Thomas Cook

David and I have never done a package tour because he's very good at putting together wonderful vacations on his own. However, the cheapest way to do a week in Greece is with Thomas Cook package holidays. For 800 pounds, the two of us will fly to Crete directly from Belfast on a Thomas Cook plane, and spend a week at a hotel where we'll have a daily breakfast. That's roughly $600 each for a week in Crete. Not bad. We are staying in Rethymnon, with its endless cobbled streets and alleys, its royal blue ocean, its ancient fort and churches, and its blend of Venetian, Turkish, and Greek influences.

Today was a travel day, so these photos are from tomorrow...

This restaurant is across the street from the hotel.

Here's what a Greek salad looks like on Crete:

And dessert is a complementary pitcher of raki (very potent hooch) and grapes:

9/22