"If you want this, you have to run!" I yelled at Emily as we dashed down Kissamou Street in Hania, Crete chasing the last bus out of town for the night. We ran at full speed despite me carrying 80 lbs of backpacks on me and Emily carrying two heavy bags as well. Luckily, the same traffic that kept our taxi from getting us to the bus station on time finally worked in our favor and stopped the bus that had already left the station.
Emily practically jumped over a baby in a stroller, dashed into the street and ran in the line of the bus' side mirror. The bus door opened and we were saved. Emily scrambled on as I somehow pushed two giant 90 liter, 40 lb backpacks through the front door of the bus as the traffic light changed to green.
Then I kicked a backpack down the aisle while carrying the other and gave them their own seats. Sure, we were the idiots that we ourselves would normally scoff at – but in that moment, it was the best place in the world to be.
The cost of missing that bus would have been a €160 taxi ride. We couldn't miss our flight to Israel the next morning. The first leg was scheduled for 6:30 am.
But all's well that ends well and after some sweat and laughter, things went fine.
We are leaving Greece only to return again in two weeks – this time to the smaller island of Patmos where we will dwell for a month. We're finally getting out of hotels and getting a studio apartment with regular maid service. We got a great deal and we look forward to a slower pace for awhile.
At the end if the week, we'll have been gone for a month – but because of the regular moving around, it feels like so much longer. Turkey seems like a distant memory. Thank goodness we have Istanbul still ahead.
But despite our being in a Greece for little more than two weeks, we leave with a few lessons and observations.
Greeks eat more cheese per capita than any other society on Earth. True story.
Never count on a Greek taxi – or anything else – to come on time.
There is very little police presence in Greece compared to Turkey. Much less.
According to our hotel owner in Crete, there are more machine guns on the island than people – many of them taken from the Germans in World War II.
Baklava is far scarcer than one would imagine and quality varies widely with what little there is. Not good.
Greeks love pizza and ice cream. And cheese. Did I mention the cheese?
Yogurt, cheese, olive oil and honey are the four pillars of Greek cuisine and civilization.
Every taxi has a meter, none are used. Know the fair price for the ride in advance and come to an agreement with the driver before going.
Swimming off a boat is much more fun than swimming from a beach.
If it can be made with or from olives (and not necessarily food products), the Greeks have it.
You can literally smoke anywhere except MAYBE an operating room.
Coffee is a very expensive beverage in Greece.
Ouzo on the other hand, is not.
Always watch for sheep and dogs running around. You never know what's coming.
If you need to get information, look for the workers on break next to or behind the building. They're much happier to help from there.
Next stop, Tel Aviv. Shalom.
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