At last- in Chania, Crete!

I am finally here in Chania, Crete! Getting here was nothing short of a LONG journey! I think all in all, I was traveling for about 24 hours. Heidi dropped me off at the airport after visiting my favorite coffee place and bakery in the neighborhood and then off to SFO we went.

I got on Lufthansa's direct flight to Frankfurt and scored in terms of seating! I was the first row behind business class in the economy cabin which meant lots of leg room! The flight to Frankfurt took a bit less than 10 hours and from there I had to connect to Munich. My first impression of the Frankfurt airport was not impressive. I thought..isn't this suppose to be the main transportation hub of Germany? Why does this airport look so 1972..not that I knew what an airport in 1972 would look like but I imagined I would looked something like that! I went through customs and through another wing of the terminal and there it was...the more modern part of Frankfurt airport..that's more like it! I had a few hours to kill in Frankfurt so I looked for an ATM. There are probably three things when you're traveling abroad that can really freak you out and piss you off! One is missing your flight...two is missing your baggage and my third is being denied at the ATM machine. The latter happened to me in Frankfurt. I went in to pull some cash out and said I wasn't authorized on my account. Talk about a

WTF moment! I took that WTF moment right over to the T Mobile phone and called my bank...extremely annoyed! A few days prior, I was on the phone with them on hold during the entire drive from my place to pick up Mike to go to Sports Basement just to tell them to unlock my card for international travel. Anyway, they told me that they had limited the amount I can pull from my card as a security upgrade. I said and no one thought to tell me that when I requested my card unlocked?? I will never understand why corporate America always feels the need to reinvent the wheel on something that is working! Got the money situation figured out..got my cash. My flight from Frankfurt to Munich was pretty uneventful..it was short but it was very late actually..so I was a bit worried about not catching my connecting flight. I arrived in Munich at 2:01pm and my connecting flight to Athens was scheduled to board at 2:15pm. Got to Munich..boarded my flight to Athens. I must have been exhausted by then because I fell right asleep! I woke up the the sounds of food trays. The gentleman next to me was nice enough to pull out my seat try and placed my dinner on it while I was sleeping. Arrived in Athens..now I had to get my bag and check in again for my inter-regional flight to Chania, Crete. Arrived in Chania at about 9:10pm..walking out of the baggage claim..I saw a man in his 30's holding a sign with my name on it. I was never so happy and relieved to see a stranger at the airport in my life! Lena had arranged a taxi to come get me! He greeted me with a smile and said,"Pension Lena?" I said, "Yes."

At last- I arrived in Chania, Crete!

We drove through night time traffic of Chania as I was trying to take in the sights, streets and stores. We arrived at Pension Lena where he took a key from the flower pot outside and tried to open the door. Door wouldn't open so we went four doors down..that wouldn't open either. He said,"No worries." and gave me a comfort tap on the shoulder. I thought,"I'm good..no worries here bud..I am glad I am off the plane!" He eventually got the front door opened and sent me on my way up the stairs to my room wishing me a good trip." The door was just wide enough for me to get in..I literally had to drag my 30+ pound backpack through. I slept for about 8 hours before waking up to the birds singing ! I was tired!

Which brings me to this morning! I've been walking the streets of Chania. I have to say that the Greek alphabet has got to be the most foreign thing to me, ever! Unlike the languages of other countries I've visited, it's not something that you can just figure out and catch on. I found my way to the bus station to look at the schedules and familiarized myself with that region of town. Bus stations are always intimidating to walk by and through because you always feel like all eyes are on you..especially when you're a female traveling on your own. What made it more uncomfortable this morning was that the square before the station was lined with men! Everywhere! I tried to walk around other streets but the only way to get to the office was through..so I walked..fast..no eye contact..just walked!

Weather here is perfect! Not scorching hot and definitely not cold. There were a few sprinkles earlier which I welcomed! People here are generally friendly and the prices aren't as bad as I thought. I can almost say it's cheap! It might be because I came somewhat off season. Our dollar is in the tank though! 1 euro equals $1.40..I've never traveled to Europe when our dollar is so low! I am spending my day getting to know Chania. The main spot here is the harbor lined with restaurants, stores, street vendors, glass boat tours and horse carriage rides. At the end of the harbor rounds out to a lighthouse. I think it'd be faster to swim across to the lighthouse than walk the roundabout..not that swimming is an option..just saying. I think I will take the bus tomorrow to one of Crete's best beaches- Farlasarna or Elafonisos- and spend some time in the sun reading..Kite Runner. I thought about going to the Samara Gorge which is suppose to be one of Europe's best but with 10 miles of hiking and no hiking boots in hand, all I can hear is Dr. Rabbetz in my head telling me what a terrible idea that would be..

More to come!