Chania, on the island of Crete

We spent the week in a little town called Chania, on the island of Crete. Crete is one of the bigger Greek islands, but is also known to be the most accessible island. I can vouch that it is probably true. We were able to walk the entire city quite easily, minus a few minor hills and some cobblestone sidewalks. We had a lovely AirBNB with amazing hosts who gifted us small treats each day – homemade spinach pastries, fresh baby peaches, cherries, watermelon, olive oil with herbs. I could feel the pride that these hosts had and am proud of them for embracing their culture and making their business something so special and meaningful.

The quiet morning in the Old Town

Tony and I would spend our mornings having coffee on the balcony in our pajamas and the afternoons strolling around Old Town, where we quite commonly found ourselves eating Greek gyros. One of my most favorite parts of the Greek food culture is that each restaurant will bring out an unexpected dessert at the end of the meal. We would ask for our check and instead would get two tiny desserts. Sometimes it was ice cream, sometimes it was a pastry, and sometimes it was Greek yogurt with berries. But it was always something homemade and it felt to be from the heart. Again, the pride in each of these restaurants was exorbitant and I felt so lucky to be experiencing this.

On our last day, we were up at 4 am to catch a three-hour bus ride to the airport so we could get back to Athens. It was a long day already, so by the time Tony’s flight was getting close to departure, I was tired and emotional. I had a few hours left before my flight and walked with him to passport control, where we hugged and kissed and parted ways. I didn’t expect it, but as soon as he walked past the security gate, I knew I was about to breakdown. I rushed to the nearest bathroom, rudely pushing a man out of my way in the elevator, to have a moment alone. Tony wouldn’t believe it – I didn’t have an ‘emotional episode’ once when we were together – but I cried for a good five minutes after he left. Our time together was so important to me and I am going to miss having him with me for the next part of my journey.