Day 17 - Faliraki to Heraklion

Day 17- Faliraki beach to Heraklion

Finally we were outta here, unless you're 20, wanting syphilis, or a divorce, stay away from Faliraki Beach. We had some good experiences there, The Castellan Restaurant, the beach itself (Zorba the Greek with Anthony Quinn was filmed there!...Classic!) but we were glad to leave it behind.  Starting at 7am we darted out of the White Palace Studios, boarded a bus and made it back into Rhodes town. We had a decent breakfast and boarded yet another bus to the airport. One thing I will say, the Greek bus system is cheap and very effective! We hit our enjoyable fights to Athens then on to Heraklion. We exited the airport and were directed by locals, which bus to take into town. This place was very chill! The streets were quiet, locals coming to and fro and no drunk Brits! 

We found our hotel quite easily and checked in. The Hotel Kronos is just off the main strip, close to ferries and the bus station and a very quaint little place. The staff were uber friendly, it was ideally located, clean and secure. We cleaned the 8 hours of busses, airports and airplanes off our bodies and headed out to dinner. 

This is the Greece we were looking for! We found a mom and pop restaurant with a huge square shared by 2 other restaurants. We shared some Greek tapas: greek salad, aubergine salad, snails, calamari, stuffed zucchini, pickled beets, bread and house white wine. We chased it with complimentary desert and Raki! The locals packed the square, musicians entered and the aromas of bread and garlic filled our nostrils. It was picturesque. Most come for crazy dancing and staying out all night, but this is what we were in search of! Everyone told us to avoid Crete, but I guess  they never looked for what we found. Seaside eateries, serving fresh authentic cuisine, filled with charm and charisma. You can have Rhodes, I've only been on Crete for 6 hours and I'm in love...