Rethymno

SATURDAY 3^RD JANUARY

Rain in Plakias drove us to head north to Rethymno, well that and the fact I had run out of raki biscuits!  It was a good decision as the weather was lovely and 17C so we spent the morning wandering around the streets and showing Stef the Christmas displays once we had visited the old bakery for my biscuits.  It was very busy inside with two men preparing slices of sesame topped brown bread ready to be baked in the over.  These rusks would then be put into cellophane bags and sold to eat with a glass of raki.  Larger rusks are used in the dish ‘Koukouvakia’ where the rusks are usually lightly soaked in water to soften them and then slices of tomato and feta cheese and herbs are added and the dish is then drizzled in olive oil. It’s a good way of using up stale bread as well. 

Lunch was taken in the raki bar ‘Messostrati’ and then it was back to exploring more streets in the old town coming across who named after someone called 'Stef' which made our Stef's day.  We came across the fountain and today the water was not running – is this another first? I have been trying to help Stef improve her photographic skills so some of the buildings were ideal subjects, although she prefers to takepictures of the local cats!

Late afternoon we set off back home taking the newly discovered road at Armeni down to Agios Ioannis.  Everything looked so different but still atmospheric and as we neared Plakias the sky looked black.  The sea was quite choppy and it felt cool in the breeze.  Theo with Lambros' help were still building the great wall of Plakias!