Stop #4: Finding Crete — When Arrival Requires Trust

Crete didn't arrive easily.

The day began with breakfast at my hotel in Piraeus. With my suitcase rolling behind me and the morning air still cool, I walked towards the port to board the ferry to Heraklion.

As the ferry pulled away, I settled into a reclining seat and watched Piraeus slowly disappear behind us. The sea was calm, the waves rising and falling gently, and I felt the quiet excitement of another chapter beginning.

I can't always see what's waiting ahead.
I can keep moving towards it.
I am open to what comes next.

When we reached Heraklion, the peaceful rhythm of the crossing quickly disappeared.

With my suitcase in tow, I walked from the port to the bus terminal, climbed more steps than I could count, and caught a bus to the airport to collect my rental car.

Only then did I discover that the rental car company would happily have collected me from the port — if only I'd asked!

I couldn't help smiling at myself.

Another lesson learned.

I can't know everything in advance.
I can learn as I go.
I am allowed to be new.

Soon, I was driving east towards Ferma, where I had booked my accommodation at Oleander Garden.

There was just one small problem.

I had no GPS.

No Wi-Fi.

Just carefully handwritten directions and the hope that I would find my way.

The roads twisted and turned. Signs were sometimes difficult to find, and unfamiliar junctions appeared when I least expected them.

I got lost.

More than once.

Each wrong turn made me a little more anxious, but I reminded myself that getting lost didn't mean I had failed. It simply meant I needed to keep looking.

I can't control every detail.
I can keep moving anyway.
I am choosing persistence over panic.

Eventually, I stopped at a small local shop and asked for directions.

The shopkeeper listened patiently, smiled and pointed me towards a narrow, unmarked road near Milonas Waterfall.

Such a simple act of kindness.

Yet at that moment, it meant the world to me.

And there it was.

Oleander Garden.

I had finally arrived!

Miro, the owner, welcomed me warmly, along with his loyal dog, Rex.

Rex looked remarkably like a miniature version of my own dog, Max, back home.

I smiled immediately.

Thousands of miles from everything familiar, here was a little reminder of home waiting to greet me.

I can't manufacture belonging.
I can recognise it when it finds me.
I am exactly where I need to be.

After settling into my accommodation, I decided to explore.

I followed a mountain path downhill, winding between trees and houses, until the landscape opened to reveal a beautiful hidden beach beneath the cliffs.

The sea shimmered in the sunlight.

Gentle waves rolled towards the shore.

Little cafés nestled beside the water.

After the long ferry crossing, the difficult journey and all those wrong turns, I had found somewhere that felt like paradise.

I sat with a coffee, listening to the sea and allowing myself to be completely still.

There was nowhere else I needed to be.

Nothing I needed to accomplish.

Just this moment.

I can't rush happiness.
I can notice it when it arrives.
I am grateful for the simple beauty around me.

Later, I wandered into Ferma village, visited the little minimarket for supplies and enjoyed a simple dinner.

Then came one final challenge.

The walk back uphill to Oleander Garden!

After such a long day, my legs were tired, and the path seemed much steeper than it had on the way down.

But I climbed slowly, one step at a time.

Above me, the stars filled the night sky.

Behind me, the sea rested quietly beneath the darkness.

And somewhere ahead was my little home in Crete.

When I finally reached Oleander Garden, I felt tired, relieved and wonderfully content.

I had travelled by ferry, bus and car.

I had taken wrong turns.

I had asked for help.

I had met kind strangers, found a friendly dog who reminded me of home, and discovered a beautiful beach tucked beneath the cliffs.

And somehow, every part of the journey had brought me exactly where I needed to be.

Crete had already taught me something important.

Paradise isn't always easy to find.

But sometimes, every wrong turn is part of the adventure.

I can't arrive without effort.
I can trust myself to keep going.
I am grateful I followed the road.

Live Happy. Be Kind. Stay Grateful. Be Hapkinful. 💛