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Crete Journal
(Keith)
I'm not sure if you've read the "Nafplio Journal" yet, but we said
that we were shunning ouzo . . . well the bartender gave us one "on the
house" and we couldn't refuse. It still tasted awful, even if it was
free.
We found an awesome small, family owned Greek restaurant amongst the alleyways of Rethymno in Crete. It advertised that there was live music and we dropped by around 8:30 to hear it. Well there was no one in the establishment, except an old woman and a young guy, neither of whom were patrons. We asked the young guy about the music and he told me that he and his family would play later that night. His father worked on a farm and he owned an instrument store next door to the restaurant. The father had to return from the fields and he needed to close his store before they could play.
Lea and I came back later that night around 10:00 pm and sure enough his dad was in the back of the place tuning his instrument. They all sang and played late into the night; we were the only tourists in the house. Sitting with the locals, drinking beer, and watching these guys play was one of the neatest things this year.
(Lea) Lately I have received some emails asking me how I feel
about the "trip" entering its last phase. I looked at the calendar and
realized there are only about 3 more months left of our 2001 RTW. Although Keith
and I plan to always include travel in our lives, it is likely we will not go on
a trip quite as extensive as this for quite awhile. So how do I feel?
Originally, I thought by the eighth month of traveling that I would be ready to end, tired of the constant travel. I was wrong. I love it even more now! This trip has been amazing - everything I thought it would be and more. I am learning and experiencing so much every day. I love the excitement of seeing a new country each month, a new city every week and a new sight each day. I love doing things I only dreamed of - scuba diving in the Red Sea, hiking in the Himalayas, watching a lion stalk its prey. And I love being with Keith each day because we have such fun together. On the other hand, I look forward to things I miss: seeing and talking to family and friends on a regular basis, being involved in an interesting career, visiting Barnes and Noble and being surrounded by books (in English), working out regularly at a gym (I have an on the road exercise daily routine but I miss the good 'ole YMCA), eating sushi (last sushi restaurant we spotted - Australia) and eating Keith's great cooking. So I guess my feelings are mixed; I am excited about what life has to bring after our 2001 RTW, but I am not quite ready for this year's trip to end.
Check out our Crete Photos.