My retreat in Astrikas, Crete

Back in Chania now after a lovely week in the hills of northwest Crete ... what a gorgeous isolated little village for a yoga retreat ... the instructor from Scotland/London was Amy ... a super knowledgeable, compassionate teacher who has been instructing for many years and lead the six of us in a series of wonderful classes, approximately 3 hours each day, morning and evening. We had our meals in a nearby taverna under a beautiful magnolia tree ... cooked by the lovely owner of the taverna with fresh, organic, local ingredients. The surrounding countryside was laden with olive groves, the smell was often overwhelming ... this has been an extremely dry summer and the olive trees are heavy with fruit demanding to be picked, which they will be by migrant workers in mid-October.

I was so excited at the retreat because when I arrived at the hotel I was led to my own room with a large balcony overlooking the mountains and hills spotted with farms and olive groves, the sounds were only of animals ... roosters, sheep, birds ... often pretty noisy. We visited various villages close by, walking up and down the lovely hills, the weather is wonderful, hot during the day and cooler at nite, perfect for travel. We practised yoga in an outdoor studio in the morning and the late afternoon, we also had a pool to sunbathe and swim during the day, a perfect time was had by all!

Now back to Chania, awaiting Wally's arrival tomorrow nite, then we begin our travels together, I have found a little studio apartment for us in old town Chania. More news to follow ...