Alkis and I had never bought a package tour before, and, I must admit, we were a bit sceptical about booking one for our Easter holiday. We usually travel on our own as we both like to feel free to do whatever we want without having to follow a schedule or be part of a group. But when I got on my fax the advertisement of an Easter package tour to Crete, I was attracted by the price and so was Alkis. For only €490, we had air tickets to Heraklion, transfer to the hotel in Rethymnon (about 80 km from Heraklion), accommodation including breakfast and dinner plus four excursions and an option of €50 reduction if we chose not to take the excursions. We finally decided to go for it. Not only did we not regret it but we also had a great time as everything was organised perfectly well. It was surely one of the best holidays we've ever had and we may think about buying a package tour in future as well.
DAY 1 - WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16, 2014
Although I've been to Crete four times so far, I was on cloud nine - unable to conceal my entusiasm. I spent the whole morning packing while Alkis was at work, trying to decide what to pack as the weather forecast for Rethymnon was quite unstable. Jeans and light clothes seemed to me the best option. By 4:30 pm Alkis had come back from work and we got ready to go to the airport. According to schedule, at 6:00 pm we'd meet the rest of the group there. We were on time and surprised to see that about 150 people from all over Cyprus had booked this package tour to Crete. The tour operator welcomed everyone and we were also very glad to see that check-in was fast, so we had time for a coffee before take-off. The chartered flight by Aegean Airways left on time, at 08:15 pm and safely landed at Nikos Kazantzakis Airport one hour and 15 minutes later.
Once we got our luggage, we were promptly shown to our coaches. Our night journey to Rethymnon had started. At 11 pm, we arrived at Lefkoniko Beach Hotel. Everything was organised with meticulous care, so there was practically no delay to check in. Soon afterwards, we enjoyed dinner at the hotel. I must admit that we certainly did not expect such a wide variety of dishes at a 3-star hotel! We were impressed! But, most importantly, the food was delicious! After dinner, we went to our room. It was a spacious, comfortable room, nicely furnished with a twin platform bed, a sofa, a dressing table. There was also a fully-equipped kitchenette including a small refrigerator and a coffee machine. The bathroom was small but very practical and convenient. I greatly appreciated the snowwhite, velvety towels, slightly fragrant.
DAY 2 - THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2014
After a good night's sleep, we got up at 09:00 am and had breakfast at Othello Restaurant, at the hotel. There was a wide variety of bread, toast, croissants, jams, honey, cereals, fruit, cakes, eggs, sausages, cheeses, hams, french fries, baked beans, juices and hot beverages. Although we had dinner late at night, we were starving! Was it because of the fresh air in Rethymnon or the torrential morning rain? The rain greeted us first thing in the morning and by 10:00 am it had not stopped. According to schedule, 10:00 - 12:00 was our sightseeing tour in Rethymnon ....on foot! The sightseeing tour took place, anyway. We decided to follow armed with our umbrellas! We got soaked, however, but it was worth it! What's more, we enjoyed the experience (hoping that we wouldn't catch a cold) and an ouzomeze at the end of the tour. I loved the healthy version of the Cretan ouzomeze: wholegrain dry bread, tomatoes, cucumber and a glass of ouzo, of course.
DAY 3 - FRIDAY, APRIL 18, 2014
What a relief! Today was our first excursion to the wilderness of southern Crete and, yes! We woke to a glorious sunny day! We set off with a slight delay - 9:15 am instead of 9:00 am according to schedule. Once in the couch, I remebered that I had forgotten to take our umbrellas. "Don't worry!", Alkis said. "It's a bright day, today. Besides, the bus is leaving now."
First stop: the gorge of Kourtaliotis. 271 steps lead down to the gorge. I could not take this as I was diagnosed with PAD (Peripheral Arterial Disease) two years ago and had to go through angioplasty. Doctors orders say I should not go up too many steps, so I did not risk it. I fervently begged Alkis to descend but he chose to remain by my side! Many other people from our group did not descend, yet we all had a great time taking photos and looking at the breathtaking view of the gorge!
Next stop: The Holy Monastery of Preveli
The events of the heroic battle of Crete in May 1941 are well known, when the Germans forces met fierce opposition from the Allied Armies and the people of the island. The Monastery of Preveli, desiring to be faithful to its traditions and having no other way to give help, arranged on a daily basis supplies for the Allied army and the locals during the battle in Perivolia, on the outskirts of Rethymno. However, the seizure of Maleme airport in Chania and the advance of the German forces throughout Crete resulted in the evacuation of most of the Allied troops and the departure of the remnants of the Greek Army to the Middle East.
Next stop : The village of Plakias. It's a tourist resort which boasts golden beaches and crystal clear waters. We stopped for coffee before heading to the picturesque village of Spili which is noted for its lion fountains situated in the central square.
We had lunch at the gorge of Patsou where we visited the church of Saint Antony By the time we finished lunch, the sunny weather had turned into rain. Just before, Alkis had a...brilliant idea! He said we'd rather go back to the coach because it was going to rain and we didn't have our umbrellas this time! The coaches were parked at about 100 metres from the taverna. Ah well... we were caught in the rain , the coach was locked and we got wet to the skin!
DAY 4, SATURDAY, 19 APRIL, 2014
At 8:00 a.m. , soon after breakfast, we set off to eastern Crete. Our first stop was at the lush and verdant village of Fodele, birthplace of Dominikos Theodokopoulos, known as El Greco (The Greek). We walked to the Museum , at about 1 km from the central square of the village. El Greco spent most of his adult life in Toledo, Spain and that's where most of his original paintings are found. The small Museum at his birthplace houses reproductions of his greatest paintings. The fertile valley of Fodele is also known for its orange and lemon groves. On sunny days in winter and spring, Fodele is a popular destination for the people of Heraklion and nearby villages. After having coffee in the shade of the beautiful plane tree which predominates the central square of the village, we continued our journey eastwards to Elounda. On our way, we stopped briefly at Saint George's Church at the village of Selinari. Saint George of Selinari is said to be the patron saint of drivers.
At Elounda we took the boat to Spinalonga which acquired fame thanks to Victoria Hislop's best selling novel The Island and the Greek series To Nisi.
Spinalonga was the last leper colony in Europe.
In the evening, back to Rethymnon, we attended the midnight Church service of the Resurrection at Saint George's Church.
DAY 5 - SUNDAY, APRIL 20
On Easter morning, we went to church and then followed the procession of Resurrected Jesus through the old town of Rethymnon. We took advantage of the sunny day and went for a long walk afterwards along the narrow streets of the old town and then took a stroll at the seafront on our way back to the hotel.
The procession of Ressurected Jesus in Rethymnon.
Easter lunch was a great Cretan celebration at Lefkoniko Beach Hotel in Rethymnon. We ate and drank and danced and sang to our heart's content. It was a memorable Easter lunch that I'm not likely ever to forget. I hardly ever eat lamb or red meat but on Easter Day, I love it!
. And these are only a few of the traditional Greek and Cretan dishes which composed the buffet at the hotel on Easter Day lunch apart from kokoretsi and lamb on the spit.
DAY 6 - MONDAY, APRIL 21
We decided not to join the excursion to Chania as we had already spent a week there two years before. We spent the whole morning walking and exploring the beautiful town of Rethymnon.
DAY 7 - TUESDAY, APRIL 22
We set off early in the morning today after having loaded our luggage and then headed to the hinterland of Rethymnon. Our first stop was at the Holy Monastery of Arkadi.
After we had lunch at the village of Anoyia - the birthplace of Nikos Xylouris - one of Greece's greatest musicians - we were driven back to Nikos Kazantzakis Airport in Heraklion to catch the flight back home.
At 7: 30 pm, Alkis and I were back home still filled with the enchanting aura of Crete.