With a paint brush in hand, Tina Vaziri is often away having adventures with Mr. Bee. Her travel notes are filled with illustrations, sketches, and stories.

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old vacation in crete | June 17, 2008

I dug up these old photos of my parents and I vacationing in Crete, Greece, it must have been around 1990. Oh, it was so gorgeous, pure perfection in every way. None of us remembered exactly which town we were in, but I have looked for clues in the photos, researched off and on, and now believe that we stayed in Georgioupolis.

There weren’t many tourists or large hotels at the time. It was absolutely quiet and peaceful. I remember seeing only a handful of cars the entire time we were there. Everyone walked, rode bikes or mopeds.

We stayed at a small family run hotel with an attached restaurant. There was also a private beach within a few minutes walk that the hotel owned. I remember loving the hotel owner’s giant handlebar mustache, and watching him go diving for fresh fish, octopus, and sea urchin for the private beach bar. His sons would clean the octopus on the large rocks jutting out of the water. He would talk to us and the other hotel patrons, make us all try raw sea urchin that he had just brought up from the water, and cut open as we were all standing there on the beach.

There are so many stories to tell from this trip, I remember them vividly and dream about them constantly. Knossos, the two old Greek men who played chess over bottles of honey, the old lady who crocheted outside and always smiled at us, the fishermen, the tall glasses of pure lemon juice they got me at the restaurants, an old lady who had a small garden across from the hotel with lovely giant squash flowers, amazing thick yogurt with vegetables, and more.

I have wanted to go back there ever since we left. I want to go back and never leave, to live in a small villa with ocean views among olive groves, grape vines, and citrus trees, to be close to nature and breath in the history of the area. It’s calling to me.


Filed under: family, photos


5 Responses to “old vacation in crete”

  1. distracted spunk Says:

    It sounds lovely. Can you go back? I imagine it would be very different now, after almost twenty years.

    June 17th, 2008 at 12:13 pm


  2. Tina Says:

    I’m planning on going back for another long vacation in the next couple of years, and part of me is very worried that it will not be the same place that I remember, but I hope that it has not lost the charm and magic that I saw there.

    June 17th, 2008 at 12:27 pm


  3. Andrea S Says:

    What a lovely story!

    June 17th, 2008 at 3:29 pm


  4. Norman Says:

    The picture with the dome is almost certain to be at the harbour in Chania - although the first picture does look like the road bridge into Georgioupoli. We have been back twice since discovering Georgioupoli in 2006.
    All your recollections of restful peace and quiet with homely retraurants and wonderful beaches still ring true - we are due to return again on 19 Aug this year and pray that it’s the way we left it.

    July 18th, 2008 at 6:59 am


  5. Tina Says:

    Norman, that is really wonderful to hear. The bridge in the first photo was very close to the hotel we were staying at, so I am sure it was Georgioupoli. We took mopeds and rode to Knossos and the harbor, stayed there one night and explored more of that area too.

    I hope your next trip there will be just as wonderful! I can’t wait to return.

    July 18th, 2008 at 10:31 am


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