Rethymnon: Day 2

Our wake up call wasn't until 8 AM this morning, so I got a solid 7 hours of sleep. That's two nights in a row! And it feels good. Breakfast was delicious at this hotel, with a full buffet bar. I had croissants with Nutella, watermelon, honeydew, and an over-easy-egg/cheese on bread.

We drove an hour on the bus to Phaestos, another ancient Minoan palace that just looked like a bunch of rocks. The only significant fact about Phaestos is that the famous disc with symbols, thought to be early script, was found there by archaeologists. It was extremely hot again, but it didn't feel as bad as yesterday. Nonetheless, I was still dripping down my back and legs.

After an hour at Phaestos, we drove twenty minutes over to the neighboring ancient village of Gortys, which was much smaller, but way cooler. The only structures worth seeing were the church of St. Titus built in the 6th century A.D., and a 6th century B.C. script, the newest version that is believed to have led to our alphabet today.

Finally, it was time for the beach! We were given three hours to spend at Matala Beach, where we first ate lunch. It was a crepe place but I decided to order calimari for 6 euro that wasn't very good. In hindsight I should have realized a crepe taverna might not specialize in seafood. Oh well, live and learn.

Located on the Libyan Sea, Matala Beach is surrounded by cliffs with caves dating back 7000 years ago. We had so much fun! There was one particular cliff that is used for jumping by the locals, so we decided to be true "travelers" and participate. The water was extremely clear with lots of rocks, and much colder than any of our other beach experiences!

The cliff is located probably 150 meters or so from the shore, so Meghan and I were the first to swim out there with one of the guys. The next step was to climb up the rocks to the top. On my first trip up I was thinking there was no way I could possibly scale the wet side of a cliff. It seemed a little dangerous, but I found that if I moved quickly and strategically placed my feet and hands in the crevases, it wasn't bad at all. Actually, by the fifth time I was a pro!

So once I made it to the top, looking down freaked me out a little. The view from the cliff was unbelievable. I so badly wish I could have taken my camera out there, but at the same time I will never forget what it looked like. The water was just sparkling, with the beach and caves on the left, and a huge cliff in front of us with tavernas built into the side. There was a sign on one of the walls that read, "Live today. Tomorrow will never come."

Prepared to take the plunge, we spotted some rocks to the left, but straight ahead and to the right was completely clear and very deep. Plus the locals were doing dives and back flips, and they were still alive. The first time, I just sort of spontaneously jumped because I knew if I thought about it too much I would psych myself out. So Meghan went first as sort of our guinea pig, because the girl is totally fearless, and then it was my turn. I took a couple of steps and just ... leaped! I didn't even notice that I was in a free fall for what seemed like forever because all I could see was the bright blue water below. It wasn't the most graceful of jumps and stung in a few places, most of all in my nose and throat because of the massive amount of saltwater I ingested. Talk about an adrenaline rush.

I managed to do it four more times and it only got better and better. My form improved to more of a "pencil", if you will, so that I had a smooth entry. Even so, my swimsuit top never once stayed on, but I always realized it under water and had enough time to pull it back down. One of the girls climbed to the top shortly after I did for the first time, and after my fourth jump, she was still there. She froze up and refused to jump despite all of us cheering her on. Let me tell ya, it was like trying to get a cat out of a tree; it just wasn't going to happen. Going down the rocks was way more dangerous, but that's what she finally resorted to because she realized a helicopter was not going to fly over to pick her up.

What a rush!! How many people can say they've jumped off a 30 ft. cliff into the Libyan Sea? Which by the way is only 115 miles north of Africa! After all the fun, Meghan and I got gelato in the town from a little bakery/gelateria, where the woman was so rude to us. Some of the Greeks are outright rude, and others are so hospitable and friendly, I don't get it. But anyhow, the gelato was triple chocolate and so creamy.

We had an hour-and-a-half bus ride home, on which all of us passed out. You could have heard a pin drop. I showered immediately to get the dried salt off me and then just hung out and made a PB&J sandwich for dinner.

We have an elaborate scheme for going out tonight ... I'll keep you posted on how that goes.