September 29,2023

We arrived to the port of Heraklion about 11:00 am. After breakfast on the veranda, we set off to hear Ian Baker-Finch talk about the impending Ryder Cup. Baker-Finch is a most engaging speaker, full of witty anecdotes and self deprecating humor. After winning 17 titles on all four major tours, Ian retired from full-time competition in 1997. The Australian accent is very charming.

Ian Baker-Finch.
Tim had a question after the lecture.

Upon leaving the Galaxy lounge, we headed to the bistro for a quick pick me up.

How it started…
My guy
How it ended♥️
Port side view from our veranda.
We always try to choose the port side of the ship.

We left the ship around 1:00 pm, heading up another long and winding road to the Arkadi Monastery. The ride up was scenic, passing through many quaint small towns. Since I took hundreds of photos…the least you can do is look at the next dozen (or so). 😊

First little church of the day.
Bougainvillea everywhere.
This appears to be a guest house.
Around every corner, another sweet sight.
How many churches did I photograph?
Cloudy day, with just a few patches of blue sky.
Entrance to the monastery with our guide, Nina.
Full on gothic vibes.
The scent of flowers … everywhere.
Timmy taking a panorama…I can’t include it here, yet, because I’m here on the terrace of the hotel, and he’s…you guessed it, inside napping😍
💗💗💗

When I take so many photos, it becomes a real challenge to choose which ones to include…so I’ll just keep adding …permission to scroll on ♥️

Yes, I do have a fondness for bells.
Inside the chapel.
Hard to capture the beauty of these silver Icons.
The chapel’s walls are lined with Icons.
Just one more…
In case I forgot what I was photographing.
The grounds were quite large and obviously beautiful.
One of the courtyards.
Not sure what this is…old rocks for sure.
More artifacts.
Last Icon…I swear.

By the time we left…it had begun to rain…making for a treacherous (in my mind) ride down to the Venetian town of Rethymnon.

This church is situated along the promenade as you enter Rethymnon.
An example of the Venetians’ presence. Inside is a mini archeological museum.
Street scene.
Storefront.

It’s a shame that the rain came…it affected our ability to enjoy the street ambiance. But not my ability to snap pics.

Mama.

After walking for a bit…we came to a this shop, where the owner demonstrated phyllo dough making.

The set up.
♥️
Tim’s ready
So’s our baker.
Reminds me of pizza making.
♥️
A flick of the hands…and…this! (I could have said “et voila”, but we’re in Greece…)
Mama sells in the front of the shoppe.
♥️
Empty streets…no doubt due to the rain.
This is a work in progress…stalled for some reason.
.
Every time we see a kitty, I think of Freddy and Fluffy♥️
💙
This is part of a famous Venetian fountain.
We came upon these young men making music…that’s my guy showing his appreciation.♥️
The requisite photo with Timmy.
On our way back to the ship, the sun decided to make an appearance.
One last photo as we descended the mountain.
We found these yummy cheeses and crackers waiting for us back in our suite.
Dinner at Tastes included Tikka Masala flatbread and roasted cauliflower.
As we were leaving dinner, Dris said “You must take a look at the moon!” So we did.
First photo was from deck 11 outside of Tastes…then I climbed up to deck 12 for this unobstructed view.

It might not sound like a huge feat, climbing one deck up for a photo…but I was exhausted after our loooong day♥️. We were tired and ready for bed…but one final stop. We purchased throat lozenges for Carlos, and Timmy delivered them.

Tim on his mission.
Pointing to me😊

Another super day in the books. Thanks for following along♥️