Raindrops in Crete

Shrimp in Garlic Sauce

Loukas and His Snails

Stuffed Potatoes 

Spicy Chicken Nuggets

Group at Dinner

Today was our first free day on the trip, and you have no idea how much we needed it. We slept in until around 9:00 and got ready to go shopping in Chania. My tiny shower must be broken because it has no water pressure at all and it's cold. Once i figured that out I ran up to Mary Louise's room to use hers. I would be the one with the broken shower. Yesterday on the bus ride in we noticed some cool boutiques and even Sephora. Our teachers told us of a large supermarket with tons of shops, but naturally we assumed they would be too touristy and annoying. So Mary Louise and I took off to the shops we found yesterday and we realized they weren't as cool as they looked. We asked one of the women working at Sephora where the large supermarket was and where we could get some food. In very broken English she pointed to where it was. I had a map in my purse but it was pretty pointless because they don't have traditional street signs. This supermarket she pointed to was actually a food market that smelled really bad and had raw meat everywhere and heads of pigs and calfs. I realized the woman was confused about me asking where I could get food too. It had some shops, but they were just your typical cheap touristy items. I believe supermarket is a very general term here. The building got really crowded and we realized it was because it started to rain outside. We bought matching leopard umbrellas for four euro each and walked back to our hotel pretty disappointed. We had a good lunch at a restaurant next to our hotel and then watched a few episodes of Desperate Housewives on the computer. My roommate and one of the other girls walked in a little while later and acted like they had such a good time shopping at the supermarket. We just thought they were weird and assumed we were just being snobs. We had planned to meet Austin at 5:30 to go this "phenomenal supermarket" and then out to dinner. Nathaniel's room is next to mine and Lindsey's, and I can hear Austin's loud mouth through the walls all the time because he's always in there. Austin came into my room at 5:30 on the dot with a bottle of wine opened and ready to pour. We wouldn't expect much else. We left for dinner and shopping, and I remembered the directions that Lindsey and Anna had given me earlier. Soon we started seeing all of these swanky, upscale restaurants along the water and a million cute little shops and signs with American food. Me and Mary Louise just looked at each other dumbfounded. We went East from our hotel earlier instead of West. We felt pretty stupid but we were so glad there was more to Chania than Sephora. The shops were better than most touristy shops in other countries and I can't wait to go back tomorrow to make purchases. Aunt Adele I will tell you that Austin got you a present that he is very proud of and I know you will enjoy it. All he's been talking about is trying to find a present for his mama. We saw some of our friends eating at a restaurant and decided to join them. And boy are we glad we did! Everyone always laughs at Mary Louise and I when we order food because I always order for the both of us and it's usually quite a lot. We ordered shrimp in garlic sauce, spicy chicken nuggets, stuffed mushrooms, and stuffed baked potatoes which are the same as a twice-baked potatoes. Jamie you really would have enjoyed this meal. All of the restaurants in Crete serve a complimentary dessert of their very strong white whiskey. They bring it out in a small pitcher and bring everyone a shot glass. I have yet to try it because I'm always too tired for alcohol, but if you can imagine Austin loves this "dessert." During the meal Mary Louise said, "I bet everyone on this trip thinks me and Elizabeth are so weird." Nathaniel responds, "No no not at all. You two compliment this group very well. You keep us from being too nerdy." Once again everyone starts laughing and if you knew Nathaniel's personality you would know that he was completely genuine. It started raining before we left and guess what? Wheeze and I left our new umbrellas back at the hotel! Real smart. Luckily it wasn't too far of a walk in the rain on the cobble stone streets. Mary Louise and I watched a little more of Desperate Housewives and mentally prepared ourselves for another day of sight seeing. Some of the group went to an optional Jewish church service with the teachers at 8:00. Dr. Levine saw me being skiddish about all the random cats here and he said, "Ellie I should let you know that there are cats in some of the synagogues. They are sacred and they do indeed belong there. I promise they are well-fed and sanitary." That was all he had to say for me to politely not attend the optional Jewish mass. Dr. Levine is Jewish by the way. I am thankful for the free wifi in this hotel despite the issue with the shower. It would have been nice to go to the beach on our free day since we are on an island but unfortunately I can't control the weather. It was probably best not to be in the sun because it does wear you out. I don't know what tomorrow will bring, but in some ways that's the fun in it!

XOXO,
Elizabeth