My Pictures

Buddy (left) with his birth sister, Sharlie (right) when they were puppies. These two cuties were siblings from the same litter. Buddy was my first pet, who came into our family when I was seven years old. He was a very shy and intelligent animal, and my dearest companion.

Me with Buddy and my mother’s new pup, Kizzy. Sadly, Buddy passed away November 25, 2003, approximately a year after this picture was taken. Buddy, thank you for always lending a patient ear and for letting me cry into your soft fur whenever I needed to these past sixteen years. You are in my heart always. I love you and miss you dearly. :’(

The coastline of western Crete, stretching from the main city of Chania to where our apartment lay in Kato Stalos. Pictured in the second photo is Agio Apostoli, where we discovered a peaceful little lagoon. We did most of our snorkeling is this area. Above the lagoon is a beautiful rock formation with shallow caves underneath. Dan is standing at the top of the cliff, waving at me below. (He is the tiny figure in the red shirt).

Our Scandinavian group. From left to right, Yvonne (Danish). Per Morten (Norwegian), Grete (Norwegian), me (American), and Dan (Danish). Yvonne and Grete were vacationing in the apartment across the hall from ours, and Per Morten was a friend of Grete’s. We agreed we wanted to explore outside the tourist areas, so everyone chipped in to rent a car for a few days. On our way to Elafonissi, we decided to venture into the tiny Greek villages speckled throughout the mountains. Grete and Per Morten were great fun to adventure with, and I hope to visit them someday in Norway .

While driving through the mountains on our way to Elafonissi, we saw this little guy wandering about. I couldn’t resist stopping to give him a hug. :)

We passed this gorgeous monastery of Hrissoskalitissa, in southwest Kissamos. The monastery is built on a rock overlooking the ocean, and visitors have to follow a staircase carved on it with 98 steps. According to the tradition, the last step was made of gold but only faithful people could see it. We were greeted at the base of the mountain by a friendly monk, who spoke to us in English with a soft lilting accent, and told us of his solitary life within the monastery, maintaining the old buildings. He was dressed in a brown frock, with a simple rope tied around his middle, and had long, curly black hair held neatly back in a braid, a long bushy beard that spilled down his belly, and dark, twinkling eyes. He graciously invited us up the mountain and into the monastery. I asked if I could have a picture of him, but he bowed his head and humbly declined. Instead, he offered us delicious shortbread cookies and allowed us to explore the breathtaking grounds further. Out of respect, I waited until we had driven a distance away from the monastery before I finally took this picture.

Some photos of downtown Chania and the lighthouse.

Dan and I experiencing a glorious Cretan sunset at the harbour in Chania. I seem to have fallen asleep in the last photo!

One of the best parts about Greece – the food! Or more specifically, the desserts! *druuul* I was caught on camera more than once greedily fulfilling my sweet tooth. The crepe in the second photo is a special Greek pancake. A fair warning, some foods in Greece are riskier than others. The Cretans, for example, will not cook their bacon, something to be aware of while trying all the different fillings inside the delicate crepes. I believe this one was filled with Nutella chocolate and banana slices.

We found this bugger scurrying the streets while we were in town one evening. Small lizards also came out in the twilight, plastering themselves to the walls of the buildings. We saw one MUCH larger lizard cross our path while driving in the mountains, but I didn't have time to capture a picture.

Dan and I posing with the various flora of Crete. The flowers were so lush and brilliantly colored. It is a shame that two of these photos are in black and white, though. *kicks her camera*

Dan sampling some Raki (Turkish national drink) and me trying a shot of Ouzo (Greek national drink)

The view from our apartment balcony

Dan sleeping outside on the balcony. We saw some shooting stars while we sat out there at night, as well as a few bats. I remember one bat let out a loud hellish shriek just as he was swooping directly over our heads. It was really, really eery.

Me at the beach in Agio Apostoli, taking a refreshing break from the smoldering sun. A stray cat, patiently waiting for table scraps,decided to take a nap in the shade and made himself comfortable underneath my chair. In the second photo, I am carrying groceries back to the apartment, after making a trip into town. Searing daytime temperatures made mundane chores such as this nearly impossible until later in the day. Many shops closed between 3-5pm, as the locals enjoyed their siesta, and evening meals never began earlier than 9pm.

Dan and I enjoying a meal at Ela, an exotic taverna that is overgrown with flowers and vines and has no roof, allowing one to enjoy a meal underneath the stars while listening to live music. This evening I sampled some moussaka, a delicious baked Greek dish consisting of layers of ground beef and sliced eggplant, and topped with a cheese sauce. Greek evening meals are filled with family, laughter and music, and they usually last until the wee hours of the morning.

We found these little darlings next to the harbour, living in an abandoned boat near one of our favorite restaurants. The mother would leave her kittens to play inside the haul while she roamed the neighborhood in search of a meal. I made sure to save some meaty scraps from dinner, and came back almost every evening to check on them.

Dan and I, standing on deck of the Evagelos II. Behind me in the second photo is the small islet of Thodorou, where unique wild goats, known as kri kri, live. The kri kri are considered sacred by the locals and the specie is protected by the government. Although our group was allowed to swim close to the shoreline during our cruise, no one was permitted to step onto Thodorou. There were signs surrounding the area, warning that trespassers entering the island could be shot! We had a unique opportunity to snorkel in the vicinity and view a sunken German aircraft shot down during World War II, not far off the island.