Go West Young Man

After saying a fond goodbye to our first charter group, we set our sails west to explore more of this enchanted island. We anchor out in a quiet bay with steep cliffs on both sides and sandy beaches on our way to Rethymno. At Rethymno, there is a very small Venetian harbor that has been expanded to hold both ferries, freight and cruising yachts. We tie up alongside the quay, wander around the Venetian fortress and narrow streets of this once prosperous Venetian port town. It has a very charming old town district surrounded by the hustle of a modern city that didn’t pay much attention to architecture.

The next morning we rented a car to explore the far western province of Hanai, also spelled Chani, also spent Hkanai. Like most of Greece, standard spelling of islands and cities seem to be a ways away. The car allowed us to have more time to explore this part of the island. We simply did not have enough time to sail to all of the places we wanted to see. The first day we drove to the northwestern tip of Crete to visit the famous pink beach lagoon of Falasarna. The pink sand comes from a rare coral reef right off the coast. It is a wide and shallow bay with long expanses of sand. The turquoise water looks more like it is from the Caribbean than the cobalt waters of Greece.

From there we thread our way along mountain roads and deep gorges to the southwestern part of Crete. We drive through charming villages with only a few tavernas overlooking the natural beauty of the mountain valleys and stunning coastline mark the beginning and ending of a town. We stop at one taverna and order a traditional Dakos. It is made from hearty bread that has been toasted crunchy and covered with shredded tomatoes with mizithra cheese sprinkled on top.
We then head further south to the famous Elafonsis Islet with its white sand and knee deep blue turquoise water that creates a tropical paradise. This time of year, the beaches are still peaceful.

The evening takes us back to the city of Hanai. Of all of the cities that we have visited on Crete, Hanai is by far the most Italian in look and feel. The port area has crumbling Venetian buildings still in use that have aged well and testify of its prosperity during that time. As I walk through the web of narrow streets, I actually catch myself saying good evening in Italian a couple of times. We stayed the night in a hotel that was built during the Venetian occupation. It could not have been more charming.

At the crack of dawn my alarm goes off and we stumble to the bus station to catch a local bus to the not to be missed Samari Gorge. This 16km walk through steep and rocky terrain is not for the lighthearted. It takes about 5 hours and your feet get a pounding walking on rough rock, riverbeds and steep switchbacks before finally ending at the open sea. Since it is mostly downhill the entire way, the hike is not taxing, but it does take a lot of tenacity. Believe me, the site of the ocean was a welcomed site in the late afternoon.