Tour Review

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But wait, I do want to tell you a bit about our four day bus tour called “Eight Day Classical Greece” tour with Gate 1 Travel.

First, this is not a senior citizens bus tour. That was my biggest worry that we’d be stuck on a bus with a bunch of gray hairs, using canes for 4 days. That was not the case. Just about every age group and national was represented. Oh sure, we did have Estelle Getty. And yes, she was always the last one on the bus; but when you reach a certain age people tend to cut you a little flack. Plus she was nice. And cute. That always helps.

I was surprised about the families on this tour. Not people with young kids; but mom and dad with their adult children and their partners’. Two sets of families on our tour bus. Also, meet my match with a woman from New York traveling with her two cousins. They were a hoot! Or maybe it was that New York accent and attitude. Had a mother/daughter combo on the bus along with a couple of friends who live 1500 miles apart and taking tours is how they see each other once or twice a year. And then there was people like us; a couple who travel better together when neither one is driving.

Tour bus rider

The tour bus was big, and comfortable. The seats had plenty of butt space, however the lack of leg room was frustrating. Airlines have more leg room. I know, a truly sad statement.

All the hotels were of high quality. Each had a gorgeous pool, lobby and comfortable beds (not the ones made of rocks.)

What is a typical day is like on a tour you ask??

Our tour guide Elina.

Breakfast buffet at 7 am. You leave your luggage outside your door before breakfast and someone will pick it up, load it onto the bus.

On the bus around 8 a.m.. Drive to (whatever) site. The tour guide walks you around, tells you what you should know and then give you a bit of free time (around 40 minutes) to snap pictures and meet up again before next site or in our case the museum tour. Again, the guide tells you what you are looking at. Snap a few more pictures, visit the restroom and back on the tour bus in 30 minutes.

Traditional style food always served

Lunch stop. Always where the tour guide wants to stop. I am sure they have planned out certain restaurants that gives a kick back to the tour group. You are responsible to pay for your own lunch & drinks.

Back on the bus, a brief stop to view a bridge or canal and a short stop usually at a craft/wine/local place before the hotel stop.

The view from our Hotel in Delphi.

We arrived our first night at 8 p.m. to the hotel, and the earliest we arrived was 6:30 p.m.. At all hotels, we had a buffet dinner (which was included in the cost) and the bus driver/hotel staff would unload the bus and take your bags to your room. However, it was usually a choice of eating dinner OR going to the pool OR making a trip into town. My tummy rules over exercise or window shopping. Besides, I paid the food, I’m going to partake.
This tour did not have any window shopping stops. We had to purchase all our souvenirs at museums.

Our tour guide was well-versed, insightful and kind as they all should be since they all want to be tipped at the end of the tour. Our tour information clearly stated a tip would be required at the end and gave a suggest amount per day for the tour guide and bus driver. However, our tour guide never asked for a tip at the end. I liked how she didn’t pressure us for the tip so I felt better about the tipping and perhaps gave something extra because of it. I noticed a majority of the people on the tour did tip and a couple of people even gave her some sort of knickknack.

Another view from our room.

Would I travel with Gate 1 again??? Oh yes. Check out their web site. If I refer a friend, you get $100 off your trip (as so do I.)

Before you book a trip, you should private message me. sirannameister@gmail.com

You might discover I’m not an angel after all!

And if you want to join us, our next trip will be to Thailand.  

Another walk

"Do you want to drink." The waiter says to us.  Then he continues with a question,"or are you here to eat?"

I would be questioning us as well, or kicking us out of the high class,  you usually need a reservatation resturant in which the cheapest dish starts at almost $40. We are in shorts, tank tops,  and dirty ankles and feet. I'm sure we smell as well.  The people around us are wearing slacks and the women dresses and heals.

"We are here to drink, maybe have something to nibble," I tell the waiter.

"Of course'" he says and leads us to a table overlooking the ocean  and the sunset view that will occur within the hour.

We walked from our hotel to the town of Oia. I read in one of the guide books that it was one of the top 10 things to do here on the island.

We tell the guy, Kosta at the front desk what we are doing. He tells us it will take "two hours if you walk fast, don't stop for pictures or three hours to take a couple of rests and with pictures." And he goes on, "If you make it." If???!!! Like who says that to me..... game on!

The first part of the walks is all steps and up hill. But its so pretty. Every step is worth a picture.  About 40 minutes later, the path become loose gravel but level. Okay, I can do this. We walk past resorts on the cliffside. This must be where the rich stay.  About 20 minutes after that, the path becomes a mix of gravel and  lava rock. And its all uphill. And its all in the sun. And very windy. Gusts of wind. My hat won't stay on. And its over 80. Did I say its all uphill??

We wonder where alll the other walkers are. If its in all the guide books, how come we are the only ones????

We stop for a break on the mountain top. Another couple is there. They too, are walking the route. Finally, other people. Unlike us, they are smart and have brought a bottle of wine and cheese.  They are making the most of their rest period.

I want pictures. Its a million feet down on one side and on the other side the of the 4 foot wide trail is only a few hundred feet down. Dan says the height is freaking him out,  no pictures. He needs to leave.

In all, the hike took us 2.5 hours.  Once we got to town, all I wanted to do is sit and  watch the sun set. The western point of the city is where everyone watches the sunset. And its packed with people. Oh swell. Thus the high class resturant.  Our waiter did treat us well.

I left a tip. (A big deal here in Europe. European's dont tip like Americans.)

The sunset will be the best sunset I ever see; in Greece.

And no, I would not do this hike again nor recommend it to you. Just take the bus.

Its all Down Hill

I'm in shape. Yes round is a shape; but I mean more like I'm in fitness shape. I jog about 15 miles a week plus Zumba and Water Aerobics however my upper theighs hurt so bad today its difficult to walk up or down any stair without screeching in pain.

We walked the lenght of Samaria Gorge yesterday. It is Europe's longest deepest and longest gorge. The hike starts at 1230 meters above sea level and ends at the Libyan sea at a small town called Agia Roumeli, the western side of Crete, total lenght of the trail is 18 k. I dont have enough Starbucks coffee to figure out how high the mountain is or how long the trail is in feet or miles.

Now that those technical details are out of the way, let me tell you about this crazy adventure. 

There is a public bus to take you to the start of the gorge. It leaves a bit after 7 am and it's a hour ride up a very steep mountain with crazy switch backs and hairpin turns. If you are able to keep your eyes open you would see herds of mountain goats. Goats in all shape, sizes and colors. One goat was sporting dreadlocks.

After that heart pounds adventure, then the start of the trail, and $5 to get in. You are responsible for your ticket the sign reads. My husband promptly gives me his.

Hundreds, many a thousand other tourist are also starting the trail. If you couldn't get on one of the public buses for $14, there is the private bus option for $39. 

The trail is covered in rocks of all shape and sizes, its steep and all downhill. With some many people starting around the same time, everyone is all bunched up. All Dan and I wanted to do was get around all the cluster of people, many of whom don't share well or play nice with others.  Many parts are a one person lane only and it gets scary with mesh covering the trail to protect the walkers from falling rocks. My personal favorite sign was, "walk quickly, falling rocks."

At first the downhill isn't bad. After a couple of hours, it's really tough on the knees, toes and ankles. As we pass people I wonder how they are going to manage in their flip flops and open toed shoes. Some people are totally serious hikers with boots and huge backpacks.

There are plenty of cute little rest stops along the way with WC. (No, not waffles and  coffee.) The WC's are all holes in the ground and after you use the hole, there is a bucket of water to clean up behind yourself.  Good thing I have anti-baterial wipes...and I used them on my feet. Anyhow.

We keep wallking. And Walking. And Walking. It's taxing on the knees & legs and constantly "putting on the brakes."

No end in sight...what have I've done.

Then a mere fouur and half hour laters, we're done. It was the trail that would never end. And now the wait that never ends begins.

Once you exit the trail, it's 2 k to a small town. From there you buy tickets $10 for the only ferry out of town at 5 pm.  We have 3 hours to wait in a town that has 7 cafes, 2 gift shops and no wifi, no ice cream. I did bring my swim suit, I had planned on rewarding my hiking efforts by soaking the the aqua blue of the Libyan sea however it's windy and cold.  We huddle in a open air cafe watching all the other hikers pass.

5:30 pm and the ferry leaves.  There is more people on the ferry than seats. We're packed. For the price of the ticket, and all the people squeezed on that ferry I know how Greece can pay off their debt with just a couple ferry ride.

6:45 pm we arrive to another town and walk uphill another 1 k to the bus. There are over 10 busses waiting on the ferry. We find ours and seat.

7 pm the busses decied to leave. I suppose the bus drivers are done with their gossip and smoke break.

8:45 we arrive back in town. If the mountain roads we traveled on to get to the gorge were scary, the one back was worse. I kept looking out my window and couldn't even see the road, just the cliff. I shed a little tear in fear. I thought of my mom, my daughters and closed my eyes as I held my husband's hand.

9;04 back in our little apartment/hotel room.  We have a snack for dinner in our room, Neither one of us wants to go out. Both of us are flat out exhausted.

Would do it again.....maybe.

Cigar Cigar

I was told by a Norwegian immmigrant who has lived in Crete 15 years it never rains in the summer.

Currently, it's raining.

Maybe people just tell you things you want to hear. Maybe its the truth at the time.

As we were running lost to find the bus station, I ran upto a man who was minding his own business standing in his private walk-way to ask him where the bus station was. Actually, I was ruder than that and just pointed to the bus station on the map. I assumed since he was a grandfather looking man he didn't speak English. Kindly he says to me,  "I don't see so good anymore. Just tell me where you want to go."
"The bus station, and quickly" I say to him.
He takes my hand and slowly walks me down his walkway, and then out to the middle of the street. Precious minutes are ticking away.  He points down the street in the direction we were already going.
"See that white building down the road?" He asks me.
"Yes."
"You walk to that building, turn right and then ask someone else'" he says to me, smiling and releases my hand.

The Norwegian immigrant who lied to me about the weather also told me the Cretan motto is "Cigar Cigar" which means "Slowly slowly."

We hustle off to the bus station..

We found the station with two minutes before the bus we want is scheduled to leave. We dodge the people and quickly made our way to the ticket booth.

"Two tickets to the gorge'" I tell the lady behind the counter.
"Why you in such a hurry?" She asks me.
"The bus leaves now" I inform her.
"It's sold out for today."
I look stunned at my husband. Now what.
"Take it slow" she tells me. "Come back tomorrow."

Cigar  cigar.

We took rest of the day slow.

Went to a winery, had the grand tour. Our host from Norway. We sat with a couple from Sweden. They were impressed we took the bus 20 miles out of town and then walked a  mile to find the winery.  They offered to take us around the western side of the island. We declined. They offered to take us back to our hotel.

We declined.

Instead, we spent almost 4 hours at the winery, drinking and eating cheese & Olive Oil trying to live the Cretan  motto which could be the truth of the day.