Agios Nikolaos is a medium-size town in Crete, the biggest island in Greece. The beaches here have that amazing deep, blue water. Lots of activity around the sea, the beaches and the port. After missing two ports it was nice to spend the day in Crete. Sunny and beautiful.
Most of our group headed off on a tour of Knossos. Since I have been there a couple times I opted for the Windmills & Lassithi Plain. We had a 4 hour driving tour and enjoyed the hills, valleys, views of the sea and the agriculture and livestock along the way. Lots of olive trees and goats! Each family on Crete consumes about 130 litres of olive oil annually. We need to really bump up our consumption to get with the Mediterranean diet.
We made a stop at the Holy Virgin of the Heart Convent - Panayia Kera. Charming and quaint with Atilla the Nun watching guard! Believe me. When she says no cameras. You wouldn't even consider reaching for the iphone! Then we drove through the Lassithi Plain which in a large agricultural area dotted with windmills. Old and new. A nice stop at a local restaurant for a plate of tasty local nibbles and a glass of their wine. Watch out for the nice brown roll. It's actually an over-sized crouton.....designed to take out a tooth or two. Yikes!
Met some nice people on the tour and got to spend time with Dick and Tracy. Although the island is beautiful and the sea is a color you can't describe, the economy seems to have really hit this area. The people seem to be just existing. The homes are in disrepair. The streets and homes look empty. The fields look half-tended. It's a big island and we were only in a small part so I'm not sure what the full story is for the Island of Crete. But it was a beautiful drive.
Tonight's wellness seminars are "Energy Healing - Old Wive's Tale or Old Wives's Wisdom? and The Healing Power of Laughter. I think I might have that one down. Hmmmmmm
Pamela
