Last Blog: In Which Dave Finds Paradise

Well, my little Thunder Kats and Kitties, this may well be the last blog because I'm coming home!  I don't want to but heck, I miss you all.  Personally, I'd like to take you all, like the first tribe in Liberia, over here and leave the Teabaggers to their own devices. 

So a few nights ago we boarded the boat for Crete which, according to Nicholas whose familial roots are here, is like Greece concentrate.  The boat was really cool.  Here's pictures of the cabin:

Going back, we're not going to be so lucky and will have to sleep "On Deck".  The cabin was kind of a waste as there really was no time to play with all the stuff.  We docked in Crete at 5:30 in the morning

and, after they gave us all the traditional freashly squeezed orange juice and a complimentary bottle of Creten olive oil which they gave us at dinner, we disembarked.  By the way, dinner on the boat was really good, in a very elegant dining room and the best yet friendliest service.  When they found out that Nicholas was a Tsakiris from Crete we got lots of perks including a bottomless Chicouria bottle.

I was wicked impressed but Nicholas said "just wait".

So as it was so early in the morning we decided to have coffee and sit in a cafe on the quay at Chania.

It was a little stormy but the light was gorgeous, 

But our final destination was the village of Milia which was wayyyyyyyyy up in the mountains.  Milia was an ancient village, gone to ruin due to a cholera epidemic, that two local families decided to resurrect as an ecologically balanced, self supporting traditional community, eco-tourism style. Each tiny and unique house from the old village is a guestroom and they are beautifully and faithfully restored.  My room had a big fireplace and a shower built from the mountain rock.

Here's me in my doorway

 This seating area used to be a chimny for a fireplace but now it was a sky lit lounging place.

Check out this sink!

This was breakfast

What can I say about Crete?  It's delicious.  I've eaten some things you wouldn't believe.  Milia is particularly famous for it's food which is all organically grown and raised here on the farm.  They have gardens with vegetables and herbs and free running chickens, goats and sheep.  

Which brings us to Lucky the Dog.

Lucky is a small black dog of unknown breed with lots of heart.  He's chained here because he has a slight chicken chasing problem so he was being punished.  After he learned a good lesson he was released back to his job as village ambassador and official greeter.  He is all over the place and full of fun.  One day we climbed the mountain (yes, I climbed another mountain, wanna make something out of it?) and Lucky came with us all the way to the top.  He couldn't understand why we were so slow.  He kept running ahead and coming back to encourage us.

Nicholas on the mountain path.

Lucky, encouraging us.

I have to close now, the client in Athens who had me photograph his villa in Kardymili is being a royal pain and I must do for him so I can't tell you about our visit to Moanolis' farm, where we drank fresh goat milk and had a great time.  I can't even tell you about my swim in the Libyan Sea or several other things I'd planned....they'll have to wait...I might be blogging from home.  Here's a taste, a picture of me, this time swimming in the Libyan Sea showing the thumbs up, which I do primarily for daughter Lucy, who likes that kind of thing.  See ya on the flip side!