Returning to Crete was a little harder than I expected. Strong winds delayed the flight from Athens, but eventually after some shouting from the Cretans we were allowed to proceed.
Emotionally it's strange. I feel like I am laying old ghosts to rest, returning to Crete with more ability to do what I want, and staying on my own terms. I feel respectful of the younger Karen who had such a great adventure and was able to get by on so little money, making the most of opportunities that came up. I also know that I don't want to relive the past and I want to get to the places, like the White mountains, that circumstances prevented me reaching before.
Rethymnon feels familiar at times then I turn down an alley way and get lost again. The cafes are flasher and there are far more of them. Some of the souvenirs still look the same - I saw my old backgammon set design is still for sale. The traditional embroidery has nearly vanished, replaced with machine made pieces, so my two thirty year old pieces are more precious.
Outside my window is an old mosque, part of Turkey that is still here:
There is an archaeological museum in town which has some Minoan sarcophagi - they seem very joyful after the classical Greek ones I saw in Istanbul that were hideously brutal in their carvings of battle and hunting scenes. The Minoans, much earlier, seem to have had a happier outlook on life perhaps:
Today I joined a small walking tour and headed out into the countryside. Everything is lush and green, with native orchids and other wildflowers blooming madly along the tracks, and wild white cyclamen in the shade. One of the most colourful is the small Cretan iris:
Tomorrow to new places - Chania and the far west.
Emotionally it's strange. I feel like I am laying old ghosts to rest, returning to Crete with more ability to do what I want, and staying on my own terms. I feel respectful of the younger Karen who had such a great adventure and was able to get by on so little money, making the most of opportunities that came up. I also know that I don't want to relive the past and I want to get to the places, like the White mountains, that circumstances prevented me reaching before.
Rethymnon feels familiar at times then I turn down an alley way and get lost again. The cafes are flasher and there are far more of them. Some of the souvenirs still look the same - I saw my old backgammon set design is still for sale. The traditional embroidery has nearly vanished, replaced with machine made pieces, so my two thirty year old pieces are more precious.
Outside my window is an old mosque, part of Turkey that is still here:
There is an archaeological museum in town which has some Minoan sarcophagi - they seem very joyful after the classical Greek ones I saw in Istanbul that were hideously brutal in their carvings of battle and hunting scenes. The Minoans, much earlier, seem to have had a happier outlook on life perhaps:
Today I joined a small walking tour and headed out into the countryside. Everything is lush and green, with native orchids and other wildflowers blooming madly along the tracks, and wild white cyclamen in the shade. One of the most colourful is the small Cretan iris:
Tomorrow to new places - Chania and the far west.
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