Treasure the old and welcome the new

Spending time in a foreigner country has this one disadvantage - when your time there is up you leave people you like and people you like leave you. That is the price you pay for seeing all the amazing places on Earth.
The advantage is you will have a lot of friends all over the world; some of them will be the great kind of friends with whom you can pick up a conversation you started years ago, the kind of friends who will let you sleep in their place and feed you and share what they have, the kind of friends who will help you in spite of the fact they are thousands kilometres away.

I am sure I found precisely this kind of friends here. This was the second best 9 months I have spent somewhere (naturally the best 9 months I spent in my Mum's womb). Unfortunately everything comes to an end and so is this adventure. The hard part is to leave the people and the place and move on. But it is all part of the process and you just need to let things go so better things can replace them. If you cling to something that is already over but you insist on sticking to it you stand in your own way. It's a natural order of things that what is once finished cannot continue, something new has to replace it.

 


Life is a constant change and the best way how to deal with it is to accept it and move with it. Our very essence is to be on the move. Don't you feel alive everytime you leave your home for an adventure? Even if it's just 10 days holiday. Something somewhere deep inside you is excited by this change.

Do not stay at one place all your life. Move around. See the world. It will open your eyes and free your spirit.
To see how differently people live in South and North America, Africa, Europe, Asia and Australia will help you understand that although we all come from different backgrounds, religions and societies and despite the fact we all talk different languages, we are humans and that connects us on much deeper level than all the above.

There is something about these islands...

Paphos International Airport. Ok. We are here. On time. Another trip. From one island to another. It doesn't matter, as long as I am moving. I am flexible. In motion. My style. 

And this is the first image of paradise I can see from my small airplane window.

Not bad, right? Not bad at all. But, please do ignore the brand marked on the wing. No place for promotion here. 

What is this combination of blue, green and white? Is this some kind of a flag? And it's like 27 degrees out there! 

How did that snow get there? I am truly fascinated. 

Hi Crete! Nice to meet you. I wasn't expecting you would be so lovely and charming. What a cool surprise. 

Did I mention that is summer here? 

Very hot. The window is melting. Good thing I have my swimming suit with me. Sometimes you just know what is important to take with you. You know that feeling. Intuition?

Ok. Enough already with the praise. I am not going to tell you where is Crete, how many people live there, which is the main city, how is the economy doing (maybe you don't have to google that one :D) and stuff like that. You can search it for yourself. It's not that important because...

...I would like to tell you how Crete made me feel.

Time for another photo. Right now.

Chania. Our harbour. Our starting/finishing point. Our home in Crete.

My favourite city in Crete. There is something magical in the air. The streets. People. Atmosphere. Smiles and laughter. Cheerfulness. Joy. Lost parts of forgotten paradise. It seems so eternal. Natural. The way it's supposed to be. 

Also... The city is so vivid! All the time! Even on Monday mornings, afternoons, evenings ;). Restaurants and bars full of people just hanging out, il dolce far niente, Mediterranean style. Is it related to the economy in this part of Europe? Nooooooo. Impossible.

It doesn't seem there is a crisis. Maybe I am just not capable of recognizing it? No. No crisis here. Human spirit seems to be quite fine here. General happiness everywhere around me. And nature. Amazing nature. You can have a glimpse of it.

Not now. Not yet. First some advising and good practice examples (checked) :). 

The best way to explore the island is to have a car or hitchhike, or have a friend who has a car or something similar. Uf, my point is next: don't use the buses if you want to act as a real traveler ;). Just go places. Buy a map and just wander around. You cannot get lost on an island so don't worry. Please, don't check TripAdvisor, Lonely Planet and all of those tourist security channels. Be spontaneous, be an explorer, adventurer, take some road which you have no idea where it might lead. You will get an opportunity to see much more than you have imagined ;), Trust me on that one. Just be sure to have enough gas and food in storage, you never know...

Now the nature part I promised before.

 

700 kilometers. Excitement. New horizons. Snowy mountains. Loooooong, sandy beaches. Greenery in between. Greek food - no need for explanations. 4 "big" (it's hard to define this on an island) cities. Lots of happy and chubby stray dogs. That like to cuddle. Comfy evenings with wine on our balcony. Seaview. Lighthouse. The sea traffic controler that made our hotel view fabulous. Pure magic.

I am telling you... There is something special about these islands... They are a reminder of some lost world which we still yearn for... It's not easy to define it. It's just a way they make me feel. Infinite. 

Just like this photo...