Elle Takes Europe 2026 - Day 17: Secret Recipe
Yesterday, I felt like we nailed down a template for our time in Crete, and we will be following a similar rinse-and-repeat approach for the remainder of our time here. When we booked this trip, we were convinced that we should end on something relaxing, and I think we made the right decision. It's been nice to let all of us sleep in, enjoy time by the pool, and not try to cram in as much as possible. Instead, we let Elle sleep past 8 AM again and were down for breakfast close to 9 AM. Given the kid population here (which is immense), they have a great array of breakfast options for Elle, and she hasn’t eaten this much all trip. She loves ham and cheese and will snack on our pancakes, eggs, croissants, bananas, and yogurt. Jenn and I both enjoyed the omelet station and their fresh orange juice.
Once we were done with breakfast, we went back to our room, got changed for the pool, and spent the rest of the morning lying by the pool. We took turns playing with Elle. Her favorite things to do today were jumping into our arms from the pool steps, touching the top of each of the pool’s five bridges, and going on piggyback rides. It was so fun to watch her giggle and have the time of her life. We pushed her pretty hard over the last few weeks, so it was nice to see her have fun and let loose. We once again ordered a margarheta pizza and split it between the three of us before going back to our room and letting Elle take a nap. During her nap, we finalized my 40th Birthday trip to Tokyo and Osaka and sat on the balcony, enjoying yet another perfect day in Crete.
When we checked in, we were given a voucher for two free drinks at the hotel's main bar, and so before we went to dinner, the three of us strolled to the lobby bar. Jenn got a French 75, and I had a gin Martini. Couldn’t ask for a nicer way to start off the evening overlooking the ocean. We then grabbed a taxi to take us to Ocean Restaurant, a few minutes' walk from last night’s dinner. Like last night, we were the only ones eating there and got to pick the table closest to the water. We both started with glasses of the house white wine and their tuna and fish roe dip with bread. For Elle’s dinner, we got her the pasta with marinara sauce, which she devoured. Jenn had the fresh catch of the day, and I had the lamb. The food here was fantastic, and might have been the best meal we’ve had in Greece. We planned to skip dessert, but they brought out their house specialty, which was divine. Easily the best dessert we’ve had on the trip and one of the best of recent memory. It was so good, Jenn asked what it was and the recipe, and they said they couldn’t say, and it was a family secret. Fair enough.
Given the struggle with the walk home last night, we decided on a taxi. Ironically, it's a 3-4 minute drive and costs 10 euros, but it's worth it compared to carrying Elle the entire way. When we arrived at the hotel, we took in the beautiful evening and then walked to our room. We put Elle to sleep, and I spent most of the evening looking at and editing photos. Some of my favorite photos of the trip are of Elle, smiling in her spaghetti-stained dress, or, like tonight, in front of the ocean at sunset. Those are photos that I’ll know I’ll look back at for years to come and smile at how proud I am of her for how well she’s done on this trip. It hasn’t been perfect, but she’s such a good kid and has been a trooper throughout.
