We are toured out. Period.
Instead of doing another organized Viator or GetYourGuide tour, today we opted to navigate public transportation and took a bus from Heraklion to Agios Nikolas about 2 hours down the coast. The bus system on Crete is SLICK. They’ve got it down and the buses are nice. It was a smooth, comfortable ride with a/c and free WiFi so no complaints here!
Agios Nikolas literally translates to Saint Nicholas. Yes, that Saint Nick. 🎅 While there were no monuments or statues dedicated to good ol’ Santa, there were plenty of boats, cafes, shops and crystal blue water! Unless you’ve been to the Mediterranean, you cannot really understand the intense turquoise blue of the sea. Yes, the Caribbean is pretty close, but not near as clear. I could stare at this water all day.
We visited Lake Voulismeni, a picturesque and historically rich body of water located at the heart of the town. According to legend, goddesses Athena and Artemis bathed in its waters, adding a layer of mystique to its charm. It’s surrounded by restaurants and cafes, so we decided it was the perfect spot to have a Greek salad and a drink. We chose Cafe 12 and chatted with our server who told us his aunt owns Olympic Cafe near the historic district of Savannah!
In Agios, we were just freestyling and wandered around the streets of shops and eventually found ourselves face-to-face with the Aegean. Since we hadn’t made it to the sea to swim just yet, I had to wade in the water a bit. It was cold but clear and gorgeous! We continued following the boardwalk which lead us by boats, ferries and more cafes. On this trip, we’ve learned that Greeks survive on 3 things: coffee, nicotine and gelato. Coffee is everywhere….and I mean everywhere!
Our ride back to Heraklion was smooth and I may have even snoozed a bit. We’ve walked (and hiked) our legs off on this trip. According to my Apple activity, our average daily steps is right at 10K. This was our most active day yet. It was also the hottest day of the year in Greece and we felt it!
Back in Heraklion, we shopped a bit more including the 4 floors of Zara, Hondos Center (which is similar to a Macy’s/Target hybrid) and grabbed a bite to eat at Amalia’s Kitchen. This is family restaurant serving both traditional Greek/Cretan dishes and Texas/American cuisine such as fajitas, burgers, steaks, chicken wings, and more. Yes, a Greek-Tex place! And yes, they served drinks in Mason-jar like glassware. The food was top-tier and the dessert was a flan-like cold custard dish. On Crete, we’ve often been given desserts “on the house” as it’s just part of the restaurant experience. We chatted for a while with the family and owners of the cafe and my Amelia got to meet their Amalia, the mother for whom the restaurants are named. Very cool experience. Oh, and the Texas thing is because they lived for a short while in Texas and loved the food. They even have a restaurant in Houston!
We are headed back to Athens en route to Corfu where we’ll spend the last leg of our trip!
Alyventures 