New day - new sunburn

As a good Norwegian I have the same problems as ever realizing just how strong the sun is down here! So I am in for a night on the painful side.

But again it seems to be no problem travelling alone, I have never met so many interesting people in so short a time. Haris Studio is the perfect base, Flora and Haris the most caring people you can imagine as hosts, even though I do not live there!

Where I am staying in the old town, I live among the Cretans and can observe their friendly ways and everyday life. Yesterday a child celebrated her birthday in the neghbourhood, and the old folks of the town never pass you without a yassou or another word of greeting.

Tomorrow I will walk to Sougia with an Australian traveller, and probably stay there overnight resting my feet.

More reports of that trip will follow when I am bach here again.

I am there!

My trip to Crete started very nicely. Sunshine and warm weather was abslutely putting me into the holiday mood, even though I could look forward to a long wait at the airport. But ats the airport I met a librarian friend of mine, going on the same plane. So the waiting was shortened by good company. In Chania, Ilias met me at the airport. It was raining quite much, and we took a taxi to his apartment where I left my stuff. And then we went to the best fish restaurants in Chania, Apostoli in the old Venezian Harbour area. Was I in for a treat! Calamares, vegetables, salad and fish + desserts on top of that. White wine to go with the food. A wonderful meal in great company. We dicovered we both liked animation movies, and ended the night with Bees before Jan Garbarek, also a common favoourite surprisingly enough, ended a long and very nice evening. Couchsurfing is a way of travelling I will recommed everyone!

Ilias helped me to get a taxi to the busstation Sunday. The weather was getting warm and sunny, and I had a small conversation with another Norwegian couple also waiting for the bus.

Two hours on the bus, and I could walk with my suitcase along the beach promenade where Flora received me like an old friend and showed me Irinis house were I will be staying the next couple of weeks. Just as beautiful a view as on the picture. And a wonderful elderly greek couple as hosts, this time I am a paying guest.

Tonight I will have dinner with another traveller from Poland-Hamburg. Travelling alone is definitively not boring!

All in all a great start of the holiday.

Getting ready!

I have just sent my first couchsurfer away with the train to Oslo. A very pleasant experience to have guests this way! And now it is my turn to be a surfer.
Yesterday I mailed to my couchsurfer host in Chania to make sure everthing went according to plans. And confirmations came quickly, so now I know I will be met at the airport with a sign that says COUCH! and from there taken to the apartment to leave the luggage before going out to a restaurant in the old Venetian Harbour of Chania to eat fish and/or calamares! What a nice start on a holiday!

Some of the CS people living in the area are planning an other event while I am there, maybe I will join to meet more Greek people.

And now I will find my suitcase and start packing. The passport is in my purse. My car will be taken care of and go through the EU-check-out. Studded tires will be changed for summer-tires, and I will be ready for the Norwegian summer when I get back.

The sun is shining, it will be another nice and warm day, and the world here changed colours to green almost overnight. I will have to do some serious weeding and grassmowing before I leave so I don't have to come home to a wilderness area when I get back in two weeks.

And tomorrow at 5PM there will be a plane leaving Oslo Airport Gardermoen with a seat with my name on it. I can hardly wait!

One more week....

And then I will leave... I work hard now to tie up as many loose ends at work as possible. The snow has left the garden, but hopefully the weather will be cool enough while I am gone for the grass to stay low. I have begun to wonder what to bring. I have never been in Crete in May, but my habit is to bring a lot more than I need. So I will find what I think I need, and try to leave half of it at home. But what book to bring? There are so many I should have read, and it should be paperback. Since I travel alone, a book is nice company. But I still have a week to figure it out.

Paleochora - here I come

Well, not today, I have to be patient a few more days. But time flies, and I really look forward to May 10.

I have to say thank you to Flora at Haris Studios, who by mail gave me all possible help in finding a litte studio for me to a very reasonable price. I will stay in a tiny studio with beds and kitchenette an a small bathroom. In addition a terrace with a view, and it is only me to stay with this family. This way I think I will get in closer contact with the Cretans than by stayin in a more touristy place.

I also got a chance to test the Couchsurfing system. I became a member there recently and saw myself merely as a host this year. But then my flight scheduel was changed, and all of a sudden I was in need of a pplace to stay on Chania for one night.

After a few mails everything was settled. I will not only have a couch, but I will be met at the airport and be taken more or less directly to a fish restaurant. I am amazed! The members on this site all have references from other members. If there are some bad apples, they are soon found out. And negative references left in their profiles for everyone to read. So I feel pretty safe since my host have very good references.

So now I am almost ready to go....