Destinations in Crete: Richtis Gorge

 Hello furiends! 

Excuse me for the silence on the blog but the hooman writers where occupied with life responsibilities.Don't worry, even if they did not had much free time, I am still the queen of the house! They also took me on a pawtastic roadtrip in East Crete. Let me show you where we went for a hike:

Our adventure started with a long drive from our home to Richtis Gorge. If you come from the middle of the island towards the East you will meet Richtis and afterwards the city of Sita.

There is a parking spot on the mainroad (right next to the highway, it has big plates with info about Richtis) but if you have a 4x4 car you can follow the path to the entrance of the gorge. You will recognize the entrance by an old stone bridge and parking spots for busses. If you go off season you will find spots to park near the entrance. If you go in the middle of the summer you might have to stop next to the highway and start your hike from there. 

Richtis gorge is know for it's magnificent waterfall and pleasant walk in the forest. We went in the middle of May when the temperature wasn't too hot for my royal paws and the amount of tourists was handleably. In high season you might stumble upon groups of tourists which makes it a bit less comfortable to hike as some parts of the path are really narrow. 

Now on to the good part! The gorge is about 10 km in total so it takes the average hiker around 2 hours to complete. Now if you love to dive under the waterfall count some extra time to swim in the crystal clear waters and have a snack stop (You can never have enough snacks!!). 

The hike difficulty was easy peasy lemon squeezy for me but ofcourse since I am a dog maybe my opinion doesn't count. If I ask the hoomans they would say "you need to be in a good condition and able to climb some stairs/bridges. There are slippery stones so good shoe wear such as hiking boots are recommended". 

My favorite part: THE WATERFALL! Honestly it isn't the biggest I've ever seen in my life but still it was pretty decent and a unique piece of natural beauty. Be aware that the water is ice cold but oh so refreshing after the long hike! You can even make a little swim. The closer you go to the waterfall the deeper the water is so be careful if you are a cute doggo like me or a small child. 

To conclude: Richtis gorge is an absolutely must if you are in the East side of Crete. The hike is dog friendly (a fit dog can easily follow the trail and there are lots of shady parts). One thing to keep in mind that this hike might give you muddy paws/shoes so make sure to bring a clean pair to enter the car. 

Destinations in Crete: Heraklion

Hi furiends! It's me Luna 🐾 In this article I would like to show you around in the capital of Crete: Heraklion. Beside the fact that this is the biggest city in Crete it's also the 6th biggest city in whole Greece with a population of 211,370 people! 

Heraklion was also the Europe's fastest growing tourism destination of 2017 according to Euromonitor with an 11,2% growth in International arrivals.

For me Heraklion and it's parks are like my backyard. In the beginning I had to get used a lot to the hustle and bustle of the city dog life but now I can say I am pretty much adapted (still struggle with some reactivity but it improved a lot)

How to reach Heraklion?

With the ferry:

There are all year round daily ferry trips from Athens to Heraklion (in summer/touristic season also from Greek islands such as Santorini, Anafi, Ios, Milos, Mykonos, Naxos, Paros, Syros, Thira, Tinos)

The big benefit of coming with the ferry is that you can literally walk in 11min to the heart of the city center. I have been on the ferry from Athens already! 😊

Before booking your ferry tickets we recommend you to call and ask specifically about bringing furry furiends on board. Some small ferries might have different rules then the big ones (with kennels) Generally dog's must always be leashed and accompanied onboard but sometimes they ask also to be muzzled in buzzy areas. 

With the airplane:

The airport is located 4km from the city center, if you are a fervent hiker the walk is possible to do but most people prefer to take bus or taxi. In the bus only small dogs are allowed inside a bag, taxi drivers might accept you if you guarantee them that the dog will sit on your lap (and not scratch their precious car😁). Right next to the airport are also many rental companies located, since it's pretty busy there I would recommend to book your car beforehand. 

How to spend your time in Heraklion:

Shopping!:

There are lots of lovely boutique's with jewelry/clothing but also bigger shops such as Mango, H&M, Bershka, Pandora, Sephora,... In many stores we have seen dogs already since most people don't really mind. If you explain that you travel with your dog and can't let him/her alone in the hotel most staff will understand and let you take the dog inside. 

Also a very important thing to notice is that this city has lots of different petshops and vets so if you start your trip here don't forget to stock up on food and medication for your furry furiend since small villages in the mainland might not have the exact product you want. In every super or mini market you can always find some very basic dog biscuits but for specialised food (grain free, allergy, etc.) you need to visit a pet store. 

Visiting Restaurants:

Crete (and whole Greece) is known for it's pawtastic mediterranean cuisine. Another benefit is that because of the mild climate it is pawsible to sit outside for most of the year! On every outside terrace dog's are allowed,  everytime we bring Luna they welcome us and bring some water and sometimes even a little snack for her. 😄

City walkies:

After a nice walkie in the city center you might want to visit one of the parks in Heraklion. It's a nice place to meet other dog's and their humans, play fetch, do a sniffari or even visit a closeby monument! 

The best spot for walkies are the Venetian walls of Heraklion also called the fortifications. The first city walls where build in the middle ages and where build to protect the city Candia nowadays called Heraklion. The walls remain largely intact and are a very popular places for citizens to relax and walk. Click here to check a short video of my walkies to the Northside of the walls. 

If you walk to the North sea side the end of the walls is at the beginning of Talos area. Talos is a small shopping center and on the opposite side of the street you can find "Yuri Gagarin Park". Here is an organized off leash field for your dog with some agility obstacles and you can enjoy the beautiful seaside view. If you have a reactive dog keep in mind that in the evening hours it might be extra buzzy. 

If you walk the walls more landwards you will meet the "Grave Monument of Kazantzakis". Nikos Kazantzakis was a famous Greek writer some of you might know him from the worldwide known book: "Zorba the Greek". The Grave monument is surrounded by a beautiful garden and the place has a stunning view over the whole city. A perfect place for a pick nick or reading a book! Dog's are welcome in the garden, please respect the place with keeping your dog's on leash and poop in the poo bag. 

Our second favorite space for walkies is Koule and the surrounding walking paths next to the sea. The Koule area starts from the Venetian harbour of Heraklion on your walk you will pass by from the beautiful Rocca Mare Fortress which is visitable in the morning hours but unfortunately no dog's are allowed inside. 

Luna's final verdict 🐶😜:

All in all Heraklion is a small but wonderful place to explore, because of it's size it's possible to walk to the most important shops/restaurant/monuments/etc.. Dog friendly accommodations are found mostly on platforms such as booking and airbnb. 

I hope you have lots of fun sniffari's in the city!

 

Destinations in Crete: Preveli palm beach & Vasilis rock beach

Woof! Welcome to my blog pawfriends. 🐾 I have a new destination for you! In my last roadtrip we drove to South Rethymno where you can find the famous Preveli palm beach (named like this because of the big palm forest right next to the river that ends up in the sea) and we combined it with a visit to the beach right next to Preveli. Less famous but not less fun there. Let me show you around and bark about where is the best place to go! 🐾

Pitstop on the way to Preveli

How to reach Preveli?

Preveli is a 50 minute drive from the big city Rethymno. The best way is to take the main road from Rethymno and pass from the Kourtaliotiko gorge. Passing from that road will give you many points to stop and enjoy the breathtaking views. We followed the way to Vasilis rock beach because there is plenty of parking space, a nice tavern, supermarket and rent rooms if you want to spend the night there. 

From there starts a 20min uphill walk to Preveli palm beach, the path is safe to walk for dogs too, only in summertime be careful as the temperatures might be too high. 

View over the Preveli bay from the walk path

After our 20 minute walk we arrived at the Preveli beach, it was super crowded and we had a little bit of a problem finding a comfy spot to relax. We managed to find shadow under the trees behind the small chapel. My dad went to explore the river parts as well as the beach but unfortunately because of the massive crowds swimming for me was not possible. At all time I was on leash close to mama but sadly many tourists didn't liked or where scared of dogs so my humans respect that. I still had a nice time chilling in the shade wif my snacks and toys that mum had brought from home. 

In the afternoon we walked back to the parking and right there in front I had the most pawsome time in Vasilis Rock Beach! Only the parts on the right side are taken by sun beds but at the left it's completely free and not crowded. The waters where crystal clear and shallow, pawfect for a dive into the sea! For me as a doggo this beach was way better then the touristic Preveli palm beach. 

After our swim we decided to check out the tavern there and I was welcomed by the friendly owner. We had a very yummy dinner there. Highly recommend Dionyssos Tavern!

Luna's final verdict 🐶🐾😃:

For me as a doggy the Preveli palm beach was nice for walkies but too crowded for a swim. I had a much better time at the calm Vasilis rock beach & the Dionyssos tavern. In case you have limited time and come on a hot summer day I would skip Preveli. If you can come a little later on the day when the sun is down the walkie is worth it (in afternoon many tourists leave Preveli also). 

Videoclip of Luna in Vasilis Rock Beach

https://www.instagram.com/p/CRVvmQdJtSG/?utm_medium=copy_link

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 🐾

Visiting Crete with your dog

Hi furiends! It's me Luna again. 😊You might have heard the good news, tourism in Greece started again since 15th of may! Therefore I would like to share some of my personal tips and tricks for the most pawsome holiday's on the beautiful island of Crete. 

First and foremost it is impawtent to decide with which form of transport you want to travel. Since Crete is an Island there are only 2 way's to access. First option is by ferry, second one by airplane. 

General rules for entering Greece: Your pet must be microchipped and vaccinated against rabies.  Your pet can travel 21 days after the completion of the vaccination protocol. Another obligatory thing is the EU health certificate. Dog's that come from the United states need to carry a health certificate endorsed by a USDA state veterinarian. 

Tips for the ferry: Dog's are only allowed on the deck, the ferry has basic kennels but most of them are noisy and don't have any bedding or comfort inside. If your pawrents have the possibility I would highly recommend booking a pet cabin. You can sleep then together wif the pawrents and just go upstairs for a short walk if necessary. Another rule that applies on most of the ferry's is that all dog's have to wear a muzzle don't forget to practice wearing on before going on holiday's.

Traveling by airplane: The general rule is that dog's up to 8kg (included container/pet carrier) are allowed inside the cabin while dog's above 8kg can only be transported in the baggage hold compartment. The best way to book your ticket is calling to the airline of preference.

When you are boarding don't forget to double check with the cabin staff/pilot that the baggage compartment has the right temperature for your pet.

Public transportation on the island: Big dog's are not allowed in public transportation. You can take a small dog in a transport bag with you. We always do road trips with rented cars, this gives so much freedom which is needed to see the most beautiful and little dislocated places. 

Accommodation: Last year during our road trips we have stayed  in several small apartments or private houses. I would highly recommend checking the area you want to stay online and call straight to the hotel/apartment. This way you get the best price and you can discuss any special needs or wishes you have. Another convenient way is using a booking platform. When you book from there the hotel/apartment sometimes calls you to confirm that you are coming with a dog.

Once you arrived at the most sniffable island ever you want to know where you can go and what you can do, I will answer this in the following FAQ*.

Are dog's allowed in museum or at archeological places?

Unfortunately no, when visiting a monastery you can only walk in the garden outside. 

Can I take my dog to a restaurant or cafe?

The greek law states that dog's are allowed in every outdoor space, for sanitary reasons most restaurants and cafe's don't accept your dog inside. Luckily on Crete we have the Mediterranean climate which makes it possible to sit outside during most the time of the year. When you arrive at a restaurant or cafe mention you have a dog so they can help you out picking the best table. In most of the places we have been they offered water for Luna but in case they forget it you can always kindly ask for a bottle of water. The tap water can have a little salty taste therefore we always give Luna bottled water. In the local supermarket you can find water from the mountains of Crete! 💧

Are dog's allowed at the beach?

Yes! The greek law say's that dog's are welcome at the beach as long as they are leashed and accompanied by their guide. At organized beaches you can ask the cafe/restaurant owner if you are allowed to have your dog next to you under the umbrella. 

What about swimming in the sea?

You can take your dog for a refreshing swim however keep in mind that if other people don't feel comfortable with the dog swimming next to them they might ask you to remove it. From personal experience we know that most people don't mind as long as your dog stay's leashed and doesn't bark. 

What about the insects in Greece? Are there many mosquitos?

Depending on the region you will visit it may vary but generally we all protect our dog's against insect bites. This has a reason, mosquitoes can transmit heartworm while gnats can transfer leishmaniasis. In case you forgot to buy the necessary products before coming to Greece you can always visit a local vet. Especially in the big cities (Heraklion, Rethymnon,Chania,Agios Nikolaos) all the vets speak good English and will be glad to help you out with buying the right products (spray's/collars/etc.)

This was the short explanation furiends, don't forget to clean up after yourself and drink enough water! If it is the first time traveling you can read my blog about heatstroke's to make sure you stay safe and cool in summer. Now it's time to go eat some treatos! 

Paw Luna 🐾

*If you have any specific questions about travelling in Crete don't hesitate to contact my mumanager by email or send me a DM on IG!

EU rules on travelling with pets

https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/travel/carry/animal-plant/index_en.htm

International Air Transport Association (IATA) for more information regarding the requirements of each country:

https://www.iata.org/en/youandiata/travelers/traveling-with-pets/

https://www.iata.org/en/programs/cargo/live-animals/pets/#tab-1