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WE CAME TO CRETE FOR PURE RELAXATION. NO STRESS. NOT TOO MUCH SIGHTSEEING. I was on the verge of leaving a job ...

Rethymnon - Greece

Gaby
2004-01-25 13:15:03

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WE CAME TO CRETE FOR PURE RELAXATION. NO STRESS. NOT TOO MUCH SIGHTSEEING. I was on the verge of leaving a job where I could have stayed till the age of retirement, for a jump in the dark, an insecure existence of temping and freelance work. It hadn't been an easy decision, and the worry and hesitation of the last few months had worn me out. I needed no less than a complete change of scenery and Crete was the place to go.

Hotel Mythos is certainly the nicest hotel we have ever stayed in. The rooms are simple but very elegantly designed in wood and natural stone.

In the mornings we had breakfast in the courtyard. Greek yoghurt with honey, bread with cheese and cold meat, boiled egg, orange juice, coffee or tea. Sparrows at our feet begging for breadcrumbs, the smell of the jasmine on the courtyard wall and the splashing of the water in the small turquoise swimming pool.

Most of the time we went for walks, in the town, on the beach, in the hills. We often had lunch near the seaside, where swordfish seemed to be one of the local specialities.

In the evenings, the town was bustling with activity, the smells of wine, garlic, olive oil and herbs emanating from every restaurant we passed, waiters standing outside in the warm evening breeze, musicians entertaining the guests. Tourists and Cretans filled the restaurants and terraces, and skinny cats lurked everywhere trying to get some food and attention from sympathetic diners.

Jack and I swam a lot, in the hotel swimming pool, with its tepid blue water, and in the Mediterranean. We also spent a day in the ruins of the old Fortezza.

One day we decided we would rent a car and go for a ride. We had specifically reserved a Ford Fiesta, but were given a Fiat Cinquecento. It was a hot day. We wasted a long time waiting for the people of the agency to show us to the car, which by the time ...