Milos

We were picked up by a charming man in Milos. He packed us into his newish Honda and drove us out of town a bit to his home which had a rentable in-law unit. His house was surrounded by his farm where he grew potatoes, onions, squash, tomatoes, melons, artichokes and peppers- to name a few. Our space had a tiny kitchen and we were excited to cook dinner. When I saw that he had a basket of artichokes he told us to take two. He then gave us zucchini. He promised in the morning he would give us potatoes.
We left our things and walked into town for dinner as the store was closed and we couldn't get ingredients to make anything ourselves. We ordered house white, tzatsiki, bitter greens and a fresh fish from the grill. The tzasiki was sparkly. As it was old. When we told him he suck his finger in it to taste it. Then stuck the same finger in again. He pronounced it just fine and told us it was the vinegar they put it it. Ehw.
The fish was amazing. AMAZING. The local cats seemed to think so as well. They hung around including a pregnant one eyed cat.
We headed home and slept well.

Ios

A couple things I neglected to mention in Heraklio:
The night of our dinner Nicole- having already drunk some wine- asked the waited how bad the house red was. He gave us a sample and we ordered a bottle.
A thought on the greens that we ate throughout the islands:
Bitter, but I would still rather eat the Stamnigatha (stewed greens) than nettles.

Our ferry to Ios was uneventful. We arrived at the port at 12:30pm. It was slightly rainy and smelled of Central Oregon when it rains. Fresh and somehow warm. We were picked up by a young British guy named Ben who drove us to the central part of town. From there we carried our luggage to the hostel where we were staying. Rain water was running down the white washed alleys. It was a nice place with a great view. We left in search of lunch which was challenging as most places were closed. I was surprised how many bars there were. Clearly that island is for partying. There had to be at least 15 bars. Lunch was good. Dinner was better although their Aubergine Imam was very salty.
We played cards on the terrace until we got too chilled and then went inside. We had planned on going out with a group from the hostel but we were 5 minutes too late and although we walked around, we couldn't find them.
he next day we had an amazing breakfast and headed down to the beach. The rain had left a rich earthy scent behind. We walked around and enjoyed the sun until we had to leave to catch our ferry.
As might be expected, ferry food is crazy expensive. I paid 2.50 for a small bag of potato chips. The nice thing is that they come in flavors like Oregano, Mediterranean Herbs and Olive Oil.

Crete: Days 2, 3 and 4

We woke up and Cole prepared hard boiled eggs, sliced bread, tea and olives for breakfast. All of which were eaten on the adjoining porch. The day consisted of shopping, window shopping and eating. More amazing food, pictures and stumbling on historic sites. We decided that Hania was so charming we couldn't bare to part with it and extended our stay another night. We were transferred to a different room. The shower head was much better. We enjoyed out last day in Hania walking through the old market and basking in the sun on the beach. Dinner was one of the best. I cannot emphasize enough- If you come to Greece you absolutely must try the stuffed eggplant. So amazing.
A fair over view of Crete would be to say,"Watch out for the free Raki after lunch and dinner." It may come with dessert and be in an adorable bottle but that stuff is like lighter fluid. Ask Nicole. Being adverse to wasting alcohol she obligingly drank mine when I could not. This is perhaps why her dwarf name was Dopey.
We left for Heraklio in the "early" morning but missed the bus we intended to take. A stroke of luck since I really wanted a pic of the fish market...
Two and a half hours later we got to the major port city. Very cityish.
We dropped off our luggage and left directly for Knossos. The ancient Minoan palace. Luckily it was a free admittance day so we sprang for the guided tour. Our guide was struggling with her English and ended up repeating each sentence at least twice if not three times. After the tour we partook of some of the most expensive orange juices on the planet.
Returning downtown we took in some of the sights and stopped for a luxurious coffee with Baileys break.
We then trekked back to the hotel where we opened our replacement bottle of red from Hania. Dinner was very good.
The next morning we left for Ios.
Top 10 Crete:
1 Missed bus
2 Shots of Metaxa
3 Layers of sunburn
4 Hours on the beach
5 Carafs of Raki
6 Dwarfs embodied (Sneezy, Sleepy, Grumpy, Dopey, Happy, Bashful)
7 IN.KA markets
8 (.5) hours on the ferry from Athens
9 Times we commented on how clear the water was
10 + visits to the internet cafe.(Refer to #5)

Crete- Day 1

Our ferry left for Crete at 9:15pm. We came prepared with an already opened bottle of red wine, playing cards and reading material. Not much to say other than it was a long trip and we tried to sleep on the same couch. We arrived at the port near Hania around 5:30am. A bus ride later we were manuevering through the steets looking for the proper street names, lugging what seemed like an excess of baggage. A key had been hidden outside our pension so we were able to drop off our stuff and leave. We brought along a sleeping bag, some remaining pitas and a can of large white beans in tomato sauce. Chilly, we ate out breakfast from a can and watched the ocean.
We had been told that out room would be available at 10am. However- upon meeting up with the owner we discovered we had until noon. Making a quick change in a spare room we headed out to the beach. There we enjoyed a freddo cappuccino and the view. Laying in the perfect sunshine was all we needed to jumpstart out day. We returned to the pension, got our room and showered, changed, etc. We then headed down te winding alleys to find a late lunch.
Interesting to know: Crete was at times sahared and fought over between the Venetians and the Turks. As a result there are many mosques and small winding alleys.
Dinner was bread, more beans- they are actually delicious for canned food- and wine which we didn't drink as it was corked.

Summation of Athens

1 Acropolis
2 Caraffs of bad white wine
3 Snoring roommates
4 Matching sandals
5 Freddo cappuccinos
6 Hours online
7 Orders of cheese items
8 Greek men playing bacgammon
9 Times getting lost
10 (x10) Shops we looked in

Athens

We arrived in Athens at 5:15pm. We quickly found the bus to the part of town we were staying in. That was a long ride. There were many plants and trees we see in California- Figs, grapes, ice plants with all their pink and yellow flowers, bougainvillea and jasmine. Scenic until we got into the city. Then it was stop and go. Queasy we arrived in Syntagma square. Yes that is where the fires and police were a couple days ago but we didn't see any of that. A short walk and we arrived at our hostel. Excellent location we washed off the travel and headed out for dinner. Dinner was saganaki- fried cheese, fried zucchini served with garlic dip and moussaka. After dinner we went for a night walk to take pictures of the acropolis lit up at night. Note: the streets are cobbled marble. Where the streets get a lot of traffic, beware. It is like being polished- very slick. You can slip very easily. Not a good thing. Needless to say the trip can be best described by the food we have been eating. The next day we walked up to the acropolis after a breakfast at the hostel. On our way down we encountered a native Greek in traditional garb playing a lyre. After asking Nicole for some money and her not giving him any he called her a bitch. Either he was angry or he had Torretts (sp).
While purse shopping later that day a sales guy asked me if I liked one of the purses and when I replied that it was too big he simply stated that I was a big lady. True but it sounds bad. Shopping has been a surprisingly large component to our trip in Athens. One of our shopping highlights was finding the Athenian poet sandal maker. We now have matching custom sandals. (The Jackie O. style.)Shopping, eating and walking. An afternoon coffee is mandatory. Cannot survive without it.
When we first arrived we thought there were a ton of homeless dogs but having been here for a couple days it seems there are fewer than we originally thought. The same with the cat population but there really are so many. Meandering though the ruins. Everywhere. Pics to follow. We are headed out to Crete tonight. Closing thoughts: I am going to keep track of roughly how many pounds of cheese Nicole and I eat. Favorite foods in Athens? Chicken and okra, Dolmades in lemon sauce and Nicole's favorite- fried cheese.
RECIPE:
Boil 2 potatoes and cool in the fridge.
add juice from 1 lemon
2 large garlic cloves minced
salt to taste
Put all ingredients in the blender and add stock or water until it reaches a creamy consistency. (Dip like.)
Suggested for anything fried or battered and fried. On bread is great too!

These are estimations. We got the recipe from a waiter our first night. Cold potatoes ensure the garlic doesn't turn green.

Cont.

After oysters Jorn took us to a fine dining establishment that served "California cuisine." Delicious steak, potatoes, cab sauv and dessert. We slept well that night.
The next day we awoke rather late and went to a restaurant that served buttery delectable croissant, bowls of latte and Asian inspired panini. Never mind the chocolate croissant. A brief 5 minute walk and we enjoyed some ice cream. So decadent! We went back to Nicole's so we could pack for our evening/ night trip to Taunus Therme in Bad Homburg. We arrived at 7:30 to a large indoor/outdoor spa, jacuzzi, sauna and pools place designed to remind one of the Orient. There we swam, sweat, salt scrubbed and relaxed. We left at 11pm. (When they closed.) Again- we slept well. The next day was eating brunch and shopping for dinner and miscellaneous items for Greece.
I will fast forward you all to dinner. Fresh, homemade pasta in a lemon cream sauce with shrimp and tender asparagus. This is what happens when foodies vacation together.
What happened next was an accident. We had white wine with dinner but then decided to sample some grappa which turned into sampling Croatian plum brandy which turned into drinking it all and deciding that we didn't have enough time to sleep as we still needed to pack. Our flight left in less than two hours.
Nicole then failed to herd me out the door in time so we had to take a taxi. The airport greeted us- half drunk, half tired.
The layover in Paris was tedious to say the least and all I can say it that we somehow survived.
Please be patient with the delay in photo posting as it is only available in some locations. I will do my best to catch up with where we are now but forgive the lag and blame it on the alcohol.

Party night and beyond.

Nicole looked great in her bday dress that I got her. She rented out a bar for the night and about 45 people came. Jorn (her boyfriend) and I were busy just before the party prepping snack plates while she was making play lists. We were there from 9pm to 5:30am. What can I say other than drama, fun, confusion, scandelous shots and dancing.
The next morning- or I should say later that day we got up around 1pm. It was a slow moving day. We walked to the river and ate some amazing couscous salad made with orange, cashew, dates, parsley and raisons. After laying in the sun for a couple hours we went home to change. We walkwd next door where Jorn took us out to some amazingly fresh oysters and champagne.

Nicole is 30 today...

I will start with saying that the German keyboard is a bit different. I will get through it so don't worry.
My flight went well. Long and tedious as I found it hard to sleep but manageable. Nicole picked me up and we went back to her place where I met her temporary roommate and took a shower. We then headed out to have coffee on the river, Main. She lives on block from the water. We sat there and ate German marble cake and drank our milky lattes. After a couple hours Nicole insisted we have saurgespritzte- a sour apple wine with sparkeling water. After making sure to switch sides of the table so as to sun ourselves evenly we headed back to her house to meet some friends who picked us up and drove us to Rüdesheim. A town on the Rhine known for their wine making. We learned this area is responsible for 3% of the worlds reisling, in fact. We arrived just after 8pm and started our first bottle of reisling. It is now asparagus season so it would have been a mistacke to not take advantage of that. I ordered what can only be described as a bowl of butter and cheese sauce that had white and green asparagus as well as potatoes floating in it. Delicious if not completely, sinfully rich.
6 bottles of wine and 1 bottle of champagne later we toasted Nicole and found a cab to take up up to the hostel where the 8 of us passed out. Thats right folks- I didn`t go to bed until after midnight.
This morning we lounged on our balcony and ate breakfast. I am now back in Nicole´s apt getting ready for bday shoe shopping and party prep. I promise you photos in the next couple days...

A day and a half left....

And no- I am not yet packed. I am barely excited because I still have so many things to do before I leave. I don't think it has sunk in yet. Today I am reeling from the extreme workout on the pole. I have bruises and blisters to prove how hard I worked. There are still dresses to be dropped off, projects to be finished and the daunting task of deciding which shoes I am bringing and how many is too many. No- really. How many?
I have no idea with what kind of regularity I will be writing but a certain uncle assures me that even once a week will bring entertainment. I will do my best to focus on photos and charming anecdotes.