Set a course for adventure (courtesy of our hosts) through the Topolia gorge and a tiny church that lives in a cave. We took quite a steep hike up the mountainside to reach this cave church. As this was the first day that we would fly freely (so to speak) with our rental car (it is a Fiesta Panda and the name Panda fondly reminded both of us of our sweet daughter/sister, Amanda that we called Panda as a nickname), we were excited to explore several local sites that appeared on a hand drawn map from Juliet. Juliet created maps tailored to our needs, including highlights and landmarks that included an old defunct van along a field of olive trees, tiny mountain churches here and there, a family taverna, the ancient ruins of a wall of two, several overlook spots and at the top of the mountain, the tall tower. Olive trees are everywhere in Crete, we hear from locals that they are an important crop for Cretans and both within the country and for export. Near to Juliet and Dave’s house there were also farmers growing avocados, oranges, and a host of nut trees.
We climbed the steep incline to the cave church, and after a brief time of prayer and reflection, we ventured on to the small family owned taverna for one of Juliet’s favorite dishes (she is a lover of cheese) “staka”, which is sort of a baked feta cheese served in a clay pot along side fresh bread. The proprietor of the taverna was a fun loving guy who tried his best to communicate with us. In the end he posed for a picture with Jubie and then surprised us both by stealing a quick kiss from Mary as he posed for a picture with her under the orange tree! We hear from many folks, both Greek and others, that the male Greek mojo is no myth and their lusty virility is evident everywhere.