage into Chania airport was a bit of a pain although the pain killers had sorted out a fair bit of ouchiness by then and, of course, the first thing you do is dump your hold luggage anyway!
Once through security, Diane and I wandered around for a bit (with others) and I made a mistake in buying a sandwich for the flight.  I should have realised that after a week of the best and healthiest food in the whole world and some delicious bread, an airport sandwich would be - er, let's call it nasty!  Most of it went in the bin!

The flight was fine, no holdups or issues, and the other end, once passport, luggage and security was done, there was our lovely taxi driver holding up our names on his tablet.  He took our luggage, bless him, and withing five minutes we were sitting in  comfort being driven home.  Worth every last penny of the big tip I gave him (and I know Diane did the same because we talked about it earlier) and the price of the actual taxi was also included in the cost of the holiday.

It was nice to be back in the UK.  Everywhere was so lush and green in the evening sunshine, so different to Crete.  Crete is green but it's different - it is bright sunshine and olives and exotic looking flowers and citrus trees with fruit hanging and avocado trees in flower and snow capped mountains and hairpin bends (I closed my eyes at times on the coach through the week), so very different to our lush green and more diffused sunlight.

This morning, while my back is still aching, it is so much better.  I think HAVING to walk and stretch while pulling cases did help, even though it was a bit miserable at the time, and Diane was lovely, lifting my heavy case onto the scales, etc, for me.

The first thing I did when I got home was release Bubbles from her chilly hibernation.  Today I will feed her to activate and, hopefully, start some sourdough going.

The second thing was water the plants.  It has been warm in the UK and the new plant especially was suffering.  However, twelve-ish hours later, it's picked up fine so that's good.

As I said, the first load of washing is in and there are a couple more loads to get done today.   I have some stuff to do including the end of month finances, of course, and I want to go food shopping.  I shall go to M&S because Diane generously gave me a gift card for my birthday and we agreed that I could spend it on the weekly food and use the equivalent to buy an olive tree for the garden.  I know where to put it and it would be such a lovely way to remember a wonderful holiday.

I think I have waffled on long enough so I'll stop here and get the day started.  Have a wonderful Wednesday, whatever you do, and have a happy time.  See you tomorrow.  xx

Tuesday, 28-04-26: day eight and home sweet home.

(written on Monday evening)

Morning, all.  The very last morning at the Mistral Hotel in Maleme, Crete, has dawned.  We leave at eleven, Chania bound, for the airport and then Gatwick.

There's one more outing to tell you about and that was our visit to the Botanical Garden of Crete.  They are around 18km outside Chania, at the foot of the White Mountains, so called because they are snow topped for most of the year.

Not the best photo, taken through the coach window, but you get the idea.

Here's some info.  It is a blog (and there are adverts, sorry).
https://creteinsider.com/botanical-park-and-gardens-crete/

And another.  

It is such a very lovely place.  There's a 'Centre' with maps, a shop, food, loos, etc, and then there are the walks.  For a while the route is shared and then they split into a longer and a shorter walk.  The going isn't easy.  It is hilly, rocky, uneven and, at times, just a little bit scary, especially if one has any mobility issues.  Some of our group decided not to walk but to enjoy the views and chat from the café.  The rest of us did the shorter walk and felt very proud of ourselves.

I took some photos, of course, and, for once, my camera behaved itself.  Nevertheless, its days are numbered.

After a devastating wild fire (see the links for info), involving the destruction of so many olive trees, etc, Nature took over and things started growing again.  Most of the area was cleared but dotted around are some of the burnt tree stumps that were left as a sort of memorial.

Plenty of great views.

I didn't photo plant info but there were loads of boards with names, descriptions, etc.

I'd like this in my garden!

No idea what this is but it was so vivid.  The photo doesn't do it justice.

Dotted around were remnants of old buildings, art work and newer constructions to support wildlife.  

Some lovely inspirational quotes on marble slabs.

What's left of an old dwelling.

Plenty of insects, butterflies, birds, etc, and I spotted this tiny lizard sunning itself.

Crete is famous for its citrus fruit and I would dearly have loved to pull an orange from the tree but we had been told not to.
At lunch, dessert was chilled sliced oranges from their trees and, honestly, I have never tasted an orange quite so sweet and juicy before.  It was delicious.

There were different microclimates and, truly, at one point we could have been in an English country garden.

This was a cooling station.  Just before the end, after quite a steep climb, we came across this.  You sit on the bench, press a button, and get misted with cold water.  Not enough to get wet, just enough to refresh and cool down.  Perfect.

And, finally, right at the end, an amphitheatre.  It gave us a very welcome sit down to chat about the garden and the whole holiday.

That was the last excursion.

Come the evening we had the last cocktail, the last dinner (their own version of moussaka is to die for) and some Cretan music and dancing.

Now it is bedtime!

I'm now typing this early Tuesday morning (even earlier for you in the UK as we're two hours ahead here).  I'm pretty much packed with just last minute things to do, breakfast starts at eight, luggage outside our rooms at half ten and the coach arrived for departure from the hotel at eleven.

Thanks for following me on this holiday.  It's been an absolute blast, the experience of a lifetime.  The One Traveller group has been so lovely - everyone seems to have got on well and Heather and Marcela, the tour managers, have been the best.
But real life must resume.  I'm taking tomorrow to ground myself and get things back to normal and then I will pick up everyday life again!

See you tomorrow, back in the good old UK!!  xx

Monday, 27-04-26, day seven . . .

 . . . and last full day, woe is me!  :-)

Yesterday, we spent the day in Chania (pronounces h-arn-ya).  Here's a site with info about this  interesting town.   Chania, Crete: The Ultimate Local Travel Guide for 2026

And here's its history - I find it very interesting.  Chania - A City Of Many Tales

We hopped on and off the coach, were given a guided tour of the older parts, taken to the harbour and from there we wandered, shopped and enjoyed the Mediterranean vibe before meeting up for lunch.  It was a nice lunch, but very tourist-y rather than totally traditional.  
Once back home again, we chilled until dinner.

That's a quick resume.  Here's some photos.  :-)

Today we are off to some Botanical Gardens where we will be met by the owner who will show us round and then the more energetic can do a longer, more difficult walk around while the rest of us chill over coffee and/or gently meander around.  I will be one of the latter group as I'm feeling quite weary.

This evening is the party that was scheduled on a day where we had rain - it will be outside in the hotel gardens.

Before then, sadly, we will be packing for our return to the UK tomorrow.   Very mixed feelings here - I always like getting home again but this is such a very lovely place . . .  

Sunday afternoon, 26-04-26, day six

 I have a bit of time to put this together - please excuse any typos!

A few links for info.
Knossos (Wiki info)
The Heraklion Archaeological Museum

Day five was the one I had been looking forward to.  A tour of the historical site of Knossos and a look around the museum in Heraklion.
We were SO lucky with the weather.  It was teeming with rain when we left the hotel for the three hour(ish) drive across Crete to Knossos.  It poured all the way there which was a shame because the views would have been stunning had we not been in the low clouds much of the way.

As the coach parked, the rain stopped and held off while we had our tour with a guide who was absolutely brilliant.  Knowledgeable, highly qualified, excellent English and clear articulation.
While we were having lunch in a Taverna in Heraklion, it rained.
As we left the Taverna, it stopped and held off until just as we got on the coach to drive back.

The Greek gods must have been smiling on us.

Here's some photos without comment.  They've appeared in the wrong order (sorry) so the first few are from the museum and the last one is our guide (who stayed with us all day)

I don't have any of the really important photos from the museum, like the bull acrobat sculpture, etc, as my camera decided to play silly sausages again.  Its days are numbered, I can tell you!
I think the link should lead you to them if you explore.

No time for shopping as we had to whizz round the museum and get back to the coach.  No fridge magnet - what a shame.

I have no more time so I will post separately about Chania.  Just to say Knossos and Heraklion were absolutely fantastic and I will be back at some point.  I have promised myself.  xx

Saturday, 25-04-26

Morning, lovely people.

Day five begins.

It's an early start to the day as today is Knossos day and it takes three hours to get there (and three to get back again) so we're leaving at eight.

power failure, 

Yesterday started off with a bit of excitement - we had a short power failure around six this morning and learned later that there had been a 5.7 strength earthquake off the coast of eastern Crete, Heraklion way.  I didn't feel any aftershocks personally and I don't think there was any serious issues, but the power was off and on all day.  So that was an 'exciting' start!

Not quite so exciting was the fact that it poured with rain all day.  The farmer's market we were scheduled to visit doesn't happen when it is raining so we went off to Colymbari, to visit the Mother of God Monastery.  Nothing to do with food but it was something to do and the museum was very interesting.

I found a fridge magnet so I was happy with that!

The photo is the church in the middle of the grounds.

The view from the back wall.  Even in poor weather, it was lovely.

Then we piled back on the coach and went to Bee World where Dorothea talked to us about her bees before we tasted honey and went all spendy in the small shop.

I got some little olive wood bowls, some olive and orange soap and some beeswax hand balm.

Back on the coach again and off we headed, through some pretty heavy rain, up narrow roads with hairpin bends that made me hold my breath at times, to a winery, the name of which I can't recall.
The tour of the winery wasn't much to write home about but the wine tasting was!

After a brief talk, we were let loose.  There must have been around twenty five just opened bottles down a long table, with notes and glasses - proper glasses not shot glasses, and some finger nibbles to help us along.

With an awareness of luggage weight, I didn't buy any wine but I did buy a titchy bottle of honey raki.  Whether it gets as far as being packed remains to be seen.

Finally we got in the coach and headed home to the Mistral Hotel where Diane and I had coffee before I went to a fairly impromptu jewellery making session, making a bracelet that I wore in the evening.

Because of the poor weather, the Cretan party will happen another evening but that's OK, it was still a great evening.

A bit unexpected too.  We were expecting baklava for dessert but instead the lights dimmed, the music started and out came not only a birthday cake with an indoor firework, but all the staff, a cloak, a crown, a sceptre, a Happy Birthday banner and a birthday song.  Great fun but somewhat - er - well, not me usually!  But so kind and it was enjoyable.
I know someone else has a birthday today so now they know what to expect, don't they.

As mentioned at the start, today is Knossos day.  It is somewhere I have wanted to go for decades, ever since reading Mary Stewart's The Bull From The Sea.

It is going to be a long day.  Breakfast is early, we leave at eight and, probably, won't be back until around seven this evening.
So tomorrow's post will probably be later because I won't be processing any of the photos this evening.