Our Swiss Adventure: 30th Birthday Vacation - Greek Islands Part 4: Crete

On the 8th day of our vacation we took an early morning flight over to the island of Crete. While in Crete we stayed in the city of Chania. Our hotel was super comfy and again in a great location -- in the old town & along the port. We stayed 3 nights at Casa Del Porto. When we arrived I just wanted to take a little nap (growing a tiny human is tough work). However, my "little" nap turned into 5 hours of deep slumber. So our first day in Chania was a bust. Thanks baby.

View from our Balcony

Every morning we had breakfast served here. By the way, Greece has the BEST fresh squeezed orange juice in September.

The next day we drove over to the port of Kissamos to take a 7.5 hour boat ride with Gramvousa Balos Cruises. The cruise enabled us to see the gulf of Kissamos, the lagoon of Balos, and the pirate island of Gramvousa.

Gulf of Kissamos

Lagoon of Balos

We spent about 3 hours at this gorgeous lagoon. I relaxed on a lounge chair while Kevin hiked up a hill to take some fantastic pictures. We both took a swim in the crystal clear waters before heading back to the boat.

Gramvousa

We spent about 2 hours on this island, and we thought it was a bit too long. The beach was very windy, and the water wasn't as nice to swim in -- lots of sharp rocks. Anyhow, it was still a lovely cruise and I'm glad we did it so we could see the lagoon.

We could have hiked 20min up to this castle, but we didn't feel to.

Me being a brat, upset that I'm on a windy Greek island getting sand whipped in my face.

For our last day of my 30th Birthday Vacation we took a drive along the south coast to the seaside village of Chora Sfakion. On the drive we were able to see many a mountain goat and the famous White Mountain range (the mountains consist mainly of limestone; hence their white color). Once we arrived in Chora Sfakion we took a water taxi over to Sweetwater Beach. What makes it unique are the pockets of fresh water that spring up along the pebbled beach floor. If you dig through the pebbles, or simply sit on certain spots, you'll feel a rush of cold water. The water comes from melted snow that runs off the White Mountains into underground water routes. Sweetwater Beach also has a tavern on site called Taverna Mermaid Island. I just had orange juice and bread, while Kevin ate their secret recipe local sausage. My guess on the secret ingredient -- mountain goats. They were everywhere. They were even roaming the beach and stole some lady's banana right out of her hand. FYI - one half of Sweetwater Beach is nude. All the German hikers (you can hike to the beach) took advantage of the naked side. Kevin and I chilled with the goats on the clothed side. After our fun afternoon at the beach we headed back to Chania. We spent the rest of the evening roaming the streets and exploring the old town. Great last day of an even greater vacation. What a way to ring in my 30's. Not too shabby at all.

Drive to Chora Sfakion