Outta here bitches
Forever an opportunist, there was no greater opportunity this year than that sneaky lil gap of freedom post-lockdown. The world began to open its socially awkward arms again and a large handful of the population flocked to Costa Del Cya Corona. Coincidently, I'd just sacked in my spangly, secure, soul-draining job. What better way to celebrate being an ungrateful, badass than hopping on an 'anti-backed' aeroplane and soaking up the last of the summer sun.
Risky business, eh? Prior to departure, I was politely reminded by my dearest mum that "They couldn't give a BEEP about your health, they just want your money". Indeed, Jane, and I just want to smother coconut oil on my skin, eat tzatziki and reflect on my reckless behaviour. How about that. Job's a good'un. After changing the holiday destination multiple times, sitting impatiently on an automated call line, and overthinking our decision to go on vacation... the only thing left to worry about was the QR code of freedom. To build the anticipation even more, they don't send the QR code (allowing you to enter Greece) until MIDNIGHT before you fly. You can imagine the trauma I had with a dodgy wi-fi connection.
ALAS, the codes arrived, and we were off to Heathrow. To summarise the airport process, it's the same but with a mask and a guaranteed greasy chin full of spots. On-board, there was unfortunately no wine or overpriced Pringles. Instead, a posh kids packed lunch was thrown at each passenger. This bag of disappointment, contained a packet of 'Tyrells' crisps (do rate them TBH), some biccies and a 1/4 bottle of water. My main concern was who invented those silly little 1/4 attempts at a PLASTIC bottle of water, it's all gone in one fine swig. ANDDD before I could ask the air hostesses to fill up my bottle for the 20th time, bing, we had landed. Row by row we ran out of the 'covid secure' aircraft and into the 30 degree sauna of dreams, one final step of bum numbing impatience to go... the transfer. Genuinely interested, is anyone else always the last stop on the coach transfer?
Sunrise City
Crete is a fat ass island, hosting a variety of terrains and temperatures, and home to the famous party island Malia. Fortunately me and the boyf weren't here to have a wild time with the 10pm curfew. Instead, we chose to stick to the wholesome, borderline boring young couple vibe of the charming fishing village 'Elounda'. Situated on the North of the island, we stayed at the wonderful Elounda Ilion Hotel and were blessed with the most spectacular sunrise every morning. Great pool, great people, great views. Nice.
Ghost Town
You may have expected Greece's largest island to have been a ghost town. However, the lack of tourists made everywhere even more beautiful. There was no reserving sun-beds with tacky towels, no wasted food at the buffet breakfast (table service instead). Best of all, everywhere we went for dinner, we were blessed with the most dreamy sea views, you could quite literally make eye contact with the fishies whilst you awkwardly ate their friends. It all felt very quaint and exclusive. Not so quaint, were the pockets of locals who rely on tourism to keep them afloat. Which brings me to one of the the main holiday highlights, keep reading...
"We are all equal, like one big Greek Salad "
Unlike us Brits who reserve sun-beds and complain about almost everything (including small water-bottles on planes), the Greek locals were quite the opposite. Aside from discussing the obvious economic affects of Rona, the optimism and C'est La Vie spirit of the locals were both uplifting and inspiring. The genuine kindness and hospitality wherever we ventured was even warmer than the climate . As summarised beautifully by the taxi man "It doesn't matter if you are rich or poor, we are all equal and live together, like one big Greek Salad". I'd personally like to be an olive, salty and round, how about you?. How refreshing eh. Even more refreshing was the consistent offering of post dinner Raki and watermelon every night. Raki, the moonshine of Crete, is the local hardcore spirit, and offered in abundance. My favourite part of the Raki antics? The waiters will often join you for the shot. Why isn't hospitality that fun in the UK, because we sensible. A warm heart, body and throat. Yamas! Ever heard of the saying 'Too much of a good thing', or stated a polite liking for something and then your Grandparents will buy it especially for you, "you like that don't you", before you know it you've overdone it and the thought of it makes you feel ill. You assume I'm talking about the Raki. Wrong. Ever had so much watermelon you vom in your mouth, develop a water baby and nearly shit yourself the next morning. Yeah me neither.
Masks, Regs, The mystery of Rona
Talking of sensible...similarly to the UK, when using public transport, creeping around shops, and working in public places one must wear a mask. Generally speaking, the locals of the island did this. Well, kind of... mostly hanging off their chin, like a some baggy chin strap. Everyone has an opinion on the masks, like many things, that's great, makes the world more interesting. I shan't be discussing it in this post. Word count, your attention span, you get the picture. Anyways, based on the chats with the lovely locals, the Rona Mona Corona Boner, was something of a mystery. Cases were fortunately very low on the island, yet their summer season and main source of income had been cut very short. However, instead of drowning their sorrows in Raki, the locals told us of many community BBQ's enjoyed on the beach, and precious time to enjoy the peaks of summer, minus the tourism and money. The attitude to the current affairs was summarised nicely by our Receptionist behind his plastic screen... "be careful, remember Corona comes out at midnight".
Getting Ghosted and Unexpected Adventures
Who doesn't love a holiday excursion. During our stay we naively used Trip-advisor to book a wonderful boat trip extraviganza around the island. Sea air, snorkelling, un-touched beaches, local cuisine, you name it. It wasn't until the morning, shortly after being stood up, that we'd witnessed the effects of Rona on the island. Sitting in the eerie silence of the prior bustling streets, I couldn't help but feel sad about the local businesses that simply couldn't survive. Following on from this subtle rejection, we dried our tears, and headed off on our hitch-hiker style mission to go on an adventure. No trip-advisor, no tour guide, just the spontaneous spirit of Crete.
A broken beach bag, blisters and 2 busses later, we found ourselves at Voulisma Beach. Eureka! Not surprisingly, this hidden gem is allegedly used in lots of Greece's advertising campaigns, and now my Instagram. What a blessing that non-existent boat trip was. Voulisma did not disappoint with its crystal clear waters, white sand, and a rustic shack selling ice cold Mythos. Dreamy. After leaving our accommodation once, we got excited and ended up on a boat to a deserted island called Spinalonga. The island of Spaghetti, whilst incredible beautiful, had a rather dark and eerie past. The suspense... look it up.
Swimming through life like a mermaid
Aside from the beautiful fresh food, local wine, location and people. Holiday's are incredibly refreshing. Exposing yourself to another's culture is both humbling and inspiring, and this spontaneous little trip couldn't have come at a better time. Escapism perhaps? Or maybe it's the rejuvenating of bright feelings we all have within us. Conscious living, less artificial settings, a chance to stop and let the sunshine seep through, warming us up. An opportunity to escape structure and routines (even my good ones), a fresh perspective and a chance to reset.
One of my favourite moments in Crete, whilst swimming in the sea, fully immersing myself in the water, a young girl (approx. 4 years old) said to her Mum "Mummy is she a mermaid?". Yeah lil girl I AM. Truth is you can be anything you want to be. Sometimes we just have to take time to refresh, reset, choose to leave the bullshit behind... and go on holiday.
YAMAS.
I rate Crete 10/10 on the holiday radar.
Thanks for reading, no-body makes it this far. Congratulations.
So much love
Annabel X
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