Thessaloniki, part 1

Spent six interesting days in Thessaloniki, a city that I found to be very livable.






Old and recent coexist nicely.



The famous White Tower.















An amazing bakery.

Location:Greece

Matala, part 2

The second trip to Matala was really quite nice, if brief. More cliff diving, swimming, more awesome healthy authentic honest peasant food... my favorite type of food!






This is the other great taverna of Matala... and everything is made right in front of your eyes by this one woman, who obliged my silly in-the-kitchen photo request.






Their handwritten menu... cool.



Look at the food! Yeah, I can make food this good no problem.

Location:Matala, Crete, Greece

Rethymno

Rethymno... this is a lame post... I didn't take many photos here. Was busy enjoying and exploring the city.






Our little B&B in Rethymno...

Location:Crete, Greece

Chania

Visited Chania, a pretty little village on the northwestern coast of Crete. Touristy during the day, and maybe a bit boring, but picturesque. In the late afternoon, once the day tourists hopped back on their tour buses, Chania got a lot better. Overall I enjoyed Chania.



























The lighthouse.






The backstreets were shoppy overkill, but actually there were many interesting shops.















There is one particular taverna in town that is quite famous for authentic, quality Greek food. Fancier presentation compared to the amazingly good peasant food I have been enjoying in and around Ferma for the last six weeks, but the presentation, while I appreciate it, doesn't mean much to me. Indeed, the food was excellent.









The old warehouse buildings lining the harbor.

Location:Crete, Greece

Matala

Made a second visit to Matala last week. One of my favorite Cretan villages. I decided to jump into the sea from a popular cliff that was about 9m. It doesn't look so high from the water, but when you're standing at the edge of the limestone cornice, holy crap! So much fun.









We stayed at the same pensione as before. Extremely friendly and generous owner. A special yet very inexpensive place to stay.






The owner always had a treats waiting for us when we returned each day. Such hospitality.



Made the 30-minute hike over the rugged terrain of the mountain (in flipflops) to the secluded Red Beach again. There is a tiny bar right on the beach that is "famous" for their mojitos. No foolin'... seriously the best mojito I've ever had. The Cuban rum probably helps.






This is Yannis... the dude who spends 6 or 7 minutes crafting EACH mojito. A friendly and jolly fellow.









John showing his mojito who's boss.

Location:Crete, Greece