- Driving your Go Rental Car on the highway
Even though is called highway E75 or E90 has nothing to do with the ones at your country. What is called highway in Crete is one lane road (at its most part) little wider than the ones in the cities with hundreds of turns and old asphalt at its biggest part. Be very careful when driving on the “highways of Crete” do not over speed and always wear seat belts (SAFETY FIRST). We Cretans are naturally born race drivers. Driving like fast and furious is in our DNA. You will see people overtaking you in the most incredible points. Do not pay attention and certainly do not try getting in competition with them. Cretans get very upset if somebody overtakes them and always remember, you are here for holidays and they know the way better than you do…
- Speed Radar Cameras
The last few years highways on Crete (E90 - E75) are equipped with Speed Cameras. There are 36 fully operational speed cameras all along the 255Kms of the Cretan Highways. Since Cretans are well known for the hospitality local authorities have installed warning sings before check points. There are at least two warning sings before each speed camera. Usually the distance from the first sign to till the camera is about 1000mtrs. This gives drivers the chance to slow down and avoid penalties. The main violations these radar cameras are programmed to picture are a) Exceeding the speed limit, b) Use of cell phone c) Driving on the emergency lane. By exceeding the speed limit up to 20 Kilometres the money penalty is 40 Euros, after that the amounts are getting very high!!! As far as it concern Car Rentals Crete penalties and photos are send to the Company a few months after the violation. Then the Rental Company is obliged to provide authorities with the rental agreement which has all renters data ( name, address etc.) The by using the EUCARIS system penalties are send to the home country of the renter and local authorities are liable for the ticket to be paid. In a few words if you get a ticket during your holidays in Crete you pay it when you return home.
- Choosing the correct place to eat
Even though most of will come to Crete for holidays and tourism none of you will ever like to eat “tourist food”. The major question is: Where do locals eat? And since I’m a stranger here how will I pick a restaurant? Before answering I have to admit that all kinds of restaurants in Crete will offer you more than “tourist food”. Nevertheless a secret in order to pick a descent restaurant is the Menu. The smallest the Menu is the better the food is, and makes perfect sense. The less different dishes a restaurant has to prepare the better the quality and taste of food will serve. Ask yourself is it possible for a kitchen to prepare 20 different starters, 20 different salads, 50 main dishes etc and make them all good? My second tip concerns the restaurants identity. This has to do with what you are in a mood to eat. So if for example your appetite asks for seafood, go to a place that offers only that. Restaurants that combine all types of cousins’ are in generally medium for not saying bad. Ask yourself how well cooked or fresh can seafood be in a restaurant that despite seafood offers pizzas, burgers, pasta and steaks prepared in 5 different styles (French, Italian etc) and have also Asian cousin? You all know the answer…!
• Cretans and raki
Raki is the traditional alcohol drink of Crete which is made of distilled grapes that you will find everywhere… Cretans adore raki in general which they consume in daily basis and at all occasions. Taking the Cretan hospitality as a fact there is absolutely no chance no to drink while on Crete. For sure raki will be offered to you either in a restaurant after lunch - dinner or even in the street of a village from a complete stranger that happened to be sitting in a cafe. If we excess restaurants that will offer you raki as a desert together with some kind of sweet Cretans and especially old ones are insulted if they offer you a shot of raki and you do not drink it. Drink at least one shot and if you do not want more just cover your glass with your hand. This way you will show them that you appreciated their hospitality but you don’t want more. As spoken before raki is an alcoholic drink that should not be combined with others and of course DO NOT DRINK AND DRIVE. Especially during summer alcohol tests are increased by police and for your information the alcohol limit is 0.25. Why have bad surprises…?
