Crete - Platanias

I could lie and say we made a last-minute decision and booked this trip to Crete over Midsummer but the fact is that we are not that "wild and crazy".

We booked this trip in October last year and I have been looking forward to it ever since.



We've been to Greece before like I said in my previous post, but never stayed at this hotel before. It was called Castle Suites and was located 45 minutes from Chania Airport in the village Platanias.

The villages along the northern coast seem to flow into one another and in places it's hard to tell where one ends and another begins.

Traffic is crazy compared to ours. The streets are narrow and scooters whiz by left and right. Another thing that makes it difficult to adjust to is that cars don't have the head lights on during the day like we do in Sweden. It can sometimes be hard to tell if a car is moving or not. And just as you think you're safe it shoots by with a honk of the horn.
When we travelled alone in Greece before it wasn't such a big deal, but with the girls in tow it felt a bit scary at times.


We spent the Friday (Midsummer's Eve) at the hotel all day as well as Saturday and Sunday. The girls enjoyed the slow pace a lot and I got lots of time to finish my book (A Dance with Dragons - but that is DEFINITELY for another post - Gah!).



We didn't want to spend all the time at the hotel though, and Isabel got pretty bad sunburn during the weekend and had proper sores on her shoulders and was pretty uncomfortable so we rented a car and drove to Knossos on the Monday. It took almost 2 hours to drive there and once we arrived the temperatures were climbing reaching almost 36C in the afternoon heat.



Isabel was very intrigued with Knossos and soaked it all up. She even made plans for a show and tell session in school this fall and asked us to take lots of pictures. It was fun to walk around the palace grounds talking to her about what it could have been like there 4000 years ago.



We had rented the car for two days so on Tuesday we drove to Elafonissi Beach which is a paradise beach with fine sand and clear blue waters. Both Rickard and I have been there before. One by ourselves and once with Isabel.
We managed to take a wrong left turn and drove over the mountains to Elafonissi via the scenic route. Prolonging the journey by at least an hour and forcing us to drive along very narrow mountain roads. It was very scary.



Here we've stopped along the way at almost 1000 m (3000 feet) and once out of the car it didn't feel so scary. The air was nice and cool so high up too.

The beach was as lovely as we remembered and both girls liked it. Sofia is very scared of seaweed so it was perfect for her.
Unfortunately there was a very strong wind on the beach so lying on a sun bed wasn't very enjoyable so we ended up leaving pretty early. Isabel's shoulders were starting to go redder again so that added to our early departure.

The last two days we decided to spend at the hotel again. Soaking up the sun and bathing. Isabel preferred to stay in doors playing at being a vampire. We even bought her a t-shirt so she could swim but she decided not to.

We flew home yesterday evening at 10:50 pm Greece time and landed in Denmark 40 minutes ahead of schedule, but it still meant we weren't home until after 2 am.

We can't wait to go back again. Maybe next year.

Leaving on a jet plane

In just a few days we are going to Greece for a week of sun and swimming. The girls are very excited - especially Sofia who has never flown before.

Isabel was not yet 2 years when she flew last time (when we celebrated my Dad's 60th birthday in Prague) and she has only faint memories of it from what she has told me.

I'm not a confident flyer. I kind of hate it but if it gets me to Greece I will bear it. I just hope there won't be too much turbulence as I will be sitting alone with both girls in row 10 while Rickard got a seat by the emergency exits in row 15. I was hoping to sit in the aisle seat but both girls expressed a wish to sit next to me at take off at least so I will have to squeeze into the middle seat.
I hope to find some kind of sewing project to bring, and I need to pack some pens and activity books for the girls. Isabel will be happy with her iPod if she can just listen to Harry Potter - but she will need a book as well. Maybe I can bring the chapter book we are reading. That should entertain more than us though :/

I've been to Greece before. I travelled to Rhodes with my parents in '88, Cyprus in '89, to Crete with a girlfriend in '91, then with Rickard to Corfu in '98, Santorini in '00 (Honeymoon!), Tenerife and Crete in '02, Rhodes in '03 and finally Crete again in '05 when Isabel was just over a year old. We haven't been since.







We took a flat near Rethimno but booked with breakfast included. This time we'll not have that but arrange our meals on our own. When Rickard and I travelled in Greece before we had kids we always did that. Breakfast on the balcony with fresh, warm Greek bread and yoghurt.




We rented a car and visited Elafonissi - The Maldives of Europe. We plan to do the same this time and I hope Isabel will like bathing there better than she did last time.




She got so tired in the car driving back from Elafonissi.




We went fairly late in the season (first week in September) which is why we could get away with a cardigan on her in the evening. It will be very interesting to see how she (and Sofia) deals with the heat. We had a few days of nice weather last week and she was very bothered by it.

Busy May

We've had a few busy weeks since late May. It's been filled with birthdays and work deadlines and visiting cousins and visits to amusement parks.



I work two and a half more days then I have five weeks off, and on Thursday next week we are leaving for a week in Crete, Greece.

I got new glasses, made a dress for Isabel's graduation, celebrated Sofia's 6th birthday, celebrated my aunt's 60th birthday.



Sofia learnt how to ride a bike.




IT doesn't seem like the rush will let up any time soon, so check me out on Instagram if you want to see what we're up to.

Weekend plans

We're going into another hiking weekend. The girls will be out most of Saturday morning so I plan to get some sewing done.
If nothing else I need to organize my sewing room better because I feel like I can't move in there.

I have a few things planned I want to try out. Like another skirt similar to this



I also have patterns I want to trace and sew.

Malmö is also host to this year's Eurovision Song Contest (ESC2013) and there have been loads of activities in town all week. The big finale is on Saturday and I couldn't be more uninterested. I suppose I'll end up in front of the telly reading Twitter. I have a few Swedes and some people from the UK on my feed who are very much into it. It's always entertaining to read their opinions.

The girls haven't shown much interest in it all but if they wanted to I would let them stay up a while I suppose.

Personally I'm a lot more excited about the Doctor Who finale which is also on Saturday.

Sunday Sofia has her last swim class and then in the evening there is a dance recital - well, more of a regular class with parents invited to watch.

Spruce

I visited a plant nursery today, which is another place I should not be let loose unsupervised.

I got off easy today though. Instead of investing in two or more new black terracotta pots I bought black paint and spruced up two that I already had.

While I had the brush out and was painting anyway I gave our clay elephant a coat of paint too. It's been with me for a long time. It had a friend but I think we dropped it and it broke.
This one's been used as a door stop and as a book end when we lived in town, but when we moved out here and got our garden somewhat put together we made a home for it in the flower beds.

Now I gave it a wash and a coat of black paint and I think it looks so cool. Definitely an improvement.

Hiking

Isabel and Sofia went hiking on Saturday. Sofia's group (The Frogs) are gone from 9:30 am  - 1:20 pm and Isabel's group (The Foxes) leaves at the same time and usually gets back around 3:45 pm.

I went hiking as a child as well. The organisation is called Friluftsfrämjandet (Association for the promotion of outdoor living - roughly translated) and it is a co-ed organisation. I started in Mulle at 5 years old and progressed through the different age groups until I quit at 14 years old.

There are similarities with the Scouts, but it is less organised. They only meet for 7-8 times in Spring and Fall, and only on weekends. No regular meetings in the weeks and no badges.

Both Isabel and Sofia started when they were 1 year old in the first age group available. Which meant 1 hour in a park with parents present. Sofia will stay in her group another year and move up to the one Isabel is in now once she turns 7 next year.

Isabel will probably stay in her group another two years. I think they move up to the next age group at 11 years old. That group gets a lot more say in what activities they do. They have more sleep-overs and more adventurous activities - canoeing, rock climbing, longer walks. All to prepare for a week long trip to the North of Sweden to go hiking in Fjällen (the Scandinavian mountain range).

I quit just before our trip to Fjällen, which I sort of regret today. I was 14 - I worried about getting my period while we were away. Silly I know.

They both love being away and come home smelling of wood smoke and forest.

Quick and dirty blog

I don't have a picture from today because I've been stuck at work most of the day. It's been gorgeous out and tonight when we had dinner it was still 25C!

Tomorrow is a short day - I get out of the office at 2:30 pm-ish. I plan to go to the mall to exchange Sofia's shoes that were too small, then groceries and then home for a 4 day weekend.

We have tickets for Star Trek Into Darkness on Friday and the girls are staying with my aunt. They are very excited about that and we are excited about the movie. In equal measure but for slightly different reasons.

On a whole other topic - I gave up coffee for Lent and have not gotten back into the habit again. I don't even feel a craving for it any more.

Do I have to change my blog name?