heraklion: where twelve euros buys you a week of confusion
landed in heraklion with exactly twelve euros and a questionable bus ticket. the airport smelled like stale cigarettes and oregano.
"if you find the right taverna, the owner’s cousin will drive you to a beach at dawn for free. just don’t mention the bad review from 2015."
"that monastery? yeah, the nun who runs it has a better spotify playlist than any club in town. ask for sister maria’s mixtape."
"avoid the 'authentic' souvlaki near the port unless you enjoy paying tourist prices for bread with questionable meat content."
so i just checked the weather and it’s… that weird in-between temperature where you can’t decide if it’s sweater weather or just cold enough to regret your life choices. currently *heraklion is playing games with 13 degrees that feel like 12, and 62% humidity that makes your clothes feel like they’re conspiring against you. perfect for wandering aimlessly, i guess.
yesterday’s breakfast was a stale baguette and existential dread. turns out heraklion’s vegan gyros scene is surprisingly fire though, even if the guy behind the counter thought ‘vegan’ was a new brand of cigarettes. heard whispers about a hidden bakery that sells cheese pies for €1.50 but haven’t found it yet-probably because my navigation relies on following stray cats.
if you get bored, chania and rethymno are just a €3 bus ride away. or so they say. my first attempt ended up in a goat herding village. goats are great listeners, terrible conversationalists.
"the archeological museum? skip it unless you enjoy staring at broken pottery while pretending to understand ancient civilizations. but the garden has killer views."
someone told me that balos beach is worth the hike but also warned me about the ‘sand flies that feast on tourists like dinner’. i’m considering going anyway because my hostel’s wi-fi password is ‘password123’ and i need to escape reality.
last night i overheard a local arguing with a tour guide about whether octopus* should be grilled or boiled. the whole bar paused to watch. turns out it’s a regional thing like pineapple on pizza but with more cultural significance. i chose both. €8.50 well spent.
for cheap eats, check Yelp for Heraklion. they’ll tell you where to find €2 coffee that actually tastes like coffee, not regret. and if you’re feeling brave, TripAdvisor has a list of ‘hidden gems’ that might actually be hidden from tourists for good reasons.