Lasagna Garden

We didn’t have a chance to do any gardening during the last year in Costa Rica. With the snakes and scorpions surrounding our house, our field work was limited to picking bananas and limes out of the trees.

Back in Canada, the whole family had a sudden urge to do some organic gardening in our yard so last week we spent some time building a Lasagna Garden with the kids.

We picked a spot on the south side of the house and started the prep work.

With a clean area, it was time for the layers.

Manure and compost

The “noodles” (i.e. cardboard).

More layers

Ready for planting!

On the subject of lasagna, Naimah took a break during the process to help prepare an edible version for dinner.

Welcome Back

We are back in Victoria, British Columbia. We will still be posting about the rest of our travels in Greece but figured that we would sprinkle some present-day happenings in-between.

Since we didn’t tell many people when were coming back, we expected to return to an empty home without much fanfare. What an amazing surprise to find that someone had planned the warmest welcome that we have ever received!

A streamer welcoming us in our living room

Flowers and “Welcome Home Globetrotters” note, plus some fake spilled nail polish on the kitchen counter to get a rise out of us.

A personalized sign welcoming each of our children awaiting them in their rooms

And possibly the greatest gift that anyone could bestow on a weary traveller dreading the return to a house devoid of anything edible… a fridge and counter stocked with the essentials!

In our world travels, we have met so many special people but every time we return, we are reminded how blessed we are to have such generous and thoughtful neighbours right next door. Thank you so much Laurie Anne, Richard, Reece, and Ana!

Elafonisi, Crete

The south western tip of Crete has one of the nicest beaches in all of Greece – Elafonisi.

The drive to Elafonisi has breathtaking views. (Just take care that you don’t hit any sheep.)

The water is crystal clear and warm. The beach is perfect for children because the water is amazingly calm like a swimming pool.

Chaniá, Crete

We took an overnight ferry from Athens to Chaniá, Crete. Chaniá, which is also transliterated from the Greek “Χανιά” as Hania, Xania, and Khaniá (making it confusing for tourists reading the maps and guidebooks), has a rich history that spans Minoan, Byzantine, Venetian, and Ottoman eras. During World War II, the city of Chaniá was invaded and occupied by German forces.

The ferry crossing from Athens to Chaniá takes 9 hours so we reserved a cabin in order to be able to get some rest. Sleeping in the bunk beds on the boat was a big highlight for the kids.

We arrived a bit groggy at 5:30am in a port with a few vending machines, telephones and public conveniences. A short walk from the terminal, we found a bus to take us into Chania’s Old Town.

Despite being heavily bombed during World War II, Chania's Old Town is considered the most beautiful urban district on Crete, especially the Venetian harbour.

We spent some time walking through the narrow alleyways.

While the adults were marvelling at the beauty of the Old Town of Chania…

The kids were looking forward to stopping for some juice and ice cream.