Blogs from Crete, Greece, Europe - page 17

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

Following yesterday's rain, they said it would be nice today. At least the heavy rain overnight had cleared the air leaving the early morning sunny. Today's trip would take me off-piste, away from the tourists and certainly away from the guidebook. I was planning to step back in time by about 5000 years! The start of my time travel was the Bus Station. The bus, when it came, was a result of the 2000 Athens Olympics, so I had now travelled back 12 years. Twenty minutes after boarding the bus, I alighted in a little village called Koleni. There was little there and now, I had travelled back a good few years more! With the petrol station to my back, I took a track through the olive trees and, in the hot morning sun, reached the ... 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

For a change, I opted not to go for a walk today, rather, I decided to have a day of luxurious rest. I use the word "luxurious" advisedly as some would not consider messing around in boats as such, but for me ... delight! Thus, after a breakfast of ham, cheese, watermelon and (almond) cake ... and coffee (lots), I got into the taxi and headed off to Kastelli Port. Having avoided the queues by getting the hotel to do all the leg work, I simply wandered into the Port Office and exchanged my voucher for a ticket and immediately boarded the boat to Gramvousa Gramvousa is the name of the peninsula jutting northwards in the extreme west of Crete. It is also the name of the Venetian fort occupying a flat island just off the ... 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