Please find the next installment - we have now reached the south coast of Crete....


Sunday 3rd September 2006

Despite only 4 hours sleep and a stinking hangover we were up before 10 to pack, fail to manage breakfast, give the keys back and run ( not literally with full rucksacks ) up the hill to the bus station with minutes to spare. Despite roadworks the journey took less than the threatend 2 hours and we arrived before 14.00

We set off for the headland and soon spotted some of the lonely planet suggestions but whilst dithering ended up at Rooms Nikos, overlooking the sea ( via the street, and only in half the rooms ) but a pleasing 30 euro a night with a ceiling fan and fridge. There is also a provate patio area.

As delerium tremors set in we headed out to the " renowned " Caravello's restaurant, omly to be desperately unimpressed. My spaghetti with cheese was just and only that - half a kilo of cold spaghetto with 15 grammes of tasteless grated cheese. The food was the absolute minimum they could have bothered to do having taken my money and I made it clear I was unhappy, by having an amusing Englishman abroad strop. I am not proud of it, but they did take the piss big style, my case not helped by mistaking a colourful t shirted local woman for a waitress, standing up and glowering at the actual wautress so as to get the bill then storming off when we had waited for it to arive without touching the free dessert.

Anyhoo, after errands and exploration followed by a brief kip we were out Englishly early to be the first customers of the evening at Portofino on the waterfront. This is an excellent well run Italian restaurant with an emphasis on pizza, cooked in wood fired ovens. More than that, they show amazing foresight in opting to sell draught Pilsner Urqell which vied with my affections as the highlight of the evening, if only for the fact that I had not had good draught beer on any occasion so far. I have to confirm that the pizza's and level of service are excellent.

We sloped off to bed early feeling shattered, ready for tomorrows excursion.

more south coast notes soon. ( always assuming that logging on does not, as tonight, take me 45 minutes........ )

Yan