The mythical land of islands and mountains. Famous history and strong culture with a difficult language. Greece has olive trees and the Mediterranean breeze. A place everyone should consider visiting and I’m not talking about Santorini.
Corfu
Whether by boat or plane you will arrive into Corfu Town on the east coast of the island. This is the main city on the island and everywhere else you’ll find smaller towns or resort areas. I stayed in Agios Gordios at the Pink Palace hostel. It is an interesting story of how I got there that I’ll write about in the experiences section. This town is situated in a coastal valley surrounded by tall mountains. There is one main street which leads to the ever so rocky beach.
I spent around 4 days on the island and I finished my fully online semester by completing my last exam here which happened to be Calculus II. I remember a man who was in disbelief that I was in Corfu taking a university exam remotely, but hey after the pandemic we must adapt and make the most of the situation. I did go to a nice nightclub called 54 Dreamy Nights which was full mostly with locals and played Greek music throughout the night.
For a couple of days I rented a scooter and drove around as much of the island as I could. This was an incredible experience and I recommend doing it if you’re on a island somewhere travelling alone. I drove through small towns, talked to local merchants, and got to see so much of the island. Nothing like speeding through the Mediterranean breeze surrounded by tremendous olive trees. One of the days, I did try to do too much and ended up in a race with the sun in which I lost and was driving through the cold wind in the dark. We all win some and lose some so bring a jacket with you. I also really enjoyed the food here. On the road I had the best souvlaki with an amazingly seasoned olive oil and the hostel had daily dinners with local dished that impressed.
Overall there are some great beaches and some not so great rocky beaches around the island. The towns are very quiet in the offseason up until May when the summer season begins. I was there around May 1st and it was still very empty. Seems like most businesses were just starting to open up and on multiple occasions I was told I was their first customer.
Crete
I flew into Chania late at night and got a local fast food pizza which was decent. The Airbnb I stayed at was very nice and cheaply priced. Overall on the island the accommodation was great value. This was in early May, so just as the summer season was beginning. The weather was moderate at this time and not extremely warm, so the water was definitely chilly. Nevertheless, the beaches were great and the sunsets were phenomenal. You will be on a beach with snow capped mountains behind you in the distance. Crete is filled with history and is a natural beaty to withhold. Get there and enjoy an Alpha for me.
Chania is a pretty town on the western part of the island which is more relaxed and picturesque than Heraklion which is the bigger main city in the east. If you had to choose one, then Chania would be my suggestion. However, Heraklion is closer to the historical sites.
I rented a car from a local shop in Chania. It was very easy, just ask around some of the local rental shops and you’ll find a good deal. From Chania there are some great beaches and beautiful drives through the mountains. I learned how to drive manual on Mediterranean islands, and in Crete I improved a lot. I definitely recommend renting a car. The mountain roads are worth it themselves. If you go south from Chania through the Imbros Gorge you’ll find scenic viewpoints getting to the southern coast which has nice small towns along the coastline.
My favorite beach was on the northwestern tip of the island. It’s called Balos beach. The road to get there is unpaved and very bumpy even the car rental place told us don’t go there with the car. I say just drive slow and you’ll be fine. Keep in mind it’ll take longer to get there because of this, so if you go for sunset like I did make sure you go earlier rather than later.
After two days driving around the western half of Crete, I got a bus to Heraklion and spent a few days there before flying out. In Heraklion you could feel it was a larger city and the hub for the island.