return to Crete

my second-ever visit to Crete began at 4am in Tel Aviv. after two hours at the airport and five different lines, i made it onto the plane just in time. i only had three hours of sleep, but i was too excited about returning to Crete to sleep on the way to Athens. i figured there were Greeks on the plane, but my real clue came when the Fasten Seatbelt light went off. Greeks are a superstitious lot, and i've been told that Greek cab drivers don't buckle up because it's considered bad luck. immediately following the ding of the Fasten light going off was a chorus of clicks all around me as half the plane unfastened.

we flew over many Greek islands and came close enough to Turkey to see it in the distance (i said "hi" for you, Okan). i got choken up as i looked down at the isles; it may seem ridiculous, but i feel a bond to Greece, like a vague feeling of coming home, even though i've only visited twice before.

from Athens i caught a flight to Heraklion, Crete. i rented a car from Thrifty at the Heraklion airport that i'll be keeping for the next nine days. after placing the on-line reservation i had received an e-mail saying that someone would be meeting me at the airport with a sign with my name on it, which sounded kind of fancy. it turns out that was necessary because Thrifty no longer has a booth or a lot at the Heraklion airport (though i remember there being one in 2007). after i walked up to the man with the sign, we turned and did the paperwork on the counter of an abandoned travel info booth, where he took the imprint of my card by rubbing a Euro across it. he didn't mention options for gassing up the car so i offered that i would refill it myself, and he informed me that it only had 1/4 a tank in it now and i could just return it empty. he walked me across the street to a little red car parked in a spot like any other, put my suitcase into the car, gave me a quick tutorial on how to open the gas tank, turn on the headlights, and put it into reverse, and reminded me that there's no right turn on red. then he pointed out the long, white scratch down the side of the car. "Some kid did that with a key. Don't worry about scratches, it's only a problem if you have a collision." he wrote down two phone numbers on the rental agreement and told me that i can call 24 hours a day if i need anything, and told me that he will meet me at the ferry terminal where i depart for Santorini in 10 days to pick the car back up. we shook hands before he left me with the car. he had been gruff, but with a softness underneath, and i realized as i drove away that i felt like i was borrowing an uncle's car, not renting one from an international chain. my Uncle Thriftos.

it was now noon, and i'd already been awake for eight hours and had only eaten a small airline meal, and i had a three-hour drive to the resort outside Chania where i am staying for two nights. despite an unfamiliar car, coping with local driving customs, and road signs in Greek, i managed to get myself to the hotel with only one U-turn. on the way i stopped to pick up a couple oranges at a road-side stand to eat in the car. the woman tried to sell me a bag of oranges, and when i said "no, two" in Greek, she handed me two bags of oranges. after some gesturing i got my two oranges, paid, and was back on my way.
the resort is lovely; i took a short nap, then sat out on the patio drinking a margarita and reading my book (The Passage, which is highly addictive). the small Greek Orthodox chapel below the pool patio and the reception hall were decorated for a wedding, and as i sat outside, i watched the parade of wedding guests arrive and listened to the band rehearsing by the pool before the ceremony started.

at sunset, i heard the chanting of the ceremony drifting up from below. i had a second dinner that night with a family friend, Sophia, the owner of the resort ("The Captain") and The Director. we ate special pilafi made for the wedding reception and several desserts, and drank too muchwine and riki. on the way back to my room, i paused to watch The Dancing of the Bride going on in the reception hall. i wished i could go down and join them.