Heraklion and Knossos Crete

Crete is an amazing Greek Island. I kind of took a chance on it, as it was a last minute change of itinerary. Tensions were escalating in Istanbul against Americans and they just closed the U.S. Embassy so I decided to go to Crete instead of a Istanbul, on the recommendations of a buddy of mine that works for the US 

government.

Having been a resident on the island of Maui in the Hawaiian Islands, I was thinking that the island of Crete was smaller than it actually is. There are two airports, one in Chania and another in Heraklion. I use the Internet map to book my hotel, and unfortunately it was a considerable distance away from where I landed. I did get a very interesting tour of the island in the process. I'm very glad that I went to Heraklion, as that's where the amazing new Knossos Archaeological Museum is and it is relatively close to the site of Knossos. 

There is a lot to explore on Crete. Minoan ruins, a Venetian fortress and beautiful beaches. I rented a small scooter and rode around the island and explored many beaches and interesting restaurants. Riding on the back roads near Knossos was an incredible experience to see all of the olive orchards and vineyards that were on the hillsides of mostly vacant country roads through farmland. This area was interesting as it was frozen in time, and there were large thunder heads forming on the mountain tops. They were very bright and colorful in the sunlight, and eventually turned into rainstorms that were powerful little gully washers full of lightning and thunder .

I was very pleased with the outcome of the change in itinerary. The Greek Islands are amazing and this Island had Knossos which is the heart of the Minoan civilization. It was an unforgettable experience to walk underneath the trees with the hissing  cicadas and look at the civilization as it was some 800 years before Christ. Also the Museum of Anthropology in Heraklion is a wonderful Minoan museum!

I was able to go snorkeling in the crystal-clear waters off of Heraklion. The visibility was excellent, the fish were very tiny but colorful. The water was warm and the little village where I went snorkeling was delightful.

Drottningholm Palace, Sweden

Drottningholm Palace in Sweden is the residency of the royal family in Sweden. It's a short boat ride by ferry away from Stockholm. 

The day I went it was sunny and gorgeous in mid-August. The ferry price is very reasonable and the boat ride itself was a very beautiful experience. 

Drottningholm Palace is extraordinary, it is said to be the most well preserved European palace from the 1600s.

The furniture, sculptures, tapestries and paintings are exceptional. The size of the palace and the surrounding grounds is very expansive as well. 

There are tours available or you can explore on your own. I took a tour and I believe it was worth hearing about the history and significance of the various artifacts and artwork. 

Here are some photographs that I took in the area. 

It is a UNESCO world heritage site and there is an amazing wooden theater that is on the premises as well that can be explored by touring with a guide. I highly recommend this, it's an unforgettable afternoon! 

Phoning home for free...

Google Hangouts is a pretty amazing and quite free way to call home via Wi-Fi on either a tablet or a cell phone that uses Wi-Fi. I am calling California consistently from Greece, Sweden and Hungry and have not incurred one cent of a charge for my calls! 

I think the secret is you need to establish the account in your home area code and then it thinks you're calling your home area code every time you're out of your area on Wi-Fi and therefore you get no charge for calling international calls. 

Of course there are other VOIP calling services that also will not charge for Wi-Fi calling. I was just under the impression that the Google service was going to cost a few cents each minute. Apple computer, iPhone and iPad users can also use iMessage and FaceTime over Wi-Fi for free as well. Skype is an alternative for many platforms too. I'm sure many PC and Android options are available as well. I'm just not as familiar with those platforms. 

Stockholm, Sweden a bicycle friendly city

Stockholm, Sweden is such a delight full city! The people there are very kind and many speak English. I stayed at the Elite Palace Hotel which was a bit out-of-the-way, but quite a nice destination. 

There was a metro station within a few blocks and a bicycle rental station down the street. I frequented the metro station and also rented a bicycle and used it frequently. 

Bicycling is a great way to get a feel for a city. I like to ride bikes in cities that are bike friendly. Stockholm is such a city. Their bicycle rental system is pretty simplistic and very handy to use. It costs about $16 US to rent a bicycle for three days, and there are many bike racks to lock your bike again in the city bikes system in Stockholm. The system requires you to return the bicycle and lock it up at a bicycle station within three hours of using it. Once you lock the bicycle in the station you can either leave it there or get another one and use it again for three hours. 

This can go on and on all day. The one problem is you can't really lock the bicycles up without the station being there. I brought a light locking system so stopping to get groceries or bakery items isn't so risky. My cheap locking system worked great, so I never had any trouble with anyone riding off with my bicycle. It worked out marvelous for me and I enjoyed riding in the cool Stockholm air as well as on all the plentiful and wonderfully maintained bike trails that are built within the city system. 

There are many trails that run along busy streets, picturesque waterways and through parks that are just absolutely delightful to ride on.

The 787 Dreamliner Experience

This is the smoothest and quietest jet I've yet experienced. The economy class has ample legroom for over 6' passengers, and the technology and entertainment is very advanced. 

Granted I just had a very difficult jet experience, as I recently got out of one of my least favorite jets, a Boeing 737 that was a rental... and it was overcrowded... grounded on takeoff for over an hour and extremely hot...  but that Boeing 787 dream liner is one amazing aircraft! The carbon fiber body really quiets the sound of the aircraft engines in the fuselage and it flew at about 42,000 feet which probably accounts for a lot of the reason why it's more efficient on fuel. The technology that's available at your fingertips even in economy class is really extraordinary on the Norwegian Air model. 

It even has built-in USB chargers for your iPhone, iPad or android devices. Norwegian Air claims that their European models have free Wi-Fi built into the plane as well. The one I flew on was a domestic US model and did not have any Wi-Fi, however I was very impressed with this aircraft and would highly recommend it if you have the option to fly on the 787 Dreamliner.

Solo European travel on a shoestring budget. Preping, research and self-booking resources.

My background:

I am a 57-year-old single retired California public education teacher on a very limited pension. I've recently retired with the goal of visiting all the continents on Earth while I can remain mobile and heathy enough for adventure. I'm trying to attract culturally rich, interesting and diverse travel experiences into my world. Travel is expensive, so due to my small pension I must invest wisely if I'm going to reach my goal. 

I'm a solo, self-booking traveler. Here is a bit of background info on how I do it. 

I've been busy booking different modes of transportation and lodging for my upcoming solo European adventure in August 2015.  My focus has been on interesting cultural places with rich history that I have not previously visited. I am on a mission to explore as many unusual cities and countries as I can on a shoestring budget. I'm also interested in experiencing history and geography from a hands-on perspective. My budget is limited so I must be relatively frugal. My theory is that the less I spend on the adventure, the more I will get to experience in the long run by stretching my dollars. My budget for this trip is about $1700 for everything. Sadly, no Four Seasons resorts are on the agenda.:-)

Researching the trip:

I'll be gone for a little over three weeks and I booked all of the itinerary myself using the Internet and relying on several different websites for past traveler reviews and guidance.  I will discuss this more at length for anyone interested in details for their own use.  This is relatively easy to do if you're a solo traveler and you're flexible in your accommodations and travel options. At times I become so flexible that I end up making second and third choice options, as the more you research travel, the more interesting options become available to you. Life is richer with more possibilities. 

It's about four days before I leave and I've come across some pretty interesting options outside my current Athens, Greece agenda. The Greek Islands look really interesting for snorkeling and underwater photography, which are some of my favorite activities. These weren't on my original itinerary, but look like fabulous places to visit that are close to where I will be staying, however I may try to find places to snorkel closer to Athens to save time. I'm very excited about seeing the place were Socrates and Plato lived.

How do I do my bookings?  

Here are some apps that I use that are available for android and iPhone operating system, but are also available on the Internet via PC as well. I am using the application screenshot off of my iPhone as an example.  

My apps and websites:

I use Tripadvisor for many travel support functions. It's kind of my adventure research support utility. You can do air fare searches and alerts. It will watch for deals and email them to you. I also frequently employ Tripadvisor for user reviews of different cities, areas, activities, museums, restaurants and things to do. It's a very useful tool when trying to evaluate an area that you have not explored previously.

Hostelworld is also a helpful application I have used frequently in finding the best prices and availability on lodging. They specialize in hostels, but also show private rooms as well. I've saved a lot of money on reserving lodging using this thrifty app. It seems to be cheaper if you book 60 days ahead of time, but the do also offer special deals on certain places. I like having a room to myself, and Hostelworld has the configuration for private rooms. I don't usually spend much time in my room so I'm therefore I'm not really picky about the size or accommodations.  I just use it for sleeping and explore the area most of the time. 

Booking.com is a helpful application that allows for the booking of hotel rooms and hostels at a very competitive price.

Hotels.com is another website and application that is helpful in obtaining low-cost lodging. I used it almost extensively last year. It gives you a free room after 10 bookings of similar value. I booked another hotel rooms that I got a free room. It works! The pricing is very competitive but not quite as consistently inexpensive as booking.com or Hostelworld. It's usually very close. I've got some very surprisingly nice rooms at very reasonable prices using hotels.com. 

Travelzoo frequently publishes and emails special priced trip offerings to its members. Membership is free of charge, and I happened to be in the VIP club of Travelzoo. It really paid off for me as I could not even afford to go on this trip without the deal why found through travel zoo on airfare from Oakland, California to Stockholm, Sweden. When most West Coast to European airfares were starting at about $1400, travel zoo had a special from Oakland to Stockholm round-trip for around $500 through Norwegian Airlines. This inexpensive price for air fare made the possibility of this adventure in reality.

As the adventures develops, I will update my blog. 

Inspirational quotes for the traveler.

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” – Mark Twain

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain

“All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.” – Martin Buber

“Traveling is a brutality. It forces you to trust strangers and to lose sight of all that familiar comfort of home and friends. You are constantly off balance. Nothing is yours except the essential things – air, sleep, dreams, the sea, the sky – all things tending towards the eternal or what we imagine of it.” – Cesare Pavese

“A journey is like marriage. The certain way to be wrong is to think you control it.” – John Steinbeck

“Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go. But no matter, the road is life.” – Jack Kerouac

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” – St. Augustine

“There are no foreign lands. It is the traveler only who is foreign.” – Robert Louis Stevenson