posted on the blog of "Three Men in a Boat" September 9 Article entitled "Meetings journey"
Dear friends of the boat, we have now completed the circumnavigation of the island in a kayak in Crete, and honest we are back home after a two-day trip by ferry and then by car, by ferry again and again by car: 10 hours from Ancona to Milan, there seem few?
We are however pleased to send you a few more posts on Crete because we really haunted.
addition to the sea, the coast and wind, Crete impressed us with the character of its people: friendly to tourists and foreigners, open and curious, never bothered by the fact that we occupy their own spaces but rather interested in knowing how happy their land. One evening two sub
offered us fresh fruit and entertained us with a very pleasant conversation, we again found a piece of paper left on kayak with an encouraging message: "Dear friends, Have a good trip and wish to Have the wind with you", one morning a boy shyly approached the kayak still say in English "Your trip is a dream", wherever relevant questions on our journey, compliments of various nature and valuable guidance on where to eat and drink nearby.
Not to mention the strange solidarity which arises from various sources among tourists traveling on the same land that on several occasions has given us very curious characters, a day that we were undecided whether to go back to sea (hit by the waves) or remain on the ground ( windy), we encountered a large group of Germans settled comfortably into a series of small shacks on the beach: we deal with all our "household" their yard tamarisk and in a moment of utter despair, when the wind swirling the fine sand into the eyes closed, I hang the hammock to the two arms stronger and I enjoy a long afternoon nap ... Although German "friends" do not make a turn, indeed we are beginning to ask where we want to go (as if to say, it is too windy, stay here with us) and when we are finally ready to back on the kayak make absurd that leaves us speechless, especially because it does not fit at all in the German ice: Turn on the stereo at full volume and send a compilation of Italian music and warm in Tugging greetings to the tune of "Gente di mare, which he vaaaaaa" ... "Perfect Song" from the kayak and they scream with laughter sbellicano ... then maybe we are not Germans, or simply that not all stereotypes about people are just !
A quiet morning that systems with everything in the lockers of the kayak, a nice gentleman with the bushy white beard approached us to tell us a recurring phrase and other times we have addressed during the trip: "Italians and Greeks, same face, same race ! When we ask for a milkshake glikò Megala (iced coffee with sweetened milk) is always welcome all of the few words of greek who chew with difficulty ... and often the most interesting conversations were those established in two or three different languages, as with the old Kostas, he spoke in thick greek and drew the numbers in the air and us to respond in Italian. Even with Nikos and Maria we understood each other perfectly: When we tried the Coast Guard had just landed near their hut on the sea and they received us like two castaways adrift: they have spoken with the military, acted as interpreters for reassure them about our conditions, have insisted that involved in their party, have again and again filled our plates and our glasses, wanted to know our names and so many things about our trip and at the end of the evening we were filled with gifts, as is fitting with of guests: sweets and chocolate, two large shells and especially a fish fossil found in the bay and kept together with several other samples and a warm welcome by Nikos ... priceless! We close this trip with the satisfaction of having met not only the island but also its inhabitants, along with sailors and mountaineers, fishermen and shepherds, farmers and hoteliers ... maybe it is true that Crete is an island than a continent: the Cretans do not seem islanders but citizens of the world anchored in the heart of the Mediterranean.
Posted the 9th of September on the "Three men in the boat" blog:
Dear friends, we've already completed the periplus of the Crete island and we also come back home, after a two day traver by ferry and by car, then by ferry and by car again: 10 hours from Ancona to Milan! We'd like however send you some posts about Crete because we loved the island, the coast, the wind and the people!
C ordial with the tourists and the foreigners, open and curious: two divers offered us some fresh fruit and we had a pleasant conversation; some days later, we found a paper left on the kayak with an encouraging message, written in english: "Dear friends, have a good trip and wish to have the wind with you"; one day a boy has timidly drawn up the kayaks to tell us in English "Your trip is a dream for me"; everywhere we heard interested questions about our trip, congratulations and precious indications about eat&drink.
We also found an interesting solidarity between tourists.
In Frangolkastelo we were undecided whether to come back the the sea (beaten by the waves) or to stay on the beach (beaten by the wind); there were a thick group of German comfortably housed in a series of small bungalows on the beach: we occupied their little garden and in a moment of total discouragement, when the wind put the sand even into the closed eyes, I hung up the hammock for a long afternoon siesta. The Germans started to ask where we wanted to go (to suggest there was too much wind and it was better to remain there); when we finally decided to pick up the kayaks, they turned on the radio with an Italian music compilation: "Perfect song", we shouted them from the kayaks!
In Elafonissi, a gentleman with a long white beard has approached us to say a recurrent sentence: "Italian and Greek, same face, same race!"
When we asked a frappè glikò megala (cold sweet coffee with milk) they always delighted those few Greek words: we had the most interesting conversations in two or three different languages.
We close this trip with the satisfaction to not only have known the island but also its inhabitants, fishermen and shepherds, farmers and hotel keepers... maybe That is true it is More Than Crete an island, it is a continent: the tgere people live on an island But not only into the heart of the Mediterranean.
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