9 Greece Travel Stories from Crete Island: How Greece Stole My Heart
It is very easy for people to fall in love with Greece, mostly because of the ocean views, food, sunset, and the people they encountered on the trips. Here are my 6 stories, each one is about people I encountered during my semi-solo trip in Crete Island, Greece that made me love Greece even deeper. Some are really simple encounters, but deeply melted my heart and think people in Crete are simply beautiful, genuine, and so friendly. I do love them so much after just a few days encountering a few, and all these making me want to go back again!
- More Informations about Crete Island & Greece:
- 6 must go picturesque, magical places in Crete Island, Greece
- 10 Best Things to Do in Athens Greece for Aesthetic Seekers
- Elafonisi Beach: A Unique Pink Sand Paradise
List of Contents
- A kid in the bus
- A Meditation Companion and The Start of The Healing
- A Wrong Note (cash)
- A Smile In Exchange of An Address and A Friendship That Has No Age Limit
- A Life Safer For A Lost Person In The Middle of No Where
- A Warm Warning From A Local
- A Sunset Point
- A Sun Burnt Remedy
- A Street Artist and A Little Boy
A kid in the bus
The day I arrived on Crete Island in the early morning after a long ferry ride, I still had to take a bus from Chania to Sfakia. Unfortunately, since it was the low season, there was only one bus per day to Sfakion from Chania, and it didn’t leave until the afternoon. So I found myself walking around Chania with my heavy luggage for hours, feeling increasingly tired.
When I finally boarded the bus, I immediately fell asleep. But a little while later, I woke up to find that I had been leaning my head on a little kid’s shoulder. Embarrassed, I quickly apologised, but the kid was surprisingly calm and considerate. ‘No problem at all,’ he said. ‘You’re just too tired. If you need to, you can keep sleeping.’
I was touched by his kindness, especially given how exhausted I felt from a year of working on a big project and then traveling non-stop on this trip. It was a rare display of empathy from someone so young.
On the way, I noticed that the scenery outside the window was breathtaking, especially a snowy mountain in the distance. The kid noticed my interest and pointed out that it was called ‘The White Mountains.’ He even leaned his head out of the way so I could take a photo. It was a small move, but it made my day.
A Meditation Companion and The Start of The Healing
When I arrived in Sfakia alone, I passed by a cemetery and felt scared. Then, upon checking in to the hotel, I noticed that the bed was not positioned as I had hoped, making me feel uncomfortable. I started questioning why I had taken such a long journey to this small village.
Furthermore, the exhaustion from work was real, and even though I was on vacation, it still affected my mind. So, I decided to take a walk on the quiet beach, hoping to find some peace.
I walked to Vrissi Beach, and to my surprise, no one was there. I sat down and watched and listened to the waves, attempting to relax.
Suddenly, a person carrying a hang drum appeared just as I was about to start meditating. “Oh, are you meditating here? Can I join?” he asked. “Yeah, sure.”
He sat down and shared with me how much he loves the tranquility of this beach and how Sfakia only has positive energy (without me mentioning my fear of ghosts).
He slowly took out his hang drum. I said, “Oh, I have recently grown to love the sound of a hang drum.” He replied, “Playing this is usually my way of meditation, and I learned it hoping to help myself and others heal. I think I brought this out today because you called for it. I was actually pretty tired, and my friend asked me to go out for a drink, but there was an energy that drove me to this beach this evening, so I chose to be here, and voila, you are here.” He began to play the drum. I meditated and enjoyed the sound, feeling more relaxed, calm, and less scared.
The whole evening on the beach, under a sky full of stars, we randomly talked about spiritual things, the universe, and life. He explained the concept of a shaman to me and shared his life story of how, as a sound engineer, he traveled the world for work and eventually moved to Sfakia, hoping to become a diving instructor. “When I lost everything, I realised there was nothing holding me back from chasing the life I wanted, you know?”
After all the music and conversation, I felt slightly better, and I knew that this brief encounter was the reason why I had traveled all the way to this small village. I strongly believe that there is an energy that drives me to meet certain people, and this person was one of them.
A Wrong Note (cash)
After my short encounter with the hang drum guy, I felt more peaceful but a little hungry and cold. I walked to the seaside restaurant area, and found a sign written “fish soup” in front of Taverna Delfini, a restaurant by the ocean that looks more local, and less touristy.
The waiter put on a tablecloth with a Crete map on it.That design is so creative and so thoughtful, and I realised right here is also for tourists for sure but I loved it so much!
I ordered a fish soup along with a bottle of Greek Alfa beer that the Greek waiter recommended.
That fish soup turned out to be the best I’ve had for a long time!! And dining next to the ocean is so enjoyable, and seeing other customers are happy with their food and night somehow made me happy too.
When I wanted to pay, I took out the note I put in my pocket and realised instead of 50 Euros, I accidentally took a 50 AED note (the currency of the UAE). I was like oops, awkward, and they were about to close, so I asked the waiter if someone could come up to the hotel with me and take the cash.
Surprisingly, the owner and the waiter said” that’s fine, you can give it to us if you come again tomorrow”.
But since it was already midnight and the alleys leading to my hotel were unfamiliar and dark, I had an unusual request- “Excuse me, sorry to ask, but do you think there’s any chance that someone could accompany me to my hotel?” The waiter asked, “Are you scared?” “aha, yes,” I replied. “OK, rest and wait here. Once I’ve closed up, I’ll walk you back to the hotel.”
Later, the waiter (who was probably around 60 years old) accompanied me and guided me back to the hotel, without taking the cash.
The next day, before taking the ferry to Loutro, I returned to the restaurant to pay my bills and had my meals again (because their food is just so simple but amazing).
A Smile In Exchange of An Address and A Friendship That Has No Age Limit
Not only are the Cretan people nice, but the tourists who keep going back to Crete are also very special.
When I walked around the harbour in Sfakia, I saw a middle-aged Swiss couple walking around as well. I smiled and said hi to them, and just like that, we started chatting for about 30+ minutes. It turned out that they are globetrotters, and Crete is their favourite place. They’ve already visited the island five times and each time they explore different parts of it.
They end up writing down their address and contact information on a paper and gave it to me, saying that whenever I visit Switzerland, I shall call them and stay with them. They would come to the airport and pick me up.
The next day, I ran into them again in Loutro. They asked me to sit down with them, and we chatted some more. In the end, The man took out his camera and said, ‘Oh, I need to take a photo of you two so that we can recognise your face when we pick you up at the airport.”
I guess, when the energy and frequency are right, age isn’t a barrier for a new friendship. And when we travel solo, we are never truly alone.
A Life Safer For A Lost Person In The Middle of No Where
Have you ever got lost in the middle of nowhere by yourself and had no idea what to do?
I experienced that for the first time in my life, and it’s freaking scary! and this random man saved my life.
It happened on an evening hike back to Sfakia from Loutro, it seemed pretty easy in the beginning with the path and the BLACK & YELLOW SIGNS. I thought I followed well and somehow I couldn’t see any signs anymore, and it seems like there’s no path other than plants & steep cliffs in front of me..
I walked back and forced on the spiky plants, and there were ZERO people to ask for directions.
Other than a SNAKE coming out to say hi that freaked me out, the only lives I could see were the goats, I even asked them what to do and where to go but of course they were not helpful at all because they walk VERTICAL on the cliffs… it’s almost sunset time, and I didn’t have much battery on my phone.
I started to feel extremely panicked, and asked silently if someone could show up and help me.. All the way I was the only person on this route, but just a few mins after I asked for help, MAGICALLY a German guy showed up on the right path, so I yelled” wait for me please” and rapidly climbed all the way up just to reach him fast, and thanks god he was also going on the same direction as me and we managed to hike all the way out and also found the drinkable water under pebble at Sweet Water Beach. The funniest part is when he called his daughter in German, and I heard “ a lost Taiwanese”.
When we finally got out of the hiking path, he called his friend to pick me up and drop me off at my hotel first. I asked ” what about you?” He said “I will walk while waiting for him to come back picking me up”.
I learned many lessons from this experience, and it strengthened my belief in the power of the universe and the law of attraction. When you asked for it, it comes. But I still consider myself lucky this time that the UNIVERSE HEARD ME and RESPONDED, so I didn’t have to sleep with the goat in the middle of nowhere.
A Warm Warning From A Local
The morning I returned to Chania from Sfakia, I had breakfast at Ginger Concept, a popular café that even locals love to visit. I was there by myself with my luggage and using the computer while waiting for Aron to arrive in Crete so we could start our 4 days trips in Crete Island together.
A local family sitting at the next table started to chat with me. When the father heard that we were planning to drive to Elafonisi Beach, he told me, “Be careful, the roads are narrow, and it could be dangerous to drive. You guys need to drive slowly, okay?” I thanked him and said, “Will do.”
A few minutes later, he came back and said, “I just checked the weather at Elafonisi Beach, it’s good, not so windy! Because you know, sometimes it can be windy and sandy, which would make the beach uncomfortable to visit, but these days are good. But still, drive safely! How lovely he was!
It is funny though as in the beginning when he started to talk to me and ask me about my plans, I thought he was probably the owner of a nearby hotel trying to persuade me to stay there. But it turned out he was a gardener and his wife was a school teacher and they were simply curious and wanted to chat with me. I was like damn, how dark my mind became nowadays!
A Sunset Point
Last evening at Elafonisi Beach, we wanted to watch the sunset. So we grabbed some takeout and headed to Chrysoskalitissa Monastery because some bloggers had recommended it as a great spot for watching the sunset.
Unfortunately, when we got there, the monastery was closed and the sun was about to set. We were disappointed and thought we wouldn’t be able to see the sunset after all.
All of a sudden, a man who works at the monastery approached us and said, “Get in the car and follow me. I know a great spot to watch the sunset.”
We followed his car and eventually ended up at Stomio Beach, where we were able to watch the sunset while enjoying our food.
A Sun Burnt Remedy
After taking a nap at Elafonisi Beach at noon, Aron got sunburnt, so we looked for aloe vera when we arrived at Balos Beach. We entered a little convenience store and asked if they sold aloe vera to fix Aron’s bad sunburn. The daughter, who spoke English said “unfortunately we don’t have any”.
However, the dad, who was probably 60+ years old, came out and asked his daughter in Greek what we were looking for. After she told him, he quickly went outside and came back with a big smile, two huge pieces of aloe, and a bottle of homemade olive oil, and said they were for us for free. We were surprised and so thankful that he had picked the aloe he had planted and gave it to us. Eventually, we paid them and left the money on the table. The dad even asked the daughter what it was, and she said, “Oh, they wanted to pay.”
A Street Artist and A Little Boy
When I was walking around Chania Old Town alone on my last day in Crete Island, I saw a scene that made me stop in the middle of the road.
There was a little boy looking at a street musician with an admiring look. And when the musician finished playing, he did something amazing – he invited the boy closer and started to play guitar with him, using the boy’s hand!
That was such a heart-melting moment! Even now, I still remember it vividly. I am sure it meant something special to the little boy!
Overall, stories like these may sounds so simple, and not like a huge deal, but it is these kind of small moves, little scenes that help individuals feel loved, and making the world a better place. When we start to appreciate things and people more and show more gratitude towards our surroundings, we can actually become happier.
Thank you Crete Island, thank you Greece for the wonderful, touching, sweet experiences & memories that helped me start my healing journey. I shall return as soon as I can!
For you, who are consider visiting Crete Island or Greece, I wish you an amazing journey, and I hope you will experience and enjoy all the beauty of Greece too!
Love
Samantha Lin xx
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