On the "Raki" Roads of Crete

Ready to experience the island life, I boarded an overnight ferry in Piraeus, the main port serving Athens. I had never taken a cruise before and didn't know what to expect. The boat, called the Knossos Palace, was enormous! After an escalator ride to the front desk, the concierge walked me through the labyrinth of stairs and hallways to my room. It was a shared cabin with 3 beds in total and a bathroom with a shower. I walked around the decks, amazed at the number of restaurants and lounges, took in the views from the top deck, and then settled in for the night. I was pleasantly surprised there was minimal rocking and got some rest.

We arrived in Heraklion, the largest city on Crete at around 7:00am. I fumbled my way down through the labyrinth of the ship and walked across town with my backpack and shoulder bag. I dropped my stuff at the hostel, thanks to another guest letting me in and pointing out the storage area. I waited for a few hours but the actual staff never showed up, so I left to see the town.

After a coffee and Wifi stop, I walked down to the harbor area. The water was so amazingly blue! There was a Venetian fort with good views and a mini museum that explained some of Crete's history. As a strategic location in the Mediterranean, it changed hands many times - Minoans, Byzantines, Arabs, Venetians, Ottomans, etc. This particular fort was a key stronghold when the Venetians were defending against a long Ottoman siege.

Lunch was fried gruyere and a traditional lamb pie, a bit like a giant empanada. Afterwards, they brought out a free dessert and small bottle of clear liquid. Known as raki, it's a strong liquor made from pressed grape skins - a cousin of grappa and pisco. It's often served after meals, and is the unofficial drink of the island! A great part of the Crete experience.

Even though Heraklion isn't a huge city, the traffic patterns were tricky. At some intersections, the green would be given to each feeder street, one at a time. Meaning that cars could turn in 3 different directions as they sped through the intersection. Not easy to figure out which way to look! The sidewalks weren't very wide either.

From downtown I took a public bus to the Palace of Knossos archaeological site, on the outskirts of Heraklion. It was the famous center of the Minoans, considered the oldest civilization in Europe. According to legend, the Minotaur and labyrinth were located under the palace! Though the intricate design of the palace itself may have been conflated. These days, it's a mix of original stone foundations and sections rebuilt in the 1900s by a foreign archaeologist, based on his interpretation. Given this problematic history, the site is an odd mix of weathered rock and gaudy red pillars. Not what I expected after the well preserved ruins in Athens and Mycenae!

Back at the hostel, I made friends with Curt and Hayden, a Canadian pharmacist and an Australian warehouse manager. We went out for dinner, excited at the chance to order and share a variety of dishes. Grilled sardines and octopus, dolma, eggplant, chicken, and more! It was a great feast, and the local kitties were very happy for a few sardine scraps. Of course, the meal ended with a little dessert and raki.

Curt recognized someone at a different restaurant across the street, so we pulled up a few chairs and got a round of Alpha beer. The restaurant, called Doukas Art, ended up being the quirky heart of my time in Heraklion. It was a small operation run by the humble Giorgios, who spoke enough English to communicate with us, but whose actions spoke louder. When attempting to pay for the Alphas, we were instead treated to fresh melon and raki. Besides food and drink, Doukas Art also offered rooms at a reasonable rate. The folks we met on the patio, Ben and Kuranda, were some of these guests, who had found a slice of paradise at the restaurant. They would hang out on the patio for hours at a time, reading books, making drawings, listening to music, and smoking cigarettes. The interior of the building contained a hodgepodge of artifacts, including a classical guitar that Giorgios let me play. I gave a whole concert, which was satisfying after a guitarless stretch. In return, Giorgios played some popular Greek music, accompanied with soulful vocals and commentary on the composers. It was such an unexpected and wholesome experience!

The next day, I slept in and had some traditional bougatsas for breakfast. They're a bit like crepes, with either cheese or custard filling sandwiched between layers of thin filo dough. Then I headed to the Heraklion Archaeological Museum for a range of exhibits on the Neolithic and Minoan eras. It was an amazing collection of artifacts. For some items, like vases or miniature bulls or drachma, they would have dozens of that item on display, instead of the one or two you'd see at another museum. I particularly liked an ancient board game, a bull-shaped libation vessel and a sarcophagus with an elaborate fresco on the side.

At the hostel, I made another new friend - Maude from Canada - who was also a guitar player. I mentioned that Doukas Art had a guitar, so we went there for a tasty dinner of stuffed pepper with rice, and later traded off playing songs. We had some beer and raki, and Giorgios offered up the guitar again, but it was too hard to play after a few drinks. I stayed up late hanging out with Kuranda and Ben, even after Giorgios closed up shop.

The bus from Heraklion to Chania was not very comfortable, on account of the meager AC. After a sweltering 3 hours of traveling west across Crete, I was glad to arrive in Chania and find my new hostel.

The evening's activity was a cooking class at a beautiful house in the mountains. There were about 15 people in the group, and our driver/host Andreas navigated the van through some challenging traffic and narrow mountain roads. But once there, everything was peaceful. We started with stuffing tomatoes, pepper, and zucchini with rice so those could start baking. We took a break to feed the sheep, have some appetizers, and taste a flight of Cretan wines. Then we made tzatziki, dakos (similar to bruschetta), and pies with cheese or spinach (like Greek empanadas). It was a pretty casual class, with more focus on the experience than the recipe itself. The head chef spoke in Greek and Andreas translated. While the chef did the frying and baking, Andreas explained the traditional way of making olive oil and raki, and gave a crash course in Cretan history. The feast was delicious, with the stuffed tomato being my favorite dish. It was a fun and international group, with folks from Norway, Australia, Canada, and the US. And as I should have expected by now, they sent us home with a small bottle of raki.

Enough of land - time to cruise the Mediterranean! I got on a bus to the port of Kissamos, in the northwestern tip of Crete. We switched over to a large boat with a lot of tourists speaking different languages, including something that sounded like Polish or Russian and sign language. Our first stop was Balos Beach, a unique and beautiful place. Imagine this: a mini island is connected to the mainland by a spit of sand. On one side of the spit, a closed lagoon with pale grey color. On other side, a crystal blue cove the connects with the sea. I started by hiking up the mainland for views overlooking both lagoons. Then I went down to the blue side for a swim! There were some small reefs with small fish, and I enjoyed being in the water.

Our cruise also stopped at Gramvousa Island, or at least the inhabited one with that name (there's also a "wild" Gramvousa). I had the chance to hike up the cliff to a Venetian fort with stunning views in every direction. It felt vast, but not so vast that it was incomprehensible. Looking down, you could see the bottom of the ocean through the clear shores, with swimmers and boats floating like miniature bath toys above the blue gradient. All around, the orange cliffs of Gramvousa and the mainland were a perfect color contrast. It was definitely my favorite spot on Crete.

Alas, the tour went on, returning to Kissamos and eventually to Chania. I sought out some groceries in the busy downtown walking area, and then settled into a quiet dinner at Kapari. A refreshing Cretan beer (Charma), my dose of veggies from a Greek salad, and a stellar grilled calamari with pesto. The entire squid was served, which was a unique experience! It took them a while to bring the card scanner, and I had an early morning, so against my instinct I declined the raki.

Waiting for the bus at 6:00am, and driving up into the mountains in the dark, I wondered what I was getting myself into. I had booked a spot on a day long Samaria Gorge adventure via the hostel front desk, but didn't know the day's itinerary. All was revealed in time - we were dropped at the park entrance at the highest elevation, and then did a self guided hike down through the gorge. There was a guide but they stayed with the slower end of the group to keep the minimum pace. The first few kilometers were the trickiest, with switchbacks consisting of slippery stones and denser groups. As the hike continued, the terrain became easier and the groups spread out. It was about 10 miles to the ocean, and it was incredibly scenic. The tall cliffs on both sides of the gorge towered like the walls of Yosemite Valley. The path crossed the stream several times, and there were natural spring fountains to refill water bottles along the way. About halfway through, I struck up a conversation with a fellow solo hiker, Vali, who was originally from Romania but had lived in Berkeley and was currently in Berlin. It was nice to have a hiking companion going at a similar pace, as we followed the trail through Calabrian pines and cypress.

We reached the bottom of the valley, and approached the narrowest section of the gorge. We felt very small going through this sliver of a canyon. The midday sun could barely reach into this crevice, and we were thankful for the shade as the temperature increased. After a few more stream crossings, we exited the park and arrived in the small fishing village. Even at a relaxed pace, Vali and I finished the route by 1:30pm, about 5.5 hours in total. Since the town was so remote, the only way out was by ferry at 5:30pm. So we passed the time at a beachside restaurant, along with another hiker named Julian from Germany. Even in the shade and with a few ice cold Alpha beers, it was hard to tolerate the "feels like 97 degree" temp. The conversation with Vali and Julian, plus a few shared appetizers, really got me through the afternoon. At some point, Julian disappeared to get some groceries. Vali and I boarded the ferry, unsure of where Julian ended up - we hope he boarded the right one!

It was a pretty ferry ride looking back at the convergence of the mountains and the ocean. Reaching the next port, we hopped off and got back on the bus. It was a difficult curvy road, and dark once again. I was glad to be back in Chania, where I had a gelato for a light dinner.

On my last morning in Chania, I explored the harbor and old city. It was packed with delivery trucks, jockeying as they made their morning deliveries, and almost running me off the road into the harbor at times. I found shelter on a pedestrian street and stopped for breakfast at a cafe with a pretty view towards the water. The famous Spanish painter El Greco was born on that street, according to the menu. I ordered the "Sweet Crete" breakfast, including a medley of walnuts, cheese, and golden raisins coated with honey, plus cheese and custard pies.

The bus to Heraklion was more modern than the first, and I had nice views of the Cretan coast. I dropped off my bags and caught up with the Doukas Art crew. Giorgios was busy running the restaurant (his competitor across the street was closed - good for business!) and Ben was recovering from heat stroke after a few beach days, so I met up with Kuranda who was at a communist cafe a few blocks away. We caught up over free dessert and raki, and admired a cute kitten we heard mewing nearby.

After a much needed afternoon nap, I headed back to Doukas Art for my last night on Crete. In addition to Kuranda and Ben, several other guests of Giorgios joined the hangout. Together, we ate, drank, and bantered the night away. Of course, being an incredible host, Giorgios left us some snacks and a bottle of raki before going to bed himself.

Crete was an amazing destination, and I definitely recommend a few days in Chania. My time in Heraklion was unexpectedly fun, thanks to the friends I made. Gotta love the backpacker "networking" that happens in hostels and over meals! But of course, the common thread was the raki - a great metaphor for Crete's distinct character, the generosity of the locals, and the island's appeal to fellow travelers.