Heraklion to Sfakia

Thursday, April 29th, 2014 Sfakia
Yesterday, we checked out of our hotel around 10 am and walked down to the bus station. We had tickets for the 11:30 bus to Hania, which stops in Vryses where we would make our bus connection to Sfakia. We got to the Heraklion station just as the 10:30 bus to Hania was doing final loading. We showed our tickets and asked if it would stop in Vryses. We were assured that it would and told to put our luggage under the left side of the bus and get on, even though it wasn't really our bus. Away we went, making stops in Rethymno and a couple of other places.
We asked the bus attendant about stopping in Vryses so we wouldn't miss it. When we got there, the bus stopped along the highway out of town. They told us to get out and just stand on the other side for our bus to Sfakia. However, there was nowhere to pull off the highway to open the left side luggage door so we had to go about 1 km up the road to another stop. There we got out, got our luggage and instead of standing by the highway as we were told before, now we were told to walk back into the town of Vryses to the bus station. (This was all in gestures and a bit of English along with a lot of Greek).
We were more or less in the middle of nowhere so we donned our packs and started walking. We found Vryses without too much trouble, asked around and found a little diner/bus station. We bought tickets and a beer to share since we had to sit there for an hour and a half. Vryses is the north end of Sfakia region so it's starting to get a little folksy.

 We put our packs in the corner and settled in for the wait. It was very entertaining. There was one old local guy sitting just outside, knocking back shots of ouzo about every 15 minutes (at 1:00 pm). Other local guys gradually drifted in on their motorbikes. Black shirts and camo pants tucked into lace-up high leather boots is the fashion choice here, along with big moustaches.

 When I took Anita's picture, the guy at the next table thought I should take his picture too, so I did. He was speaking Greek and doing a lot of gesturing but he was smiling so I don't think he was being critical of my lineage. After a little while his table was surrounded by his buddies, all pounding down beer. However, they either ignored us or were friendly so all was well.

 When the bus arrived, who should be on it but the young American couple that we had chatted with on the ferry 2 days before and at a bus stop at Knossos Palace 1 day before. We think they're following us. This happens sometimes on the tourist trail. Soon the bus was climbing over the White Mountains. We were on a fairly new paved 2 lane road but it twists and turns through many switchbacks. Sometimes we were just hanging over cliffs.

At one point we had to slow down to avoid the goats on the road.

 Eventually we started down the last slope, which got less steep near the coast. However, there are probably 10 switchbacks in this picture, some right down the steep slope and others on the gradual drop to the sea. It's not a road for the faint of heart.
Sfakia is really the hillbilly country of Crete. The Ottoman Turks ruled Crete for 400 years but they never ruled Sfakia region. These people are fiercely independent and, even now, personally well armed. They're notorious for their guns. In WWII, many Allied troops were evacuated from the port of Chora Sfakion as the Nazis moved in. However, the Greek resistance fought on. At one point they managed to kill a German general. In retaliation, the Nazis slaughtered whole villages. They have come by their independence the hard way.
We also heard that there is a ghost village here where a minor disagreement between 2 families turned into a vendetta. In the end, 64 people died and the town is now deserted.
Oddly enough, Sfakia is now a favorite vacation spot for lots of German and other European tourists, especially those who like to hike the gorges. There are also tourists who come here to see the sites where a lot of small but significant historic battles were fought, both against the Ottoman Turks and the Nazis. We're doing some hiking in the gorges and along the coast while we're here.

Heraklion, Crete

Sunday, April 27th, 2014 Heraklion
Yesterday morning we had breakfast on our balcony again and checked out of our hotel by 11:30. We left our bags in the luggage room and went up into town for the afternoon to take a last look at the view. Santorini is incredibly scenic but there's only so many pictures that you can take.

 Our hotel service gave us a ride down to the new port about 4:30 pm. On the way we chatted with a young American couple who had arrived the same time we did. While we waited for the ferry, we sat on the pier and talked with them some more about travel.

 Our catamaran ferry was a little late but finally arrived. As soon as we left, several crew members walked around passing out paper vomit bags. The sea didn't seem that rough but once we got into the open water away from the islands there were long rolling waves that made the ferry pitch back and forth the whole time. Before long there were people vomiting all around us. The crew attendants walked around constantly exchanging used bags for new ones. Luckily, the ferry wasn't full so there was no-one right next to us who was sick. We just kept our eyes focused on the TV monitor, which featured a cooking show including processing raw chicken, of all things. Neither of us were sick although we weren't that comfortable.
Finally, after a couple of hours we reached Heraklion. Since we had no map and were tired, we took a cab that cost 8 euros ($12) to our hotel. It probably should have been 6 euros but you have to pick your battles.Eight wasn't that much of a rip-off.
This morning we got up early, showered and were in the hotel breakfast room by 7 am. We wanted to get out to Knossos Palace, the famous Minoan archaeological site, before any cruise ship or other organized tours arrived. It seemed like some athletic looking people got to breakfast early but we didn't think anything of it.
We got ready and headed out to find the bus. The hotel desk guy told us to where to buy bus tickets from a mini-mart and where to find the right bus stop. He said the bus went by every 20 minutes. We got tickets, got to the stop and waited. On the way, we had seen a few people who looked like first aid or emergency medical personnel on the street corners. After we waited a long time at the stop, Anita asked a woman who passed by who told us that, because it was Sunday, the bus might only come every hour. We were okay with that. Then we saw the street where the bus would be coming from being blocked off. Anita asked another woman who told us that the bus would not come because of the run. Finally we clued in that today was the Heraklion race for "Greece Runs", some kind of national running event.
We walked about 10 minutes down to the bus station where we went to the wrong counter for the Knossos bus but the right counter to buy our bus tickets to Vrysses tomorrow. Then we found the right counter and discovered that our tickets from the mini-mart would work for a bus leaving for Knosssos by a different route in 10 minutes.Finally we were off to Knossos Palace. The trip took only about 15 minutes.

 The hill where Knossos Palace is located has been inhabited for about 9,000 years. The Minoans, who possibly reached their peak a couple of thousand years BC, were probably the first advanced European civilization. However, very little is known about them. The British archaeologist,  Arthur Evans, who did most of the excavation and reconstruction from about 1900 to 1930, has been criticised for going too far with the limited evidence and using too much modern concrete to re-create his vision of the palace of the Minoans. However, if he hadn't, this site would probably be just a pile of excavated rubble. Re-construction of ancient sites is extremely complicated.

 One of the rooms that Evans re-built.

 Part of the re-construction.

When we got back to the port, we walked around past the "Koules Fort", built by the Venetians on the breakwater. Our hotel in Heraklion is inside the old walled Venetian city but, other than the massive city walls and a few nice old buildings, it's mostly a bit tired looking.
We got back to our hotel just as a thunderstorm broke. It seems to be clearing up again and the weather for the next week sounds good. Tomorrow we leave for the southwestern Crete countryside.

Last Day in Santorini

Saturday, April 26th 2014 Santorini
Yesterday after a breakfast of Greek yogurt, fresh strawberries, cake, cheese, coffee and orange juice on our balcony, we tidied up and went wandering around Fira for the morning.

 When we got to the cliff edge, we could see another cruise ship had arrived in the night. Two or 3 smaller boats (tenders) go back and forth between the ship and the old port at the foot of the cliff below Fira, bringing 50 or more passengers at a time. Most of them ride the cable car up the cliff but some come by donkey up the steps. Within a few blocks of the cable car station at the top, the narrow pedestrian streets are extremely crowded. Beyond that the tourist hordes thin out considerably. When it's time to go back to the ship, hundreds of people are lined up at the cable car station. It doesn't look like much fun.
We walked down to the Greek Orthodox church on the cliff edge at the south end of town and toured through it for awhile. We found a restaurant nearby where we'll have an early dinner tonight. Then we walked to the north end of town and toured the Catholic church. Both churches have beautiful frescoes painted in the domes and arches.

 We took a photo of a young Chinese couple with their camera and they did the same for us. Everyone's hair flies in the wind that comes up the cliff. It was about 20C but it's always very windy at the cliff edge.
We bought some bread at a bakery to add to our lunch supplies which we ate on our balcony. We relaxed in the sun for most of the afternoon before going back to the cliff edge for sunset.

 Unlike the previous evening, last night the streets were almost deserted. The cruise ship had gone and there just weren't many tourists in town. Maybe some other tour had left as well. Anyway, it makes a huge difference if you can organize touring to avoid the cruise ship passengers.

We sat on a stone bench at the cliff edge and watched the sun set for about an hour. It really is beautiful. It's also very peaceful when the tourist hordes aren't jockeying for position for the best pose. Some of them can get a little wild but there was none of that last night.
Afterward, we weren't really that hungry so we just ate some delicious pork gyro pitas in a little streetside bar and watched the evening action begin. Fira is quite a party town too. All through the night we can just barely hear music playing off in the distance. I'm sure some people party until dawn every night they're here. Not us. Our hotel is on a small side street and is very quiet so we're happy about that.
We have to check out by 11:30 am. We'll leave our bags here, wander along the cliff edge and eat an early dinner at a restaurant we've picked out. Then the hotel will shuttle us down to the new port where, at 5:55 pm, our fast catamaran ferry leaves for Heraklion, Crete. We'll be there by about 7:30 pm.

Fira to Oia Walk

Friday, April 25th, 2014, Santorini
Yesterday morning we had breakfast on our balcony. The hotel doesn't include breakfast but does have good coffee, good orange juice and a big breakfast cake in the lobby that we can take back to our room our up to the roof terrace. Anita enjoyed a decent coffee for a change since most hotels and restaurants in Turkey and Greece serve Nescafe. In bigger cities, there are Starbucks outlets but an ordinary coffee costs 4 euros ($6), which seems a little much.
Although it was a bit misty, we started off from our hotel at 9:40 am for the cliff edge walk from the town we're in, Fira, to the other town on Santorini called Oia, which is either a 9 km or 12 km walk. We've been told both distances. Through town, we went up and down lots of steps along the edge of the cliff. The more expensive little hotels cling to the edge of the cliff because they're selling the view of the caldera and the sunsets.

 Fira and the old port below.

 Donkeys are still used to carry tourists and luggage up from the old port, although most tourists arrive at the new port about 1 km south of town, where there's a road that snakes up the cliff. Our hotel manager warned us never to ride a donkey down the hill, only up, because sometimes they slip. It's dangerous.

 Many of the churches have blue domes. All the white painted stucco and blue roofs is very beautiful.

 The weather gradually cleared as we walked along the path. The wind was very strong which was probably a good thing so we didn't get too hot. We had lots of water and our lunch with us, which we ate along the trail. We met about 30 or 40 fellow walkers all day. Most of the time we were completely alone. The path was usually very steep, either up or down so we took our time, enjoyed the view and rested whenever we wanted.

 Santorini is a fairly narrow arc. Before the big eruption in 1613 BC or so, it used to be a typical round cone-shaped volcanic island. Then the middle exploded into the atmosphere so now just one side of the outer rim is left plus a few smaller islands on the other side of the rim. The view was fantastic along the rim, down the cliff to the water and also down the slope on the other side. We also enjoyed being able to see how far we'd come all day.

Another tourist we met took a picture of us at  a little church on a high point overlooking the caldera.

 Finally we arrived in Oia.

 Like Fira, there are little hotels with decks and small swimming pools all arranged down the side of the cliff. Very pretty. We walked through Oia for a while, past lots of little expensive shops, then took the 2:30 pm bus back to Fira. We had really enjoyed the walk (hike? trek? - when do those words apply? Do we need different shoes? Hiking sticks?)

 After a rest on our balcony and dinner at a restaurant called "Nicholas" in Fira, we walked out to the cliff edge at dusk. Sunset in Santorini is famous. It is very beautiful but not a whole lot different from watching the sunset over any lake or ocean. Sometimes at home we go by boat out to Kamaniskeg Lake to watch the sunset there. It's just as nice. We had to laugh at all the tourists in a complete frenzy getting pictures of themselves against the sunset. When you do that, all you see is a silhouette of yourself and the sun, as above. You could be almost anywhere.

To us, it made a bit more sense to show some of Santorini in the picture. We did get a Canadian tourist to take the sunset picture of both of us but, like everyone else, we were just 2 black figures against the red ball of the sun.

Naxos to Santorini

Wednesday, April 23rd, 2014 Santorini
This morning when I went down to pay Dina, she insisted that she would drive us to the port in Naxos city. She also insisted that we go early enough to spend some time walking around the town. She's determined that we see more of Naxos. We just wanted to wander the beach from the small village of Agios Prokopios but Dina is disappointed that we haven't seen all that Naxos has to offer.
A little before 11 am, Dina and her daughter drove us into the port. They parked the car there. We left our bags in it and, while Dina and her daughter ran a few errands, we wandered around town.

 Our first stop was the Temple of Apollo on a point jutting into the sea, just outside of the old town.

 The local superstition is that if you walk through the remaining arch of the temple, you will return to Naxos. We walked through together so perhaps we'll return together (hopefully without one of us in a funeral urn). Anyway, it was a nice spot.

 Afterward, we walked up into the Kastro, the old Venetian neighbourhood. The Venetians arrived in Naxos with the 4th Crusade in 1204 and some of them still live here. They designed these narrow streets, as they did in Mykonos, to confuse pirates who might land here.

 Pirates would definitely have to advance one by one.

Because of the Venetian influence, there is a Catholic church up on the Kastro, whereas every other church around is Greek Orthodox.
After we had looked around the old town and the harbor, we met Dina and her daughter by the car. As we got our bags out, Dina gave us a box of cheese, spinach and meat filled pastries that she had bought for us for our trip. She's been wonderful to us.

Our ferry was the Blue Star "Delos", one of the big slow ferries. It's a much calmer day and a much bigger ferry than the catamaran we arrived on so the trip was very smooth. Dina had told us that there is a rating system from 1 to 10 for the wind and high seas. At 9, the big ferries are cancelled. At 8, the catamaran fast ferries are cancelled. The evening we arrived the rating was at 7. That was enough for us.
On the way to Santorini, we made a brief stop at Ios, pictured above. It's a small island with a small town, steep hills and coves with little beaches. That describes most of the Cyclades islands.
When we arrived in Santorini, everyone disembarking gathered on the lower garage deck, waiting for the ramps to open. When they opened, all we could see across a short stretch of pavement was rock cliff. The port is in the caldera of an ancient volcano that blew up around 1613 BC or so. It was a massive explosion which blew the formerly round island apart and sent 24 cubic miles of debris into the atmosphere. Now, the main island is an arc of high cliffs around the former center of the volcano.
We found our hotel van driver who drove us up a number of switchbacks to get to the top of the cliff and the town of Fira. It's a fantastic view.

From our hotel roof terrace, we can see the coast to the southeast. The island isn't very wide. If we wanted a hotel on the cliff edge looking west, it would be much more expensive. Some hotels on the cliff edge cost $2,400 per night. After checking in, we did the usual march to the supermarket for supplies. Our hotel is on a back street, which is good. The main street in Fira is busy although this is not even the busy season yet. We saw 2 cruise ships moored offshore so that always means lots of tourists during the day. Naxos was much quieter.
We were tired so we sipped wine, drank a cold beer and ate some food from the supermarket on our balcony. It's always fun to look down on a narrow old street in these towns and see local life happening. Many times it beats sitting in a busy overpriced restaurant. Tomorrow, we'll walk the cliff edge to the next town, Oia, about 9 km up the island.

Beach Day

Tuesday, April 22nd, 2014 Naxos
We're still feeling appreciative of the hospitality that Dina and her family have shown us. Through these interactions, we also gain a little more insight into the Greek perspective. When I tried to explain what I used to do for a living, Dina had a hard time understanding why Canadians build houses out of wood when concrete is so much more permanent. I tried to explain (with lots of gestures) the advantages of stick frame construction insofar as insulating is concerned but she looked very dubious about the structural strength and longevity. Their experience here is about tempering the heat with the mass of their concrete walls and hoping that more concrete will withstand earthquakes better. With language and experience differences, it wasn't possible to explain to her about the earthquake resistance and tensile strength of wood frame walls  sheeted with plywood. Their experience here is in a different climate and with different materials available. For example, there's marble everywhere. Naxos marble is renowned for its quality and there's lots of it. It looks great but would be very expensive in Canada.
Dina's son is doing his practice work as a police cadet in Athens. When I asked him about crime there, he said it's much better since they arrested about 10,000 illegal immigrants from Pakistan and other poor countries a few years ago. Many of them are now confined in barracks in fenced compounds awaiting diplomatic negotiations that never happen. From the Greek perspective, this is a necessary step to keep foreign criminals off the streets. The immigrants' perspective might be a bit different.
As well Dina mentioned that there is 27% unemployment in Greece and 60% of those who are unemployed are under 30. This is a big worry. It does seem like a recipe for social unrest.
We can see this stuff on the evening news but it's always interesting to hear from those who are actually living a different experience than we are in Canada.

 Yesterday was still a bit overcast but it was quite a bit warmer. We walked along the beaches again. Anita cooled her feet by the rocks between Agia Anna and Plaka beaches.
This morning was quite warm and sunny so after we did some bookings on the internet and some laundry, we decided to make a beach day of it. On the way to the beach, we took a roundabout route through the village to pick up some more bottled water at one of the mini marts. Unfortunately, they were both still closed. Tourist season is not on just yet. So we went to the gas station. There, the old lady in the office took one look at us and said, "Water?" and pointed to the cooler. I got a 2L bottle worth 50 cents and gave her a 10 euro note, since I had forgotten my bag of change. She looked at it and at her nearly empty change dish and waved us off. Basically, she said in Greek, just take it, no problem. Very generous. We went by that way on our way home and this time her son had the change although she never expected us to come back. Smiles all around.

 We were at the beach for over 3 hours. It was hot and sunny although not crowded at this time of year. There is a lagoon behind much of Agios Prokopios beach so there are only taverns and restaurants at the far end. The rest will never be developed, which makes it very nice.

 Our room at Dina's. We really like it here. Anita has been cooking all our meals. Tonight we ate pasta out on the balcony.

 The view from our balcony over the lagoon to the beach. It's about 300m to the sea.

 The courtyard and other suites at Dina's shown from our balcony.

Anita has found a Naxos wine that she likes that's reasonably priced. Could be trouble.
Tomorrow we take the ferry to Santorini. Once again, we'll be sorry to leave here.

Easter with Dina

Sunday, April 20th, 2014 Naxos

 This is the full view of the "Koulas Pension" that we saw yesterday. I'm pretty sure that it's owned by a long lost relative of Anita's "Coulas" family.

Here's the owner hard at work behind the shed. Note the strong family resemblance.

 After breakfast in our apartment this morning, we walked the full length of Agios Prokopios Beach, then Agia Anna Beach and finally about halfway down Plaka Beach. On the point between Anna and Plaka, Anita stopped to look at this little church. On our way back we laid on the rocks here for awhile out of the breeze and just enjoyed the sun. Today was much warmer than yesterday and not nearly as windy. Tomorrow is supposed to be even better. We walked through the village on the way back so I could find an ATM for some cash. As we went along, all the local families were out on their patios celebrating Easter with a few drinks while roasting whole lambs on a spit while the kids let off firecrackers.
We got back to our apartment, had a small salad for lunch and sat outside enjoying the sunshine. We were just warming up to the idea of happy hour when Dina, the owner, came up the stairs and invited us for Easter dinner on the patio. We joined Dina, her husband Costa and her 2 university age children along with 2 other women who are here from Germany. Costa spent most of his time grilling lamb on the charcoal BBQ while the rest of us ate an Easter feast.

 The first thing to do was to each take a decorated hardboiled egg and try to break the other person's egg with it. Dina is showing me how. When both ends were cracked, you were out. I'm not sure who won. Dina had prepared a fantastic meal of roast potatoes, green salads, a bean salad, tzatziki, olives, some lamb roasted in the oven and some on the BBQ, pita bread and red wine.

 We had lots of fun talking about all kinds of things. Both kids have taken private English lessons for years, as do many Greek children who can afford it. The school English lessons are apparently very poorly taught. The daughter is studying in Thessaloniki to be a physical therapist and the son is in the police academy in Athens.

After dinner Dina brought out a special Easter dessert  with flaky crust, thick vanilla custard and tons of whipped cream. We washed it down with a few glasses of ouzo. We were stuffed.
As the sun slowly went down, it got a little cool on the patio and after about 3 hours we all finally left. If you're away from your own family at Easter, Easter Sunday dinner with a generous family in the Naxos village of Agios Prokopios must be the next best thing.

Arrival in Naxos

Saturday April 19th, 2014 Naxos
The day before yesterday we did manage to get to Oregano's for dinner and were well fed for 20 euros ($30), which is less than we paid at Opa Taverna the day before to get very little. Sometimes it's a real advantage to be up the hill. Right in Mykonos town is very beautiful but also very expensive.
Luckily we got back to the hotel without getting wet. During the night there were some heavy thunderstorms. Yesterday morning when we got up it was sunny, quite cool and very windy.
We checked out at noon, left our bags in the foyer and read by the pool for a while, where it was sheltered and warm. We walked down to the harbour for a last look around and, now that we've decided on a travel plan, to buy tickets from Naxos to Santorini and from Santorini to Crete. We still have to get a hotel in Heraklion Crete for a couple of nights but we don't arrive there for another week so we've got lots of time.

 While we were down at the Mykonos port, we considered buying a new boat but just didn't have the time.

 Agios Prokopios Beach in Naxos.

The "Koulis" family pension in Agios Prokopios. Must be a long lost relative of Anita's family, spelling it "Koulis" instead of "Coulas".
Anyway, back to yesterday. After another late afternoon dinner at Oregano's, the hotel staff drove us down to the old port at 5 pm to catch the 5:55 catamaran fast ferry to Naxos. It was really windy so we waited back from the pier where there was at least some shelter. The ferry was almost an hour late. We finally left at 6:50 pm and had a rough ride to Naxos through high waves. It's a bit like sitting in an airplane with rows of good seats. There is no outside deck, which was fine with us, since the spray was constantly hitting the windows. Almost everyone kept the window curtains drawn because it made the motion a little easier to stomach. A few people were looking a bit green and one woman was throwing up into a paper bag in the foyer. Luckily, our normally 30-35 minute trip took only 45 minutes. We were glad to get off.
We're staying at Dinanaxos Studios just above the beach and village of Agios Prokopios, about 6 km south of the main Naxos town. Dina and her husband Costa were waiting for us with their car at the end of the pier so it was no problem getting here. Our room has a kitchenette and a big balcony overlooking the sea about 300 m down the slight hill. The village is about 500 m away. It's a great location but it's still cool and very windy.
We walked into the village this morning to buy supplies but everything was closed. We were going to go back down this afternoon and try again because we know everything will be closed tomorrow and maybe the next day. However, Dina is going to the supermarket in Naxos town in less than an hour and invited us to go with her. That will solve our supply issues.
This little village is all set for hordes of tourists but summer is not quite here yet so it seems almost deserted. Plus all the locals are taking a long weekend for Easter. It's a really pretty view from our balcony but it would be easier to enjoy if the wind would calm down a bit.

A Rainy Day in Mykonos

Thursday, April 17th, 2014 Mykonos
Yesterday morning we walked up to the market after breakfast and replenished our supplies. Back at the hotel, we whiled away some time reading by the pool, although the day was cool and windy.

 In the late afternoon, we walked down the hill into town. There were some small boats as well as a few bigger yachts moored.

 Mykonos town is very pretty. Every building is whitewashed stucco and there are numerous little churches with red roofs. It seems that there are no big churches, just little ones scattered all over.
We went in search of Opa Taverna, a restaurant recommended in Lonely Planet as being moderately priced but with "authentic local cuisine" and "generous" helpings. Because of the description, we thought we better not order too much, since we've been eating huge dinners for several weeks. So we ordered a plate of calamari, a Greek salad and a beer. We thought that "generous" helpings of those two items would be enough. When it arrived, it was the most miniscule plate of calamari that either of us had ever seen, accompanied by one 1/2 slice of tomato and a little wisp of lettuce. The salad wasn't that big either. We paid 11 euros ($16.50) for the calamari which we thought was a ripoff. It tasted good and fresh but there just wasn't much of it nor did they fill out the plate with fries or rice or something. When we left, we told the waiter (and the other couple of patrons reading menus) that we weren't impressed by the portions. We're not big eaters but we actually needed another little snack on the way home. Opa Taverna is off our list.

The view from our balcony at sunset. We haven't seen the sun at all today. It's been pouring rain all day. We ate breakfast and then came back to our room to research some of our travel options and read our books. A while ago we ate a small lunch in the hotel restaurant. Later, if it stops raining enough, we'll walk around the corner to Oregano's for dinner. Hold that thought - it's 3:20 pm and starting to clear. Tomorrow should be back to normal: clear skies and full sunshine.
Tomorrow evening we have tickets on the fast ferry to Naxos. The hotel here will give us a free ride down the hill with our gear to the old port. In Naxos, Dina will pick us up at the port to drive us to our apartment for the next 5 days at Dinanaxos Studios above Agios Prokopios beach. How bad can it be?