Today was my turn to drive. We opted for a mini road trip up to a couple of mountain villages I’d read about. The first one was Tylissos which is a very old village with an impressive set of excavated ruins of a large Minoan town. Unfortunately despite it supposed to be open every day it was all closed up and locked. However we wobbled around the village and enjoyed the small square.

The old fountain and church in the village square are beautiful and even better – not a tourist shop or tatty tourist gifts in sight. This is just a local village with at least three old coffee shops and about 50 cats. Peaceful

On then to Rogdia or Rodia, another village based in the mountains with incredible views of Heraklion and the sea (and equally perilously narrow winding roads that snake up the hillside). We hoped to grab a bite to eat at a couple of Tavernas I had read about but unfortunately despite the views they offered they were closed. However, we had a peaceful day driving around

And that bloody cough of mine is back again. Today I’ll be mostly sounding like someone trying to kick start a seal.