We were in bed early and slept soundly. We are always so darn tired after a passage. When we did finally get up, we got right to work scrubbing down the exterior of the boat. The salt was really caked on and we had a hard time getting it off. It took some serious scrubbing. We now have a renewed appreciation for the South Pacific, where it usually rained hard for an hour every day, washing away all the salt and dirt. We rarely washed the boat there — nature kept it clean for us. And when we did wash it, very little scrubbing was needed. We miss that.

When we were finally done, we got Kosmos situated so we could be gone a couple of days and we headed to Bali (not to be confused with Bali, Indonesia) along the main highway. The drive is beautiful. About a third of the road is inland, the other two thirds along the water. The highway is well maintained, with good signs. Crete is mountainous, with very little flat land anywhere that we could see. The road winds up and down the mountains, so you get incredible vistas from mountain peaks and close ups of the foliage in the troughs.

The vast majority of cars on the road are tiny and cute. There are a lot of two seater Smart Cars, and other similarly sized vehicles that you would never see in the USA. A VW Golf is a large car by Greek standards. When we passed the petrol (gas) station, it was obvious why. Petrol (gas) is 1.30 Euro a liter (~ 7.60 USD per gallon). Oddly enough, every taxi we saw is a newer model Mercedes-Benz. Wow. There are lot of crazy drivers, that pass you on blind curves, and motorcycles occasionally fly by you doing at least 100 miles an hour. Last time we were here, we were horrified by the driving. Now that we have been to other parts of the world, it doesn’t seem too bad anymore.

Along the way there are a few small towns that we could see just off the highway, and one large town, called Irakleo. Interestingly enough, outside the towns, the buildings are spread out and don’t have adjoining walls. But even so, almost all of the buildings look like they are probably small apartment complexes, with each level being a separate unit.

Here and there are a few small plots of farmland, where they seem to grow an assortment of foods, especially olives, but for the majority of the drive the land is uncultivated. The foliage is surprisingly similar to San Diego. The grass is dry and dead, but the abundant amount of bushes and plants are thriving. There are zillions of oleander bushes around, as well as all kinds of wildflowers, all in full bloom and bursting with color. There are a lot of pines, Cyprus, and other evergreens, as well. Here and there you will see a cactus, with yellow flowers in bloom. Here and there you see geraniums and bougainvillea, too. The ocean is a dazzling cobalt in the deeper areas, and aquamarine in the shallower areas, and makes a beautiful contrast against the dramatic mountains above them.

Bali is one of the small towns just off the side of the road. Bali is really a resort area more so than a local village, made up mostly of a cluster of hotels along the waterfront and the accompanying tourist shops. Costas’s mother, Maria, opened the very first hotel in Bali almost 20 years ago. Apparently, she has a knack for choosing the right location, since so many other hotels have followed suit.

At the hotel, we visited with Costas for a few hours before he and Koralia went to the airport in Irakleo to pick up his parents. John and Maria had gone to Germany for a few days to celebrate John’s 75th birthday. When they got back from the airport, we all hung out until 0200 in the morning, catching up and looking at more photos. It was so much fun to have part of the family together. It was too bad none of John’s other kids could be there, too. From left to right are Costas, Maria, John and Koralia.

We tried some new desserts. The first is candied figs. They are boiled in sugar water that makes a sweet syrup. They are quite tasty. We were also served a traditional candy called loukoumi. It comes in a variety of flavors, and the flavor we tried was rose. It is bright red, cut into rectangles, and rolled in powdered sugar. It looks like Jello squares rolled in powdered sugar. The texture is similar to Juju candy. It has a strong rose taste, and is so sweet you can only take a bite or two before you are sugared out. Here is Costas eating a piece.

We also tried the popular local adult beverage, called raki. It is a double distilled spirit made from grapes and is very strong. It is served in small shots. It is the kind of drink that puts hair on your chest. Christi declined a shot, saying she didn’t need any hair on her chest.

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