Day 10: No chicken, dead end
We were woken early by balcony chair scraping malakas, but as Siggy keeps telling me we can sleep on the beach. So far we haven’t been disturbed by any games of twat ball.
Twat ball is a beach sport played with or without a net between two or more people with or without bats and with a ball that can vary in size. Rules vary and are flexible but the first rule defines the game and so is fixed. Rule one of twat ball is that you must play it where it will cause maximum disruption to those around who are trying to relax on the beach. Yawping is optional as is over-hitting the ball so it ends up having to be retrieved from among other peoples’ sun-beds. Players of twat ball are called twats.
But first there was breakfast. Always sets me up for the day, never to be missed because we paid for it. However we’re not ones to make toast towers and leave them uneaten. I am trying to cut down on my coffee consumption because it makes me a bit hyper and my stomach a bit grizzly, but this morning I needed it due to the aforementioned chair-scrapers who I’m sure will be at it every morning until we leave now.
The breakfast spread is a cornucopia of goodies. I had some little Greek donuts with honey and a Cretan puff pastry thing as well as some melon and a piece of tomato and cheese toastie. Diet? What’s that?
We spent the day on beach. I read Stephen Fry’s Mythos. If ever there was a more appropriate book to read in Crete, I don’t know what it is (except perhaps The Island by Victoria Hislop).
We had lunch at La Mare again. This time I had koukouvagis which is just another name for Dakos (see previous post). Siggy had a savoury pancake again. Then we popped around to the back street and the big A&B supermarket to buy some cheap pop.
We went to the old town in the evening and found Akri Garden Taverna a nice corner garden on different levels with vines and purple flowers hanging from the roof beams. We ordered chicken souvlaki twice – but changed to pork souvlaki when the owner told us he had no chicken. We washed down some dry garlic bread with draught lager and realised that the ambience was better in this case than the food. The lumps of pork were tough and the whole meal was just a bit ‘meh’. We asked for the bill and were kept waiting beyond Greek time – we’re used to it by now – and then another table asked and got their bill straight away. Unbelievable!
We got ice cream and raki with the bill but for once we didn’t leave a tip. Sorry guys. Not good enough. We went to Culdesac for drinks, it’s also a restaurant and I thought we might have been better served coming here first. It’s next door to the Rimondi Fountain.
I had a Caribbean Whisper – a very tasty amaretto-based cocktail for 8 and Siggy got a Baileys for 7. They have low lights, good ventilation, water on the table, a DJ and a fancy coffee menu. It was all very swish. We were served with nuts, crudités and fruit free.
We stayed for another round. I had a Red Heart and Siggy had a Don’t Shake It. All the original cocktails were as good as Kai‘s and their toilets wouldn’t be out of place in Shoreditch. The Copa America final was on TV – Brazil beat Peru 3:1 – elsewhere USA won the women’s World Cup. The Copa America final seemed to be on repeat in various bars on various days so i’m not entirely sure when it actually happened.
We walked back and watched a motorcyclist zooming along on one wheel like he was playing Grand Theft Auto. There are lots of big noisy motorbikes in Crete. I noticed a Norton and a Triumph shop in Chania.
Crete 2019 Day 11: Rimondi Monday
Today we walked into Rethymno town in scorching heat to look for rings and a fridge magnet. There’s plenty of both to be found in the alleys and streets of old and new town. Most of the shops around the Rimnodi fountain are jewellers.
We had milkshakes in that place near Cul De Sac and the fountain and then lunch in Cul De Sac – Siggy had poached eggs, avocado on rye bread, and I had a chicken burger with a tasty mango sauce and fries. The same waitresses as last night were working again today, making me wonder how long their working days are.
Before lunch we visited what we think was a temporary exhibition of the archeological museum. It had some interesting bits and bobs in there including some statues of Athena and Aphrodite which I could relate to more now I know their stories. Photography was frowned upon.
After lunch we picked up a ring that Siggy had asked to be modified from a nearby shop. It also sold many figurines of all the Olympians, chess sets and lots of knives and swords. Not sure how you’d get them through customs though.
We tried to find a couple of other museums and in the process chanced upon the museum of contemporary art. However it was closed on Mondays. Maybe we’ll try again another day. We also found a restaurant Siggy had been recommended – Avli.
We walked back and had a look around the main port area where some yachts are moored. The area is not half as pretty as Chania, but we did find the dolphin statue we’d seen on some postcards.
We had milkshakes at La Mare – good again – and a couple of hours on the beach. A much needed nap for me. Then tea on the room’s balcony.
Avli is a posh garden restaurant with prices to match. We ordered Red Nest Rose wine from Rethymno to drink. I had slow cooked goat dish Fouriariako and Siggy had Moussaka. It was the best goat dish I’ve ever eaten. Bill-freebie was caramel panna cotta.
couchmagpie 