This is a title Sarah and I chose, a bit tongue and cheek, because it seems so impossible to describe the beauty that’s surrounding us or the richness of our experiences. But boy did we have a doozey of an experience the other day.

The whole time we were on Crete, we were on the search for the best beach. We did plenty of asking around and agreed to make the hour and a half drive to Elafonisi. Oh. My. Gosh. I have never seen a place like this, and I’m certain that I won’t be able to accurately communicate its beauty through a blog. So just go there some day.

The drive to this beach ends in a winding dirt road that made me a little skeptical about where we would end up. Seems like someone would fancy up the road that leads to a supposed great beach, I thought. Then we crested a hill that overlooked the shore and oh my gosh. That moment truly stands out as one of the greats for me from our trip. Spread out before us was a beach unlike anything I’d ever seen. The water forms its way into several pools, all connected, but each so calm and still. And I’ve never seen so many shades of blue in one body of water. I’ve never been too picky about beach sand – give me a flat lava rock and I’m happy – but I can see why people are suckers for this soft powdery stuff.

So we settled our towels, and I had to just stand around for awhile to take it all in. This is the best way I can think of to explain just how wonderful this place is: Sarah and I took a walk in the water (which stays below hip level in the pools closest to shore and is still and refreshing) and talked about how people pay $500 a night to stay at places with beaches like this. We couldn’t get over that we had been allowed to just drive up and camp out for the day. And for the rest of the day, I kept thinking about how I live a middle class life, which I consider such a privilege, and this was a place so beautiful that only people who make more money than I’ll ever understand should be allowed in. And I’m so grateful that it’s just a public beach that anyone can see, and that it’s beautiful, not because some resort has manicured it, but because it seems relatively untouched since the day God created it. What an honor to laze in such a new kind of beauty for a day.

…an interesting tidbit – The day after our beach visit, Susan and I were talking to a jewelry maker in a shop right around the corner from our studio (who, incidentally, is one of the dreamiest hunks I’ve ever seen). I gushed to him about Elafonisi and asked him if he’d ever been there. He said he has, but there are other beaches far better. These beaches aren’t accessible by car. You have to walk an hour or two to reach them, but it’s totally worth it. It’s hard for me to imagine a beach more breathtaking than Elafonisi, but again, I was so deeply grateful that there is so much beauty tucked away, and that sometimes a journey is required that makes the experience all the richer.

To be completely honest – we visited this beach on a really windy day, winds that only picked up throughout the day, stirring up the previously calm waters. At one point, I took the hotdog back to the car to ensure its safety. When we had finished swimming and snorkeling, we laid on the beach forever. This is when about a pound of sand found its way into my hair. I’m still finding traces of it. And that night when I crawled into bed with my book, I opened it up, which spilled a layer of sand on my bed. BUT – no complaints. I’ve had days in my life that have been a real surprise – days that far surpass any expectations I’ve had. I hope you’ve had these days too…they’re such a gift and inspiration. And this day at Elafonisi – a very pretty place – fits right in that category.