I know I was there at the end of the season so it was much cooler and way less crowded than it can be, but I fell hard for Crete and would go back there in a hot second.

We decided to take a walk as far as our little legs would carry us along the road that hugs the beach. I think we ended up taking a 5 or 6 mile round trip. As we walked, I spotted this doorway, and I’m not sure exactly where this is but it’s within walking distance of Hersonissos. A long walk, but walking distance.

I turned to my husband and said, “If you think we’re not stopping in here on the way back, you’re on crack.”

I’m pretty sure that’s an exact quote.

As a side note: The beaches of Crete are gorgeous, and also totally accessible. I grew up in a world that had private beaches so it took me a while to adjust to the idea that if there is beach access, anyone can access it, but I digress. Pictures of the beach deserve their own post, so stay tuned.

Anyway.

We did indeed stop in the Taverna Gorgona on our walk home, and it may be one of my favorite places on earth. The entrance hall was cool and dark, and opened into a fabulously quirky cafe. The roof was thatch and mesh and the colors were soothing shades of blue and green. As is standard in Greece, but particularly in Crete, cats were everywhere, so it felt like home to me. The pizza was good, the Greek salad was fantastic, the wine was abundant, and we got a crash course in the history of raki, a beloved alcohol in Crete, by a man who might have been the owner of the taverna.

But the view.

Could you picture anything better? I couldn’t have imagined this place if I tried for a hundred years.