Destinations in Crete: Fodele

Hi pawfriends it's me Luna again! Today I would like to bark a little more about one of my favorite destinations in Crete. Fodele Village&beach. It's located on the North side of the island, only a 30 minute drive from the capital Heraklion and 45 minutes from Rethymno city. It's also supaw close to the highway and there are busses passing several times a day. 

Fodele is a little rural Village with a lot of character. It's famous for it's El Greco museum where they display prints of his works, the byzantine style church of Panagia and for the beautiful monastery of Agios Panteleimonas (the monastery even has a mini zoo!)

What makes this place so good for dogs?

In the middle of the village passes a small river which makes this the place even on the hottest summer days cool beside of that there are plenty of trees which provide shade and cool spots to play and hang out. 

How I like to spend my day there:

My pawrents take me during the day in the village, there starts a path that goes next to the river. You will meet some friendly sheep and goats and plots with olive and fruit trees. On a certain point the pavement stops but we like to continue from inside the fresh and clean waters. It's absolutely not deep so I can walk safely there.

After our little walk in the river the humans like to drink and snack something in the traditional taverns. If you prefer to do a pick nick (there is a park next to the river with playground and benches) you can buy food and drinks from the mini market.

.

In the afternoon when the sun is not burning anymore we jump in the car and drive to Fodele beach. The distance is 3km or 5min drive. We always go to the beach closest to the gas station. There is plenty of parking space right next to the beach and also a tavern.

The beach is full of small pebbles and not very organized (no sunbeds) which makes it great for me so I can play happily with my squeaky toy without annoying other humans 😎

What do you think furiends? Would you like to spend a day in Fodele?

Happy weekend and paw from me 🐾 

Destinations in Crete: Rethymno

Woof! Welcome to my blog pawfriends, today I would like to show you around a new destination: Rethymno City. Rethymno lies on the North-western side of Crete between Chania and Heraklion.

Old venetian harbour Rethymno

For us Cretans Rethymno is also know as "the student city". There  is a pawfect university (University of Crete) here which attract students from all over Europe and therefore there is also a lot of vibrant nightlife. Beside of that it is also touristically developed.

Must see inside the city:

The old town is beautifully restored dating from the 16th century. The old harbour is Venetian style and inside town you can find buildings with influence from the byzantines. It also has one of the best preserved castles in Crete: "Fortezza of Rethymno". While walking trough the old town you will see the "Porta Guora"(great gate), the "piazza Rimondi" and the "Loggia Veneziana" etc. It's the perfect place to stroll trough the romantic small alley's.

Beach time in Rethymno:

Because of tourism a big part of the beach is occupied with sunbeds however the beach stretches a long end (12km/7.5miles!) which makes it possible for us dog's to find a calm area to play. My pawrents took me next to the watersport area, most people don't like to hang out there because it's a less organized place, it was perfect though to play with my squeaky toy! In the afternoon after 6pm it's also a little calmer and you can have a nice walk at the boulevard right next to the beach without burning your paw pads. 

Food&drinks:

The most popular street to drink and eat something is definitely the one next to the beach. After my swim my pawrents took me to a local gyros place. I was allowed in the outside area and the waiters where so kind to provide me some cool drinking water💧. Because of the touristic taverns it's always best to kindly ask if dog's are allowed to sit in the outside area.

Overall experience as a dog:

Because Rethymno is a small city the local's also take their dog's out in the town which means that the people are used having dog's around, we met some small dogs at our walk in the old town which greeted me very nicely. Locals take their dog's mostly out at the beach (on leash) and in the municipal garden. Walking in the more touristic places is also no problem as long as you keep the streets clean (don't forget poopbags and a bottle of water to wash away pee).  We went in the afternoon for a walk however if you want to walk in the morning keep in mind that the pavements can heat up very quickly. 

Best places to do your poo🚾 inside the city:

- Municipal Garden (Δημοτικός Κήπος/ Igoumenou Gavriil, Rethymno 741 00)

- The area around the Venetian Fortezza Castle 

- Next to the old Venetian harbour (sandy beach part where swimming is not allowed)

I had a lot of fun and would love to go explore more new area's close to Rethymno city! Thank you for joining me in this mini roadtrip. 

Paw from me 🐶🐾

Sandy beach at the old Venetian harbour

Destinations in Crete: Matala

Selfie spot at the entrance

Hi pawfriends! It's me Luna 🐶 Yesterday I went for a day trip to Matala (located 75km south-west of the main city Heraklion). Here is some more info about Matala:

The beach is in an enclosed bay and is sandy with very small pebbles, organized with sunbeds, toilets, showers and life guards. To be honest not the most pawfect beach for us dog's to go in high season but in low season you can definitely find a quiet spot in the shade under the trees! I was welcome at the outside area's of restaurants and cafe's. The village has a lot of touristic shops where you can buy nice souvenirs or cool bandana's 🐾

Matala is know for it's "caves" also referred to as "hippie caves". In the 60's and 70's hippies would residence in this caves and live the "free" lifestyle. On a certain point the area was so popular that it attracted even big celebrities such as Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin and Joan Baez. 

The caves in the background

The caves are now day's protected by the Archeological service, you can visit them during the daytime. (it's possible you need to pay a small fee, dog's are not allowed inside)

Each year there is also the Matala street painting where artists can give their creativity a place on the streets of Matala. (For more information and registration you can check the Facebook page @streetpaintingteam)

And last but not least the popular Matala Beach Festival, unfortunately due to the corona virus it's unsure if it will take place in 2021. 

This was the information about Matala, if you have any questions don't hestitate to send me a DM on IG or email. 
Woof you all very much, paw from me 🐾