The Fountain of Youth

First - Ashdawg, I stayed at the Amazon Hotel in Plaka on Mitropolis. Loved it, would definitely recommend it. I will be staying at the Art Hotel in Omnia on July 10th and 11th. I would absolutely love to meet Chris.


Hi friends and family! So I'm in paradise. For real. Yesterday consisted of going to the pool, taking a nap, eating lunch, taking a nap, going to the pool, going to the beach and then going out with my guides and two other people who came to Matala early. Here in Matala, you wear your bathing suit all day long, whether you are at the beach or at a cafe. Love it. I have to tell you though, it is so beautiful here, looking at the limestone cliffs and blue water that I really wish one of you (or several of you) was here with me! I wish I could share this experience with someone I love!

So I do love my guides. They are Nancy (as the guy at the front desk calls her, "the chief"), Glenna, Andrea, and Adam. They invited me out to dinner so I took them up on it. Their company has been coming to Greece for like 20 trips and they know the entire town (it is a small town though). We basically had to climb up the cliffs to get to their favorite restaurant, run by another grandma. (And you do call them grandmas- the are the old Greek women who wear black from head to toe, but are so full of life and joy.) So we went to Grandma Ana's and it was like a scene from My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Grandma had framed the New York Times article on their company and had it hanging on the porch. We ordered a ton of food and she brought us more just because....and we had to eat it all or else we were being rude. We kept passing the food on our plates off onto someone elses and then made Adam eat the rest. Dinner lasted a long time! Tonight we are having a welcome dinner/drinks. Drinks at Grandma Ana's (and most likely food) and then dinner at Hotel Zafiria where we are staying.

Then I had my initiation to Crete. Raka. Just like the movie. It is customary for them to serve it to you without you ordering it. We cheered and then I took the shot of what tasted like burning. :) Apparently this will happen every night.

The guides are so cool and they made me feel like I was part of their group. Right now they are driving back to Heraklion to pick up the rest of the group from the airport. I have a little more time to myself before they return.

I am so excited to finally be in a kayak this afternoon! They are going to let people with experience take them out and they said last night, though I told them to treat me like a novice, that they aren't worried about me and they'll get me in one this afternoon! Yahoo!!!

This morning I finally woke up in the morning. 6:53 am. I walked down to the beach and layed on a chair and looked out over the water and the cliffs. And then it was like a scene from Cocoon II (which my sister was in), because 4 white haired grandmas and grandpas appeared at different parts of the beach, and all got in the water for a morning swim. One of the grandmas, who I met yesterday, walked down in her black dress with her cane, and the next thing I knew she was in a black bathing suit wading into the water with her cane! Those grandmas, they're sneeky.

I may venture over the cliff to hike to Red Beach. I hear it is beautiful, though parts are filled with people in their birthday suits. Hmmm...

I am convinced that I will return to Matala many times in my life and I hope some of you come with me!!!

Peace out.