What I Learned From a Disastrous Trip in Crete and What I’d Do Different Next Time.

The taxi departs from Chania’s airport and winds its way through unfamiliar suburban streets. For now, the city looks like many other cities I’ve seen, all modern shops, buildings, and cars, nothing that stands out. As the taxi driver turned the corner, he suddenly stopped and said he could go no further. I thought he was intentionally cutting my prepaid trip short and he got a little annoyed. But when I turned away from him, I realized he was being very literal. This narrow cobblestone street was closed to traffic.

What I learned from my disastrous trip and what I would do differently next time

This is just the beginning of a journey full of mistakes. Apply what I learned from my harrowing journey to yours and avoid the pitfalls that befell me on your next trip.

Places visited: Chania, Crete

Chania’s old town is located in an ancient port by the sea. Its history is vast and complex. The island’s location in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea means that various empires have tried to control it for thousands of years. The architecture shows the influence of Minoan, Ottoman, and Venetian rule, and the workmanship is breathtaking. The sun highlights the colorful buildings and small balconies covered with bougainvillea vines. If you don’t consider yourself a romantic yet, this place might change your mind. But when we made the cobblestone, we did not think about how inconvenient it would be for wheeled suitcases.

On the second day, I woke up early and slowly walked down the winding streets, watching as shopkeepers began to open their shops, moving cafe furniture outside and hanging clothing and other items for sale on the facades of their buildings. I looked at it. Over the next few days, I wandered the city, its ancient Venetian walls and lighthouses, and wandered up and down the turquoise waters watching ships enter and exit the harbor. The weather had been near perfect, but suddenly we were surprised by pouring rain and cold wind. Of course, this happened on the day I was scheduled to move to Heraklion, a city in central Crete.

the weather isn’t always perfect

I had to walk several blocks to the bus stop. As I tried to cross the road, fighting the wind and rain, my foot fell into a hole. My jeans were almost soaked through. I bought a ticket and struggled with some locals to get the attention of the service staff for coffee at the station’s coffee shop. This was more like a first kind of “who can get to the front” kind of situation, rather than a place like America or Australia where there would be queues.

The bus arrived and I found a seat, hoping the heat inside would dry my jeans. It was pretty full so there weren’t many seating options. Rain was pounding against the windows, and it wasn’t until about 30 minutes after leaving Chania that I realized that the windows were leaking. I had a constant IV drip and it was starting to bother me. I moved to an aisle seat, but I was still curious. About half way to Heraklion, the bus stopped and the driver said there was a problem and he would transfer to a new bus. The rain has finally eased a little!

It took about an hour to reach the capital of Crete. My hotel was on the same street as the bus stop, just a few blocks away, so I decided to walk. The walk along the coast would have been pleasant if it hadn’t been raining. Instead, I used my umbrella as a shield to fight the wind until it blew me inside out and finally ripped it out of my hands.

the kindness of strangers

The street was flooded and I realized that the hotel I was staying at, The Kronos, was just across the road. To get there, we had to wade through knee-deep water, dragging our suitcases. When I finally got to the reception, I felt like a drowned rat. After checking in, I arrived at my room. If it weren’t for the weather, there would have been a great view of the sea and the port of Heraklion. I also noticed that my suitcase was completely wet. There wasn’t a single piece of dry clothing inside. I had no choice but to hang everything up on hangers and wait. While I was doing this, I started getting hungry. When I went downstairs I was told the kitchen was only open for breakfast. Feeling somewhat defeated, I sat in a lounge chair on the porch and planned what to do next to straighten out my food, clothing, and shelter situation.

I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned around to see the hotel owner offering me a grilled cheese sandwich and hot coffee. He waved off my offer of payment. After what happened that day, this simple but random act of kindness meant so much to me and made me feel like there were people in this world who actually cared.

Preparation is key to avoid problems

I ended up going out to buy some warm clothes at a local chain store, only to realize that a lot of things could have been avoided if I had researched beforehand. The first hint of this should have been the fact that many of the ferries to the Greek Islands began reducing their operations since November. This is because demand is decreasing due to the cold weather. I checked weather.com before leaving and found that the average temperature for the time of year I’m traveling is around 67 degrees Fahrenheit. This temperature is usually comfortable where I’m from, but in Greece the combination of rainy weather and low temperatures meant I should have packed a warmer jacket and long pants instead of shorts and short-sleeved tops.

Don’t be fooled by the pictures of perfect blue skies or picturesque Greek architecture. My impression of Greece was that it had a pleasant climate all year round, but in retrospect, that wasn’t the wisest idea. Before leaving on this trip, I spent a lot of time researching destinations, but nothing I read could prepare me for it. The southern regions of the country may not be as cold as the north, but November is still autumn, so you need to be prepared for it.