Chania to Iraklion

Chania to Iraklion

Early morning

Our noisy neighbour

Instead of Samaria Gorge we decide to take a leisurely drive to the west, avoiding major roads and travelling, firstly along the coast, and then inland while watching the locals going about their daily lives. Along the coast the Kolumbari Peninsula looms up ahead in all of its  rugged grandeur and so when we see a road leading in that direction we take it. The narrow road is at first sealed as it wends its way through olive groves which are irrigated from amazing “Christmas trees” of pipes, taps, valves and hoses placed at regular intervals along the roadside. The road soon turns to gravel as it climbs up into the rugged peaks and we have great difficulty in relating the roads to the map. We stay with the most obviously travelled options while enjoying some quite spectacular scenery and the company of herds of inquisitive goats.

Kolumbari goats

Crete irrigation system

The road eventually descends steeply to an unexpectedly fertile little flat perched high above the sea where there is a number of vehicles parked and groups of people enjoying picnic lunches. This turns out to be the site of an historic little monastery nestled in the shade of some large green trees. We opt for the quick way back along the new national road and quite easily find our way back through the town and manage to find a car park a little closer to the hotel – no doubt this will be greatly appreciated in the morning.



Monastry site

Dinner with a view

Old Harbour lighthouse

For our evening meal we are tempted into a waterside “French” restaurant by the offer of a fifteen euro special deal being touted by a couple of guys out the front. Once seated they show no further interest and the ‘service’ is left to a lone waiter who is very much more attentive to Greek speakers than to visitors. The location and outlook are magnificent, but the food and service leave a lot to be desired and in spite of repeated requests for our bill it is not forthcoming. We are not allowed to pay by card and eventually just leave our money on the table and walk out in spite of their attempts to delay us. Fortunately all of this does little to spoil our enjoyment of the moment

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The following morning is spent with a leisurely breakfast, repacking, blogging and strolling around the waterfront before re-joining the new national road for the longish drive back to Iraklion. Apart from a moment or two of concern when the service station on which we are relying for fuel is closed (permanently) the journey is uneventful. (There is another service station just 10 – 15 minutes back along the road)
We re-join  our genial host at the Kastro Hotel and are lucky enough to find a park right in front.  A stroll around the old town and harbour, another very pleasant meal in a waterfront                                                           cafe and an early night round out the day.
After yet another leisurely breakfast, we pack ready for travel then head once more for the waterfront for photos and a stroll before an early picnic lunch and a coffee. Then it’s off to the airport bound for Turkey.

Reflections

We decided to go to Crete when we had a week's gap in our travel itinerary...somewhere to go to relax and recharge our batteries before embarking on a very full 3 weeks in Turkey.  Crete filled the bill very nicely!

We didn't trudge around museums or seek out historic sites or pay a guide to take us to the "must see" places with eleventy-hundred other tourists...we simply pleased ourselves, wandered from here to there and, incidentally, happened upon quite a few of the above.  We met and mingled with the local folk in the back streets, met fellow adventurers in restaurants and along the beach, and found, by the end of the week, that we were ready to hit the road again.

Crete is a beautiful island, its people are friendly and generous, and we enjoyed their hospitality.