Octomom

So often on vacations, I’m so focused on what to see and do, I forget to rest or feel guilty if I do. I’m trying to turn over a new leaf and not be so driven. On this day, I elected to do relax.

I took a hike into the village to get a loaf of bread from the bakery. No, I’m not worried about carbs here. The bread is so good. And cheap—1.2€. I sat on the beautiful patio and watched the sea when I got back.

Then I decided to drive down to the beach, which was deserted and very rocky as many beaches are here. My host had told me about a different beach, which I found in the opposite direction. He said no one is there even in the summer, and it was easy to see why. There was a steep walk down on a narrow path around boulders. The water was amazingly clear, but there was not a lot of sun, which I needed to make the day beach worthy.

So I returned to the other beach and attempted to wade out over the rocks. Something swirled around my ankle and startled me. Imagine my surprise to see an octopus. I shook it off and moved away from it, but it came for me again. It was a pretty brown and not that large. I decided against going out on further because the rocks were a bit treacherous.

I googled why an octopus would attach to a human, and evidently they can be curious and a bit playful. It definitely startled me but it was a cool experience.

I actually stopped down to my bathing suit and laid on the beach for awhile and finished The Fall of Crete, the book I d been reading about the battle of Crete during WWII, which had informed me about a lot of the places I have and will see while I’m here.

I really wanted to swim, so I wandered further down the beach and found a more accessible area. The water was cool, but I’ve definitely swum in colder! I can now say I swam in the Libyan Sea.

I had some more chill time and another sunset, and I prepared to drive to Chania in the morning.