Crete Was Neat

Our last shore excursion day was spent on the island of Crete.  

Here are a couple pics of the ship.  It's a bit smaller than the RC one we cruised on in the Western Med this summer, but it was still plenty big.  I'm a fan of the royal promenade/mall area, plus the fact that all of the ships have the same basic deck plan.  That way I'll always know exactly how to get to the champagne bar and gym, my fave places on the ship.  You can't go wrong with the coconut or tropical martini!

You can't travel in this part of the world without visiting the requisite fort, ruins and scenic vistas.  My husband and I were talking about how the hilly, scrubby, rocky terrain reminded us of the Texas hill country... if it had been settled a couple thousand years ago.  

We saw some amazing vegetation growing on Crete, namely pomegranates, olives and oranges.  The girls wanted to pick one, but I kept telling them that they don't belong to us so it would be stealing.  The people in these villages we visited lived a very simple life and I imagine they depend upon these things to either sell or put on their own tables.  

At one point we were walking through a little village and heard a woof.  We looked up to see a dog on a second floor terrace minus the railing.  That was kinda scary and I immediately cautioned the girls not to say anything to the pooch that obviously had no fear of heights.  He stayed at the edge while continuing to watch us shuffle down the street.

One of the towns we visited sat on the Cretan Sea.  The locals had gone out in their fishing boats early that morning and you can see the day's catch they're peddling right here along the street.  


While we were walking through this seaside town, we ducked into a little store for a snack before we had to reboard the bus.  I grabbed a couple sodas and some chips for the girls.  I thought it was a hoot to see familiar brands with Greek mixed in with English on the packaging.  

When we arrived back in the Crete port of Chania to board the ship, we had the opportunity to take a little look-see at a local market.  Pig, anyone?

We also ended up passing by a small toy shop and had to take a pic of the Play-Doh with the Greek written on it.  

The oldest daughter snapped yet another sneaky pic of me when I was unawares.  At least it's from the front rather than the usual butt shots she takes, which aren't usually very flattering for obvious reasons.  Throughout the cruise we were fortunate to have some beautiful weather - sunny skies with highs in the upper 60s to low 70s.  

Back on the ship that evening, we had our final towel animal in the room.  Here is the youngest daughter holding it up for us to see.