This week started like any other, except we were still recovering from our late-night drive home from Le Mans. Monday was a significant day, though, as it marked five years since we moved to Germany.
Technically, my anniversary was back in May since I arrived a few weeks before everyone else. But we celebrate the June date because that’s when Matt, the kids, and the dogs arrived, and our family was finally reunited.
I can’t lie; I have mixed feelings about still being here. We originally signed up for three years, figuring we’d probably stay for five. We never imagined we’d still be here beyond that. There are plenty of reasons we’ve decided to stay a little longer. Ryan wants to finish school in Germany, and after changing careers when we moved overseas, Matt has built a job he genuinely enjoys. That’s not to say we don’t love living here; we absolutely do, and that certainly factors into our decision. But we also miss home more with each passing year.
It’s hard watching your old life continue without you. It’s also been difficult to build a new life and make close friends here, only to say goodbye as people rotate to their next assignment. And this fall, Brooklyn will be an ocean away as she starts college. I have no idea how we’re going to handle that. I just hope we’ve made the right decision.
Regardless, life keeps moving. After finally finishing all the paperwork on Monday, I picked up my new car on Tuesday! It’s been about six weeks since we started the process of selling our old car and buying this one, so by the time it was done, it almost felt anticlimactic. Still, it’s nice to have two cars again, and I have to admit, it’s pretty nice!
It was also a short workweek because we were heading out on Thursday for Brooklyn’s post-graduation trip. Her only request? A beach. I offered plenty of active vacation ideas, but she quickly shut them all down. 🤣 No hiking, no tours, no sightseeing, and no driving all over the place; just a resort, a beach, and absolutely no itinerary.
We finally settled on Crete since we’d never been before. I also hadn’t done much research, so I wasn’t even sure what there was to do besides relax by the beach and pool, which was exactly what Brooklyn wanted anyway. On the recommendation of several friends, we booked Star Beach Village on the island’s north coast, about thirty minutes from Heraklion. It would also be our first all-inclusive resort experience in Europe.
Our flight departed at 6:55 Thursday morning, so we left the house just before 5:00 a.m. Even with the time change, we landed by 11:00, picked up our rental car, which was the second smallest car we’ve ever driven, and arrived at the resort around noon.
Our room wasn’t quite ready, but they gave us our wristbands so we headed to the pool bar for lunch. By the time we finished eating, our room was ready early. We unpacked, changed into our swimsuits, and spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing by the pool. That evening we had dinner at one of the resort’s buffet restaurants before calling it an early night after our 4:00 a.m. wake-up call.
On Friday, we ventured away from the resort. A family friend had recommended Matala Beach, and surprisingly, Brooklyn actually wanted to go.
Matala Beach is famous for its crystal-clear water, golden sand, and ancient caves carved into the sandstone cliffs. Once Roman tombs and later home to a thriving hippie community in the 1960s, it’s one of Crete’s most unique beaches.
As it turns out, Brooklyn told me the beach had a reputation as a hippie and rock hangout in the 1960s and 70s, and that Bob Dylan and the Beatles may have visited, something that made her very excited.
After a short walk from the parking lot, we found plenty of beach chairs and umbrellas and set up for the morning. We spent hours walking the beach, cooling off in the water, and soaking up the sunshine.
Shortly after noon, however, the wind really picked up. Sea spray was reaching us even though we were six rows back from the shoreline, and our belongings kept blowing around while we were getting pelted with sand. We decided that was our cue to head back to the resort.
We made it back in time for lunch, then spent the rest of the afternoon alternating between the pool and the beach. That evening we had dinner at the resort’s Asian restaurant, which was also buffet-style. It ended up being our favorite meal of the trip.
Saturday was our final full day, and we planned to spend every minute of it relaxing at the resort. After an early breakfast, we claimed our beach chairs and settled in for a full day of doing absolutely nothing. We took a break for lunch before returning to our chairs for more sunshine.
Ryan had one request for the trip: he wanted to go tubing. Late that afternoon we signed up for “Extreme Tubing.” Extreme was definitely the right word. The boat flew over huge waves at what felt like top speed. Brooklyn was the only one who got thrown off the tube. By the end, my arms were completely exhausted from hanging on. Ryan, meanwhile, was having the time of his life. At one point he was actually kneeling on top of the tube, laughing hysterically while the rest of us were hanging on for dear life. I kept catching myself grimacing and had to remind myself to smile so Ryan could enjoy every second of it.
Once the ride was over, we headed back to the beach. I had planned to take a nap, but after that tubing ride, I decided a glass of wine sounded like a much better idea.
For our final dinner, we tried the resort’s Greek restaurant. Like the others, it was buffet-style. It was fine, but not nearly as good as the Asian restaurant, and it didn’t have our favorite desserts. Naturally, we wandered over to the main buffet afterward just for dessert.
Sunday morning came far too quickly. We packed our bags, enjoyed one last breakfast at the resort, and headed to the airport. We were back in Stuttgart by 1:00 p.m., giving us the rest of the afternoon to unpack and get ready for another week.
Overall, we really liked our stay at Star Beach, although we didn’t quite love it. Since schools across Europe were still in session, the only children at the resort were toddlers and preschoolers. It was completely overrun with little kids, which wasn’t a problem in itself, but it did make the buffet experience a little chaotic. We had a spacious double room, but it was located right in the middle of the family water park and was a long walk from the quieter areas where we spent most of our time.
Even so, we all agreed it was a great trip. Even the kids admitted they had a wonderful time. And despite my complaints about the food, I was still a little sad to leave. I definitely could have spent one more day in that pool chair.
Gilcrests Abroad 