Sitia

15 January 2024 – Sitia, Crete, Greece

For the past week, we have been undertaking the difficult journey of motoring between the town quay and the centre of the harbour in Sitia, depending on where the wind comes from. It has been all over the place lately, blowing strongly from the north and then the south, so we’ve been staying here until it calms down, probably on Wednesday. One night when it was super windy, the anchor chain got snagged on a massive fisherman’s anchor from one of the fishing boats tied to the wall. We were able to unwrap the chain but it got caught two more times that night. 

Sitia, Crete, Greece

There is a lot to do in Sitia; the town has a many nice restaurants, cafés, and shops, so we got to figure out which bakery was our favourite and which one had the best baklava. One morning, Jonas and I made a Scottish breakfast with surprising success.

Me and Jonas’s Scottish breakfast – Sitia, Crete, Greece

My dad and Jonas have done a lot of boat work, including replacing a drain hose in the aft locker and installing strip lights along the sides of the main cabin. My mom and I went to a fruit market and bought delicious mini bananas that are grown here. We also went to the archaeological museum, which had a collection of Minoan larnax (clay funeral containers shaped a bit like bathtubs), as well as later pottery and coins. My favourite was a little sculpture of the fertility goddess Cybele. 

Clay sculpture of the goddess Cybele – Sitia, Crete, Grece

Yesterday, our friend Areti drove us to a walking trail through the mountains with her hiking club and together we walked to a nearby village and ate lunch in a small café. The view was amazing, with mountains on all sides, snow-capped mountains in the distance, and a glimpse of the sea. After lunch, she and her friends did some traditional Greek dances in the centre of the café, which were beautiful. Areti also gave us delicious clementines from her garden.

Path through the mountains towards Myrsini, Crete, Greece