Monday, April 15, 2013

Crete - Chania

We are on a ferry to Santorini. First we went from Chania to Athens overnight and then got onto a different ferry for a 7 hour ride.

 

Things we did in Chania

  1. Got to our new hotel (Called the FRIDA Hotel).
  2. Lunch at a seaside cafe.
  3. I had my second baklava ever
  4. I dipped my toes in the Aegean Sea
  5. I watched someone make carpets (the old and proper way).
  6. I got lost in the markets.
  7. pretended to be a hanging up octopus
  8. Climbed a bit up an old Venetian wall

 

Our hotel

(dictated to my dad) Firstly when we go to our hotel, Zoe insisted we play chess on a giant chess board. The chessboad was 2 times the size of the baby lap pool which was around 1 square metre (the pool not the board). I learned how different strategies in chess work. Its a bit like the game Risk that i play on the ipad sometimes.

Our hotel. Our room is at the top on the right hand side
At the beach
 

 

I Eat Baclava:

We were walking to the markets when mum saw a little sweet shop with a small bakery inside. From the shop we bought a Baclava. I had my first one for desert at aunty Gina, Uncle Travis and my cousin Leah's house. A baclava is basically a sweet version of lasagne (lots of layers)! It has filo pastry with proper mead honey sticking together sweet crushed pistachios and almonds. it was so sweet that when i ate it i literally saw the honey leaking out of It and into the box.

Yummy

 

I watched a carpet maker

I was in the old city markets after I ate my baclava. on the old city stairs, i found a little cottage where a lady was making carpets inside. THere were already made carpets everywhere. when i sat down to watch i realised I was sitting on one of the carpets. She was sitting at a loom and she used her feet to swap the strings and also to get the right amount of tension. It must take at least 2 weeks to finish one carpet. I thought it was amazing that she had so much patience. I wonder how she makes the little patterns. I could see the little stripes and triangles and dots and people. I went back the next day to watch some more but the store was closed.

In Greece, they have a siesta just like Italy (Seniora Zeiser will tell you all about that) and most stores are closed from lunchtime to about 5 O'Clock in the afternoon. My dad would like to have a siesta most days but mum would rather not.

 

They hang up Octopi

To keep flies and cats away they put vinegar on the wooden posts. I don't think I want to try eating Octopus. Zoe will.

2 cute Octopi
Dad being an octopus
Panorama see-saw
Dad says “ You drive me up the wall ” but I'm up the wall ???

Next stop: Santorini and then Naxos (both Greek Islands)

Book I am reading: FLOORS by Patrick Carman

 

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Dubai - Athens - Crete Day 1

Yesterday I went on two planes .

When I went from Dubai to Athens it took me five long hours on a plane. All the family used the time wisely. Maybe we are all nerds?

Nerds on a plane

I got two toys on the airline. They are called seatbelt critters. You strap them onto your seatbelt to keep you company. Seems a bit silly But they really worked for me.

Camus
Jimbob

Ater we hung out at Athens airport for 4 hours, it only took one measly hour to get to Crete. When we got off there was a beautiful sunset.

WOW!!!

After a little walk around the bustling mall and a quick banana and chocolate crepe, i was so tired my dad says I was asleep before my head hit the pillow.

 

Till tomorrow - another day in Crete

 

Dubai Day 2

Today after breakfast we went on The Big Red Bus Tour. I slept through most of it while it drove us all the way through Dubai and back again. It took us 2 hours and 15 minutes. Next , we went onThe Big Blue Beach Tour. I slept through most of that as well (well no jet lag for me). All in all it took us 4 hours and 30 minutes.

In between buses we had noodles for lunch. As an after lunch treat I had Baskin and Robbins ice cream. The flavour was Gold medal ribbon which is toffee caramel cookies and cream. It was really good!

 

Next, we went on a desert safari where I filled my souvenir with desert sand

Desert Dembo family

 

I rode a camel.


 
Zoe and I both got a tattoo.
Before
After

All in all for me I had a great day.

so bye bye ... For now.

 

 

Monday, April 8, 2013

Dubai Day 1

Today I went to the Dubai water park . It was really really really AWESOME !!!!!!!
I went on seven slides in total : including , Riptide , Tantrum Tunnel , Barj Lurj and many more . My favourite slide out of all of them was..... Tantrum Tunnel because there were whirlpools *1 in it .

My mum and Zoe got a massage with fish .
Disgusting!
On the way back we saw the Dubai Tower A.K.A. Burj Al Kahleef (that's the tallest building in the world).
Mission accomplished
Mission accomplished

For dinner we went to the spice markets A.K.A. The Spice Souk (souk means market in Arabic).
Zoe and I both bought a souvenir.
Zoe's
Mine

Finally we found a restaurant called Skewerz and Kebabz. I ate proper chicken nuggets and chips. We were so tired at the end that we had to catch a taxi home. After I got lost for a bit that is.


*1- Whirlpools are not what you might think they are. They are huge cones where you get pulled to the sides rather than in a complete circle. They are very scary.