"Crete and Dodecanese Cruise" Crete Island by Rachel972

In 2003 We took a cruise from Heraklion in Crete with Zeus Casual Cruises, to the Dodecanese islands, one week, in September. On their present website they have different cruises this year. The boat, named Diogenes, had about 35 passengers. We sailed east along the north of Crete, Stopping at Agios Nikolaos, then to Karpathos, Rhodos, Simi, Astypaleia, (separate tips) and planned to land at Santorini, return to Crete.

We visited the islands at daytime, of course, and sailed at night and some of the day. One night we went to sleep in our cabins at the wharf of Astypalea, and were supposed to land at Santorini in the morning. We got up and out early, from our low windowless cabin, because the boat entrance into Santorini is something fantastic, nothing can compare with it. We've done this entrance before with a ferry, and nothing is ever like seeing something for the first time, but anyway we were eager to do it again. I noticed that the water was very quiet, after the pronounced waves at night, massaging the back when slipping on the bed from side to side. So I thought that I overslept and we're already inside the Santorini caledra. What do I see when I get on deck? - We're still in Astypalea, but not exactly the same mooring as the evening before. The boat did sail at night towards Santorini in windy weather. During the night the wind got stronger, the waves getting higher than the maximum allowed for this size of the boat. The captain turned around, back to Astypalea.

So we missed Santorini, had an extra day in Astypalea, returned straight to Crete. We were very disappointed of course, but the boat had to return on time for its next cruise, and several travelers had their flights home.

In Heraklion we rented a car, setting out for one week in Crete, where we had some more unexpected events.

The Warrior's rest

On the waterfront near the port of Heraklion.

2003 rescue in Samaria, now my husband went alone

We didn't rent a car this time, and toured West Crete by bus. The KTEL central bus station in Chania is something completely different from having a tourist bus pick you up at your hotel. Lively, changing and moving but not too crowded. The busses don't have a signed station where you should expect them to stand, but they have numbers. The busses are announced by number - the locals know where to look for them in the big bus park, the tourists have to ask anybody who looks as if he'll understand you. The busses are modern, comfortable, clean, no smoking, ventilated/air conditioned.

Our first trip was to Omalos with the last bus at noon, to stay at the Omalos hotel and walk down the Samaria gorge next morning. We knew when the bus should leave, and that it should be announced ten minutes in advance, we didn't know where it stood. At last we got a tip where the bus is - quite separate from the rest of the busses. Why didn't they announce? - All other passengers were regulars who knew the bus. They were all village women who came down to Chania in the morning for shopping, and returned at noon from the market. The baggage compartment was full of shopping bags with vegetables, fish, meat. We had to move some to make place for our suitcase, I hope we didn't mix up the market bags because they all looked the same. Apparently there's always the same driver on this route. This time it was a different one, who didn't know where each one of the passengers lived. At some narrow hairpin turn on the mountains all the women started to shout at the driver, he forgot to enter a side road to their village. He turned back on this narrow cliffside road, drove to the village, brought each woman home, got out of the bus to open the bagage door to take out her shopping. Another hair rising turn at the end of the village, back to the main road. We were the only passengers left on the bus to Omalos, because we were the only tourists, and Omalos is not a village but a hotel and some tavernas. The workers wouldn't come there with the noon bus. From Omalos my husband walked the Samaria, I took a taxi to Sougia with the bags, because I've already broken my ankle in the Samaria in the past. After several days, back to Chania with the KTEL bus.

Our second bus trip was to Elafonissos, a wonderful beach at the west coast. We were already familiar with the central bus station. This time it was the regular driver of this route, stopping to say hello to all his many friends in the mountains. On the very long drive along the coast from Chania to Kasteli-Kissamos he stopped only at the many bus stations. But once in the mountains he stopped at any place where he knew that someone wanted the bus. The bus itself apparently knew the route like an old mule, because on this winding road the driver several times had both hands off the wheel to look for papers or set something right. After several hours on the return to Chania it was the same driver.

The third trip was to Paleochora at the south coast, also returning the same day, passing above the dramatic Topolia Gorge. Still on the mountains, the driver stopped near an olive tree, no village in sight. An old sheperd tied his two goats to the tree and got on the bus. After two hours we returned to the bus station, the sheperd was there too, having gone to drink coffee with his friends. At the olive tree the driver let him off to meet the goats that waited for him.
At the edge of a village the driver stopped near a house, no bus stop there. There was a old man with a plastic bag full of squeezed lemons. I said "is he taking the bus to throw away the garbage?" Yes. The driver stopped at the garbage container.

Now half a year later we're going to check if its the same in Kefalonia.

• Pros:Great landscapes, sea, people. I'll be back.
• Cons:Never enough time. Don't wast time on touristy areas.
• In a nutshell:The Greek Gods dumped their gifts here, in a messy heap.