Crete: A Beautiful Destination with Wonderful People
A few months ago, the company I work at received a significant amount of funding. As a thanks for all of the hard work we endured during the period my company took all their employees to Crete for some relaxation and strategic planning.
Obviously I am prohibited/don’t want to speak about the details of our seminars, but I feel that the trip/relaxation part of the trip is fair game for my famous “trip reviews” that my blog is becoming known for. So here we go:
Our chartered flight to Crete was scheduled to depart at 09:00 from Ben Gurion airport outside of Tel Aviv. The company leadership asked us to arrive by 06:30 so we could depart on time. Not wanting to risk some issue with public transit, I opted for a taxi from my home to the airport. I arranged the ride a week in advance. The driver was Israeli and despite the early hour he tried to make some small talk with me. Myself and speaking Hebrew early in the morning don’t mix very well, but I was able to crank out a few sentences nevertheless. The driver was also very critical of how all of the checkpoints (there is one outside my town and then another at the airport) were not properly staffed. I didn’t have much to say about it especially since our army right now is stretched pretty thin so I just said “כן”/”yes” a bunch of times in hopes that he would drop it. I arrived at the airport in record time and proceeded to check in.
Notable for this trip is that it was the first time (at least in a long time) I was traveling without my family since the new airport terminal opened in 2004, and there was also time to pray before the flight. So I went into the shul they have built as part of the terminal and waited for a minyan. When a minyan arrived some guy pointed to me and said I should be chazzan (readers of the blog will know that this is no surprise). I declared I would be davening Nussach Ashkenaz (probably the rarest Nusach in Israel) and there were no objections so I went and led the prayers for my fellow travelers including a few of my coworkers. Jews praying together despite their differences always makes me happy and living in a country where I have a proper Beit Knesset and not a “chapel” also makes me really happy (readers can decide for themselves whether or not I shed a few tears).
Our flight departs on time, and I attempt to rawdog the flight, which lasts all of like 20 minutes. I pull out my tikun korim to prepare for the reading this Shabbat. Then, after the coworker sitting next to me returned to her seat after getting up, I speak with her a little bit about her role in the company and also her childhood. Turns out she had some pretty cool experiences, so I’m glad I asked!
After arriving at probably the most rundown airport I have ever been at (the bathroom in departures had an old water bottle being used as a soap dispenser, though they are opening a new airport in a few years so this may explain some of the neglect), we board a bus for 2 hours of free time in Agios Nikolaos. The bus driver acted as a semi-tour guide as well, pointing out various sights and locations along the hour-long drive. The geologic aspects of the island are very breathtaking.
In Agios Nikolaos I join up with another coworker and walk a kilometer up the hill to the museum in the city which holds many of the area's archeological findings. Admission was €6. This was a fair price for this museum. It took about an hour to wander its halls. Please view the gallery with all the photos or view more details about each image. If you are Jewish and you are a Kohein/Priest, this museum is off limits as they have human remains on display (I do not condone this practice). Wear light clothes because the museum is kept at 24/25C so it is a bit warm.
Following the museum we head back to the touristy area and I find souvenirs for my family and join my coworker for a cup of cappuccino in a local cafe. The cafe overlooked what I think they called “the lake” which is really just a lagoon. While we were sitting, people were playing with a remote-controlled boat, so that was fun to watch.
We arrived at the resort and had free time until dinner which was called for 19:30. I unpacked, chatted with my roommate/coworker for a bit (showed him my blog!) and then I took a walk around the premises. They were large, spacious, and pretty!
At dinner aside from the speeches and video presentations, we were entertained by people performing ethnic dances, so that was pretty cool. I returned to my room and went to sleep.
Day 2 began at sunrise, which is an hour later than it is here in Israel because Greece is in the same time zone in Israel, but at the western end. I didn’t catch “vatikin” in the perfect sense, but I was still at the water in time to see the sun come above the horizon. I can see this happen 100 times and it would still be super amazing. It is different than sunset because you can’t stare at the sun long enough to see the whole process. But sunrise is different because until the sun peeks above the horizon, you can look directly ahead. The fact that it happens on it own really makes you realize how well Hashem has everything synced up and how much things happen on their own without any intervention from us, and maybe how we should leave more things alone in our lives.
After 30ish minutes, I finish my prayers and check my phone to see that some coworkers had gone for an early morning hike. Next time! But just then another coworker posts that he wanted to go for a run. So I ask to join him. We meet up and then meet up with two other coworkers, and we all go for a 5K run along the coast. More stunning views, great weather, and more dopamine for that brain.
I return for breakfast, where I made myself some oatmeal with peach jam. I then take some “me time” and watch a little YouTube. Then I head to the beach. I go rock collecting, read a little, rest a little, then join coworkers for some beach volleyball. This would become a theme on this trip, as I hadn’t played volleyball in years, but I did happen to enjoy it very much in gym class in high school. So while I was a little rusty, I didn’t embarrass myself too much and had fun as well.
In the afternoon the seminars began and along with that did much of the free time for experiences. We went out to a local restaurant for dinner (Kosher food was provided for those who wanted) and heard from a talented Israeli saxophonist. We got free beer and drinks, too, which is always appreciated.
The next morning, I again arose in time for the sunrise, ate some breakfast, then played Badminton/Shuttlecock with my roommate. I had maybe played this game 4 times in my life during birthday parties my friend used to have at his grandmother’s house on Cape Cod. The best way to describe the game, now having played it in my adulthood and for more time than I had previously combined, is “slow-motion tennis”. Playing the game also meant I was physically active all three days of the vacation, which is quite an accomplishment!
More seminars wrapped up the day, followed by a quick “family picture”. The plane ride home had some low-key “action” towards the end when we were redirected to the airport out of an abundance of caution given the current situation in Israel. During the approach, there were multiple laser pointers aimed in our direction and we were able to view the Iron Dome doing its work from above. Nevertheless, we thank God landed safely, I quickly saw my friend who literally just made aliyah a few minutes prior, my bag came off the conveyor on time and I headed home back to my family and a good night’s rest. Can’t wait for the next one, but I know we need to earn it, and thank you to everyone who put it together.