Creeping Along the Northern Coast of Crete One More Time

I am always underestimating the distances along the Crete coast. It is much bigger than it seems. And while its history is one of domination of other countries for centuries, it still has strong Greek roots that date back literally centuries ago when the city of Athens dominated this part of the Mediterranean. The people think of themselves as Cretans first and Greeks second. While we were there, a big political rally was held in the center of the capital. It is actually the first signs of political activism I have seen since being in Greece. Everyone is yelling about the austerity program imposed by the EU. But in reality, this is a government that needs a bit of a reality check. The locals tell us there are far too many people employed by the government through political connections, but actually do very little work.

We spend the next couple of weeks retracing our steps back along the northern coast of Crete, and retracing our steps all the way back to Rhodes. We visit the friends we met on Kapathos who were delighted to see us again.

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.

Whole Lot of Shaken Going On. And That Wave Didn’t Help Matters.

Our next stop is Iraklio. It is the capital of Crete and a bit of a noisy overgrown city. We docked the boat in the shadows of an ancient Venetian castle like boats have done for centuries. Just outside of the city are the famous Minoan ruins of Knosos. The ancient palace built with limestone and alabaster over 5000 years ago is still amazing in its structure and beauty. It is hard to believe that BC 3000 a people could live in such prosperity, comfort and intellectual harmony. The palace has no fortifications because there were no wars back then. Women were treated with respect and equality. Everyone worked together in harmony to make everyone’s lives prosper. This five-story palace had running water, flushing toilets big stone baths and stunning art. Its size is more of a small city.

Everything was going just great until Santorini blew its stack causing one of the biggest volcanic explosions in modern times and sending a tsunami tidal wave that some estimate at over 100 feet tall to wipe this incredible civilization off the face of the earth. The people disappeared, but their ideals were picked up by the ancient Greeks to give the world democracy.

It’s the Pits

After the storm broke we continue south to our first stop in Crete. This small resort town of Vai is unique because palm trees cover the area. The legend goes that the Roman soldiers returning from Egypt stopped over in the tranquil bay and ate dates. The pits left behind sprouted into the date grove that is there today. Oddly enough, the trees do date back to around that time. While the legend certainly adds charm to this beautiful bay, it is the natural beauty of the area that makes it so appealing. We anchored out in the bay and took the dingy into shore for a nice lunch at the restaurant on the hill. And if this was not already a piece of paradise, we found a beautiful pond teaming with pollywogs and small frogs. Thinking it would be the perfect place for Runaway, we asked around to make sure the pond didn’t dry up during the summer. We were told it was fed by a natural spring that kept it wet throughout the dry season. So we went back to the boat to get our little turtle stowaway to set him free. The little children on the beach saw what we had and soon it was like the Pied Piper leading a line of children and curious parents down to the ponds edge with the waiters from the restaurant chanting “Free Willy”. After a brief speech some photos, well wishes and the rest of a can of sardines, we let Runaway go. He knew just what to do. After a look and maybe wink to us, he dove into the water and buried himself in the algae. It was sad to see him leave us, but in our hearts, we knew it was what he really wanted. Free and safe at last. May he have a happy and prosperous life.

Fruit of the Spoon on Karpathos

Sometimes the best things happen when you least expect them. We were heading south from Rhodes and planned to do an overnight stop on the narrow island of Karpathos, which is about half way to Crete. But Mother Nature had other plans. A big storm was coming in. The weather sites predicted 30-knot winds and waves over 9 feet. The storm made it a good day to stay in port. Even the fishermen in the village pulled their small fishing boats out of the water to a safer place on land for this storm. That is a pretty good sign that something big is going to happen.

The first night we were in the main harbor of Panaghia. But it was not a very protected harbor and the waves were pounding at our boat all night. So we asked around and managed to move to a much smaller harbor built for the local fishermen that was better protected. We navigated through a nest of buoys and squeezed in between the colorful boats. It looked like we were the mother ship amongst the smaller boats. But it made all the difference in the world. Much better protected.

What was going to be a one nights stay stretched into a 4-night stay. And it couldn’t have been more delightful. This somewhat sleepy little fishing village had some of the friendliest people we have ever spent time with. They don’t get many Americans so we were the town celebrities. By the time we left, we couldn’t walk through town without a dozen people wishing us a “kaliméra” nice day.

One evening we went to a local taverna for a traditional Greek meal. The food was amazingly good and the waitress became more than our order taker. We were the only ones in the restaurant so she ended up sitting down and asking a hundred questions about our lives. After the meal, she gave us all a dessert called “fruit of the spoon”. It was candied figs and pickles on top of a dish of traditional Greek yogurt. I have to say, even with the candied pickle, it was quite delightful.

The next day we rented a car and drove around to some of the most beautiful beaches in the Mediterranean. With the inclement weather, we just looked, but it would be a beautiful place with warmer days. Along the roadside, we spotted a very old church. We stopped and were rewarded with incredible Byzantine icons painted on the walls. The church was built in front of a cave that went further back into the mountain. We explored deep inside the mountain using that wonderful technology, cell phones, to light the way.

The center of the island is quite rugged with steep mountain roads and remote villages. The northern half of the island is still pretty inaccessible and we are told the people still wear the traditional Greek clothing. It sounded fascinating, but the trip takes a sturdy Jeep to make it through the rough pot holed dirt road.

Lindos Lower Now

The next day we head to the small town of Lindos, a couple of hours sail down the east coast of the island. Lindos has a huge fortress on the top of the hill and a charming whitewashed town cascading down the side of the mountain. We anchored out in quiet St. Paul’s bay where Paul the apostle landed here in about AD 58. In the evening, we took the dingy to shore for a fine Greek meal at a taverna that was recommended to us. The food was amazing.

A couple of days later, we were going through our photographs and noticed something in the water in one of the shots. I think it is a dolphin. What do you think it is??? Just a chance shot. We didn’t see anything when taking the photo.

On the Rhodes Again

After spending way to much time getting ready, we punched, stamped and signed out of Turkey and headed to Rhodes, Greece. The winds were perfect for the first poking of our nose out of the marina and we managed to get up to over 12 knots on our way to this medieval island city. I have been to Rhodes several times before and always love visiting.

We planned a few days to take care of the paperwork to enter Greece and do a little stocking up of fresh local fruits and veggies. And of course, we have to visit our favorite Gyro hangout. What can I say, I love Greek Gyros. Gyros are shaved meat usually chicken, pork or lamb that have been stacked on a long skewer and cooked by roasting against vertical burners. The cooked meet is then shaved in thin slices and wrapped in pita bread with hot French fries, tomatoes, a cucumber sauce that can only be described as the secret ingredient. Hummm so good. I miss them.

Our first charter guests of the summer arrive and spend a day wandering around the city crusading knights once ruled and defended. It is a beautiful city where it is easy to transport yourself back centuries ago when stone walls and valiant knights kept the population safe from danger. Not a lot has changed. Somehow I think even back then storekeepers were hawking their latest wares to newly arrived visitors. Though most of it was probably not made in China.