Discovering Atlanta's Worst Fear on the Island of Crete

Atlanta's Worst Possible Fear

The Greek Heroes' descendants were once again vacationing in Greece. This time, though, their choice in a Greek vacation was Crete, Greece's southernmost island off of its coast.

Herry: I can't believe we're already in Crete. The beaches and the resorts are real pretty, but I can't believe it's also as hot as it is.

Odie: Get used to it, Herry. The weather in Crete is similar to being in the Caribbean or...

Neil: I think I'll just be going out on a limb here and guess that the 'or' of your comparison is the islands of Hawaii.

Neil was looking into his three-sided hand mirror when he said this.

Odie: Uh, yeah, that is an accurate assumption, more or less, but Crete isn't this terribly hot during the winter months.

Herry: Whatever. I'm hungry. Let's hit the Cretan food carts, see what this island offers to eat.

Neil: I could definitely go for some pita bread, hummus, and tzatziki.

Odie: Unfortunately, Crete doesn't offer hummus or tzatziki, and the closest thing this island has to pita bread is paximathia. And paximathia is one of the harder breads. There is also triftoudia, but that's only a type of orzo. Or blessed thistle with lamb if you're into meat.

Neil: They got anything related to salad on the island?

Odie: Well, there's dakos and stamnagathi. They qualify as Cretan salads.

Herry: I'm kinda more in the mood for cheeses.

Odie: There is amarino, seliano, or tirozouli. There's also pichtogalo if you're feeling really hungry.

Theresa: I guess I could go for something to eat.

Jay: Any good restaurants or food carts in the area near us, Odie?

Odie: They're all over the island. We're bound to catch sight of one eventually.

Archie: I'm a little hungry for some meat so I guess I'll go for that plant thing with the lamb that you mentioned, Odie.

They all went to get something to eat from the food cart pavilion that was near the beach. Neil and Atlanta went for the salads, Theresa, Jay, and Herry got some cheese dishes, Odie went for tomatoes with snails, while Archie got the blessed thistle with lamb like he said he would.

Herry: Well, that was a great meal.

Odie: I agree. We should definitely come back to Crete for an island getaway again.

Neil: It's not really to my taste, but it'll do when it comes down to the need for island retreats.

The others all looked at Neil questioningly.

Neil: What? I can appreciate the way that Crete manages to sustain island style beaches among all these old Greek temples and stuff.

Jay: Yeah well, I think you could also say that about the island of Santorini, though.

Theresa: Well, I'm ready to head back to the beach. Anyone else?

Herry: I'm up for it.

Jay: I feel like sailing, anyway.

Neil: I guess I could work on my tan.

Odie: I hope I can study the geological formations on the beach.

Archie: Count me out. The beach means the ocean, a body of water.

Atlanta: I'll go to the beach. I hope I can get in some surfing.

Jay: You don't have to come onto the beach to go swimming, Archie.

Theresa: Since you're this against swimming, maybe you could go shellfish hunting.