Another hot day dawned. Another day that began in the comparative coolness of Chania's Old Town, where breakfast was taken outside. Ham and Cheese spread on the still warm fresh bread was a delight although I was not really awake until my third cup of coffee! With the heat, the only option was to get into the mountains. Catching the bus, I was soon heading out of town, passing through the orange groves in which those from the white walled prison nearby toil. Here too, a large war memorial, to those Cretans who gave their lives in WWII, bravely delaying the German advance to the mountains and thus ensuring the evacuation of many through the Imros Gorge. Slowly, the bus climbed higher, the driver cleverly taking the hairpin bends with little effort. Soon, almost unexpectedly, the ... read more

It had rained for most of the night. Not that depressing pitter-patter of rain drops, but a good, hard downpour. By 04h00, all was quiet, save for the trickle of water draining from the streets and by 08h00, there was a beautiful sunrise. Tall orange clouds filled the early morning air. Beautiful but not what I was hoping for. I went downstairs for breakfast. This morning's meal would be indoors as the chairs and tables were sodden. The air felt cooler as the first drops of rain began. Just a little. Then more. Before long, it was as though the taps had been turned on. Water fell from the sky at a great rate of knots. Then stopped. Suddenly. There was no walking today. Today I was moving from Kastelli to Chania. Everything would be different, ... read more

After yesterday's long day, this morning was spent taking in the sights and sites of Kastelli, culminating with a lovely lunch in the main square. Satiated, I took a taxi up to Kioliana from where I would embark on a walk through the Sirikari Gorge. Watching the taxi disappear, I looked around at the solitude of the environment and started walking along the road from the village towards the footpath visible across the valley, winding up to a small col behind a rocky outcrop. Maintenance work had recently been done on the footpath and it was now loose stone. This made the climb more difficult but at least it was cool compared with the previous days. Reaching the top, I passed through a couple of gates before beginning the descent towards the little village of Sirikari. ... read more

It was wonderfully hot this morning. Extra water had been put in my rucksack and liberal amounts of sun cream applied. Shortly after breakfast, I headed to the bus station and, once on the bus, settled down for the 30 minute journey through the little villages and up to the Kalidonia Peninsula. The bus stopped on the main road but, as seen in many American films, although this was the main road, there was no other sign of life. Indeed, once the bus had moved on, all was quiet. Taking the steps behind the bus stop, I made my way through the sleepy village of Melissourgio and began to wind my way up the hill. In the hot sun, I took a water break at a little church part way up before continuing all the way ... read more

What with delayed planes and the amount of time it took for baggage to appear, I was five hours late in getting to bed after having arrived in Crete from Manchester. I was so tired that nothing short of an earthquake would wake me. At 06h30, a magnitude 5.5 earthquake woke me. Furniture rattled and my bed shook even though the quake lasted only a few seconds. This was certainly going to be a fun trip! Before breakfast, I headed into town to get a copy of the bus timetable - from the new bus station. This was described to me as being in the second square, not the first. When I eventually found it, it was actually in a lay-by! Fortunately, inspection of the timetable revealed that the buses I would be using were not ... read more