When life gives you lemons...

pick them!

and make lemonade :].

KITTENS!!

I'm melting. 

Deeeefinitely melting.  

This little man turns me into a giant puddle of mush; look at his face!!  Yes, these little guys have suddenly turned me into the crazy cat lady.  I'm okay with it.  There are three of them and they're just a few weeks old.  Two of the cats here gave birth at the same time to a total of seven kittens.  There are now only three kittens left because one of the mama cats decided to EAT four of the other mama's children.  Yes, I said it.  Apparently this is not an uncommon fate for cats that are sick or weak.  Survival of the fittest!  Darwin was right.

Jennie doesn't know it yet, but this guy is coming in my carry-on next month.

I'm dreaming, right?

Where, oh where, to begin.  I got home late last night from a 24hr trip to Sitia, a city located on the east side of Crete, which is about a 4hr drive from where I am staying on the west side in Chania.   I was invited to go with Jenny Moody (an archaeologist who's been living/studying here for 30+yrs), McKay, and Jenny's friend/old colleague, Tamara.  We went to an ancient Minoan dinner on the sea and were guided around Minoan ruins from over 3,000 years ago.  The following day McKay and I hiked the Gorge of Richtis, which, turns out, actually meant hiking through pages of the most enchanted fairy-tale ever written... or unwritten, for that matter.  I'll let the millions of photos do the talking.  The Minoan dinner and enchanted fairy-tale, however, have to wait until another post.  I'm heading into the city right now with McKay and Dimitris to meet with a tattoo artist (!!!!!) and enjoy the night.  Really quick, before we go, I HAVE to share the high (with whoever is reading this) that I am still on from the paradise we went to today.

I'm only two weeks into this journey and every single day has been like nothing I'd ever imagined.  Here's why:

The duo.

Look to the left and you'll see where we climbed down.

That's me!  

Winding home.  The inlet down to the right is where we were.

Beaming light of relief signifying that we did not fall off the cliff.  

Kalimera!

Good morning!  I woke up a bit earlier today and did yoga on the veranda with Mr. Adolfos.

The sun is already well overhead and the sound of Cicada's and birds are swarming the air.  Silence is not something that exists around here; at least not during the weeks of summer when the cicada's are alive and well.  I'd never heard of them until arriving in Crete.  They're flying insects that look a bit like grasshoppers or crickets and make a constant chirping and rattling sound that overpowers any conversation taking place  nearby.  One cicada, two cicada, three cicada, a thousand!  Cicada's are the soundtrack of my summer.  

Sunset and Chocolate Cake

Koukouvagia.

Dinner is served.

I slept until 2:30 or so today; my body is no longer on a schedule of any sorts.  Dimitri and I went to the beach around 4 and stayed for a few hours.  I finished The Alchemist and had it on my mind and in conversation with D for the next few hours.  We came home after 7 to shower and head out for the sunset, which we didn't quite make.  He took me to a place called Koukouvagia, which means 'owl' in English.  It's a restaurant/bar/cafe (as most places are in Chania/Crete) that has the most extraordinary panoramic view of Chania and the sea.  It's also adorned with the coolest owl-themed artwork, which I'll have to take pictures of next time we go.  Since day one of being here I have been hearing from Dimitris and Haris about Koukouvagia's amazing, to die for, warm chocolate cake that is served with vanilla ice cream.  I'm usually not a chocolate cake fan but I have never, ever, in my life tasted any kind of cake that was as delicious as this.  The two of us didn't manage to finish a single slice if that gives you any idea how filling and rich it was. 

We did our best to catch the sunset before it went behind the mountain but by the time we got to Koukouvagia it had already gone down.  The sky, however, was still illuminated with the brightest and warmest colors you could imagine.  We ate on the patio, which overlooks the entire city and coast of Chania to the left,  and a vast, open sea to the right.  Once again: I'm in paradise.

At least we caught the sunset from the car...

This was taken from the car and it's such a bummer that it's blurry!

The left-side view from Koukouvagia

The right-side view from Koukouvagia

The wind.

It's 1:15am and still about 85 degrees.  I just came inside from laying on the hammock, where I had been since 7 or 8 this evening.  The weather here does not change a bit, but right now there are warm and strong winds coming in from Egypt.  There is something overpowering about the sound and power of the wind, rocking the hammock back and forth, rustling the leaves above me and making the shutters creak.  It was quite fitting for the book I was reading:  The Alchemist.  It has been living on my book shelf for years and every time I've picked it up to read I always end up putting it down.  I packed it in my suitcase for the summer and since pulling it out on the hammock this morning, I have been glued to it.  I can already think of a handful of people that I want to give this book to; if you've read it, you'll understand why.  I'm really not sure why I've been staring at it for so many years but never gave it a chance.  It's an easy read; if you haven't already read it, you will absolutely take something away from it.

 

Today was extremely relaxing.  I realize that I'm spoiled here and each day is filled with TLC in some form, but today I had a lot of quiet time and a lot of alone time.  I laid on the hammock when I woke up and did some yoga on the veranda.  I went to the beach for a few hours with D, Haris and McKay, and met up with some of their cousins (who are the kindest of Greek women that I have met thus far).  We swam for awhile and I pulled out my book, which, despite the language barrier, had been read by almost everyone in the group.  Today was the most relaxed I've been at the beach.  Maybe hard to imagine, I know, but my mind has been quite restless and has had so much time to think about everything and anything under the sun.  Finally turning to a book -- this one in particular -- reminded me that the whole point of being here is to actually be here; to live and to enjoy.


After the beach I showered in my favorite oasis and had dinner at home.  It didn't take much time at all and I was back in the hammock under the still hot and beaming sun, listening to the birds chirp and staring out at the city and the sea.  The time spent in that hammock is starting to feel like meditation.  I put my book down and fell asleep for awhile, waking up to a water-colored sky of warm pinks and oranges.  It is so beautiful here, and right now all of the energy in my body is focused on nothing but noticing and appreciating just how beautiful it is... from the color of the water to the old stones that lay every path.  The Alchemist and the tranquility of everything around me has finally put me at so much ease.  I spent hours in the hammock tonight, staring up at the stars through the grape leaves, thinking of how many amazing people have come into my life in one form or another.  Life at home in the States is so... go, go, go.  Sometimes I feel like I never have the minute (or am bad at time management) to tell all of those people how appreciative I am of them... the same appreciation I have for the beauty that I've been awestruck by every single day here.  I have all the time in the world right now to have my eyes wide open, to see all the little things that I may have missed if my brain were already rushing on to the next moment that hasn't even arrived.  I'm remembering and realizing -- all at the same time -- that no matter where I go in the world it's still me and my heart that I'm traveling with; one that is already filled with so many amazing people who have been the reasons that I constantly find myself in the situations that I do, like laying in a hammock in Greece knowing that I have the entire summer ahead of me to do whatever it is feels right.  The Alchemist talks about pursuing ones "Personal Legend," and for those of you who have read it, I'm starting to think that because of the journey life has taken me on over the past handful of years, and the people it has allowed me to love and grow with along the way, that I am actually following whatever "Personal Legend" belongs to me and my life.  I've never read a book that made so much inherent sense or had me pausing at so many points to stair up at the sky and think. 


This island is magical and the summer has only yet begun.

Where to begin...

Today marks day 11 of being in Greece!  All sense of time has gone completely out the window.  I've wanted to write down my adventures each day but have spent the past week and a half processing and letting everything soak in. Every day I feel like I'm living a dream... one that definitely deserves to be written down and shared, so, from here on out I'm going to make this blogging thing a habit. I'm doing a quick recap of first week and half up until now and then hopefully will be able to hop on here each night.