A good bad day

Thursday we rented a car to go ripping around on our own.  We had some maps and vague directions.  Turns out the maps don't really have street names, the streets don't really have street signs, and with no cell phone or GPS it's easy to get into a Big Mess.

We got to this one seaside town that was supposed to have nice beaches.  Turns out they were not as good as the one at our hotel.  We parked on one side of this swank hotel, then tried to cut through to the beach on the other side.  Somehow we got spotted (how?) and they escorted us out.  Awkward, but they escorted us out the side we wanted to get to, so in your FACE swank hotel.

I got sunburned, which got me tired, headachy, and a little nauseated.  We got some food, Michelle's favorite thus far (it has been really hard to find good vegetarian options) and drove back to the hotel for some tasty napping.

Back in the car, we head into Herklion (sp?) to see the ruins of the palace at Knossos.  Got in a pretty serious traffic jam on the way there.  We went the wrong way off the exit and had to loop around thru some twisty action movie chase scene back alleys to get back on track.  We get to the palace, it's meh.  Ruins.  Got it.  This used to be awesome, now it's this pile of rocks.

We had this 'Meet and Eat in Crete" guide and had picked out a restaurant.  Here began the Real Trouble.  Back from Knossos to Herklion.  Ask in cafe, where is this place?  It's back past Knossos.  Had to turn around thru more back alley twistiness, ths one worse than the first, back to Knossos, keep going.  We're getting into the sticks, like just nothing.  We stop a few times to ask, no one knows what we're talking about.  BACK to Herkilion (Look kids, Big Ben!  Parliament!).  Stop for directions at a groc store, down to the port area.  We drive past a parking area, through super slow traffic to a second parking area.  I get the feeling we're in the wrong place, we go back to first parking area.  We ask them: we were supposed to be at the second parking area.  It was at this point that I had to just pull the car over and try not to cry.  I can't deal with the traffic again so we park and walk up.  We hunt around and finally find the restaurant, it was like YES!!!

Unfortunately the food wasn't great and the service was actively poor.  We had them take an item off the total bill.  The best part, for me anyway, was this cute feral cat that would beg at the outdoor tables.

SO, kinda messy day.  But the cool part (for me, Doug), was Michelle.  For all that I get anxious, crabby, frustrated, etc., she is just calm and encouraging and helps me to chill out.  She got the worse end of it at this dinner restaurant, and she didn't let it throw her.

I MARRIED A GREAT WOMAN!