Day #23: 23 July 2013

Today such an adventurous day! We started by going to Arkadi Monastery. This monastery is an important historical site for many Cretans. It is where, during the Cretan revolution against the Ottoman empire, hundreds of Cretans burned themselves rather than surrender. The monastery still has the remains from where the people locked themselves into a room to be burned. There are char marks in the room and the tree outside the room still stands, even though it was burned and is now dead. The monastery also has the skulls from the people in an area which is considered a very holy site.

An Olive Tree that is 200+ Years Old

The Main Church

The Room Where the Cretan's Burned Themselves

We then went to Kournas Lake which is the only natural lake in Crete. It was near Chania and Rethymno. The lake was gorgeous and we got to paddle boat around in the lake! It was so surprising for us to realize that the lake was not salted and was actually fresh water. The lake was just perfect. It was fun to swim around in and play. We got to use the paddle boat with the slide and jump into the lake to swim. They had also given us a kayak which Grant and I used to get back to shore. Except, he got tired a third of the way there, and I had to row both of us back to shore.

The Lake in its Natural Scenery

We then went to Rethymno and got to walk around the city. Rethymno is the "college town" on Crete because it is where the University of Crete is located. I loved the quaintness of Rethymno. There was lots of little streets and alleys to walk around and lots of things to see and buy. The city also had gorgeous flowers everywhere and lots of things for tourists to see and love.

The Harbor of Rethymno

Public Fountain 

The City!

After Rethymno, we went to the city where El Greco got most of his ideas for his paintings. It is considered special because he was able to be inspired through the natural surroundings.

We then headed to Heraklion where we had dinner at Maria's sister's restaurant. The restaurant is owned by his sister and her sister's fiance. The dinner was delicious and they prepared for us traditional Cretan food. We had a salad with potatoes, a salad out of green leaves, stuffed grape leaves, bread, meatballs and sausage as an appetizer. There was also handmade pita bread which as absolutely delicious! We then had mixed grilled meats, beans, goat and french fries for dinner. For dessert, we had a fruit tart, fresh fruit and a Grecian dessert made with phyllo, custard and topped with cinnamon and sugar. We also had the founder of the brand, Ecos, at the dinner table along with his daughter and granddaughter.