Saturday, July 31, 2021

The last day for this time 'Crete holidays'

I slept very well last night. And accordingly, I woke up at 9:30 am. The Russians sneaked out in the morning at 7 o'clock for an excursion. Eirini is still sleeping. But I have PACKING as my goal this morning. Phew. I got scared...... I bought shrink bags (bags that can be vacuumed with a vacuum cleaner. This reduces the volume a lot. Weight is not a problem. Even if I bought heavy things. Because I knew I wouldn't be able to manage with 23 kilos. So I quickly booked additional kilos on the Edelweiss website. Now my suitcase could theoretically weigh up to 32 kilos. That already relaxes me a lot. BUT, the problem then occurred in another place: The suitcase is almost bursting! And on the first try, the zipper burst..... No! But then I managed to get everything in and as a safety measure, I taped everything on the outside with thick adhesive tape.
The carry-on luggage is also full. But with light and fragile things. I will leave some small things here (sunscreen, mosquito spray, after sun cream, etc.), put them in a bag and label them accordingly. So future guests can help themselves easily.

'Spilia' caught my attention when driving through a few days ago. And the distance was not that far. It should be the 'Village of Gardens'. Hmm. It didn't specifically stand out to me, but it's definitely worth a stop. In the upper part of the village, there is a mini-museum about the Spilia region. Manolis immediately grabs every visitor and speaks to them in their respective native language: English, German, French, Italian. Wow! With great enthusiasm, he explains the memorabilia to the interested visitors and serves Raki at the end. Unfortunately, I had to disappoint him, but he grabbed the two Austrians and so I could say goodbye.
The tavern 'Maria' spontaneously appealed to me and I could quickly satisfy my hunger.

Short stop on the way back: the fresh water lake of 'Kournas': length 1100 m, width up to 880 m, maximum depth 22 m. So, for Swiss standards, a cute bathing lake. Smile.
Parking is not a big problem at this time (3 pm) anymore. So I quickly arrived at the lake. The big surprise: the few souvenir shops are competing with ceramics! Unbelievable, thousands of pieces are waiting for buyers here. No idea why everything is full of ceramics....

On the way back to the hostel, the Cretan summer gives me a farewell gift: 41.5 degrees Celsius. And not after I got into the parked car! But, on the way. It was already extremely hot earlier at the lake and unfortunately, there was little wind....

Back at the hostel. Unload the car, check again if everything is ready for tomorrow. Write the report from yesterday. Hand over chocolate to the receptionists (they were very happy) and then Eirini suddenly appeared. Actually, she had to leave the hostel in the morning. But apparently, she has found a bed now and will stay here in the 12-bed room for a few more days. Since I knew she had to go to the center (she has her first performance at 9 o'clock), she took me with her. In her car. Ooops, she drives extremely badly on the streets here, especially for a Greek. And she could only park with my guidance as a driving instructor. Smile

After that, I went to 'Alexia' and her family to say goodbye. I will miss them. Manolis wanted to give me more herbs. But, my two suitcases are already bursting. And yet I received another gift. Not only the little prince will always remind me of the whole family.

I was able to watch Eirini's performance at 10 o'clock. The 10-minute performance with her puppet 'Violetta' was quiet, delicate, and gentle, but unfortunately, the tourists didn't really pay attention. The children, on the other hand, enjoyed it for a short time. Until their parents urged them to move on. Special.

Now my last evening in Chania is coming to an end. Tomorrow at 6:45 am I will already be picked up and then the journey back to cold and rainy Switzerland begins. Mixed feelings, as always.... on the one hand, I would like to stay a little longer and on the other hand, I'm looking forward to my home and my loved ones. *Wink