Matala, Crete - Bloggers Anonymous

Hello. My name is X and it’s been 13 days since my last blog entry. I have spent a week in Crete in the tiny village of Matala. Not a huge amount to report. Spent the mornings working before heading down to the beach to spend 2 or 3 hours sunbathing. I’m not a natural sunbather so spending 2/3 hours lazing in the sun doesn’t come naturally to me. But one should try new things. So after a week I am mainly red but a little brown too.

Went to the red beach. Not the main beach in Matala which was a little crowded. The hike to the red beach was over a very steep and rocky hill/mountain. The hike was 25 minutes and had to be conducted in extreme heat. But arriving at the red beach was lovely. The swimming there - the sea was crystal clear.

The rocks at the end of the beach had many carvings on them. Didn’t get many photos as it would have meant taking the phone into the sea.

Met a few new friends. Maya and Ronnie - a couple of Israeli girls. Lucas an Argentinian. Gloria, a Chilean. And Peter an American who was an itinerant guitarist who entertained us with his singing on my last night there.

Other things of note. I’m not a huge fan of Geeek food. I think Moussaka is just a rubbish lasagne but here at the beach there was seafood. Freshly caught and excellent. I found a place that served a combo of squid and octopus. Octopus if cooked poorly is rubbery and horrible. But if cooked well is excellent. That’s what I had here. I feel a bit bad for the octopuses given they are supposedly so intelligent. But they died in a good cause.

Also had a variety of sea bass. First night raw in a ceviche. The next grilled. Fabulous.

Stayed at Matala hostel. The first hostel with a pool. Very friendly laid back atmosphere. And Mino a lively puppy.

In the news. Michel Mosley of “Just One Thing” on Radio 4 died after getting lost on a hike on another Greek island. So hot I can understand why. The temperature was off the scale. Apparently the earliest heatwave they have had in Greece.Read more