Mountains everywhere

Tuesday was the what the Lonely Planet guide calls the “Mountain Meander.” This started with retracing my steps from Monday for about 18km and then turning south towards Ierapetra, the southernmost city in Europe and the sunniest.

It is also know for the plethora of greenhouses covering the countryside and is criticized for its appearance. Personally, I’d rather see a lot of greenhouses than some other options. But maybe that is because my family has a greenhouse business.

The gps took me down some pretty hinky roads, which had me wondering if it was going to be one lane and bumpy all the way. Once I turned towards the mountains, the roads improved. In fact, one had been recently paved and was quite nice. That did not mean there weren’t a lot of hairpin turns.

First stop was Kamafkala where I opted not to climb 200 steps to see a chapel, mostly because I wasn’t sure where to park. I did find the prototype for Pride Rock here, which makes me wonder if Disney representatives hang out in Crete.

Next stop was Anatoli, which was supposed to be a traditional village that had brought itself back from poverty as a tourist attraction. It did not look like it had even accounting for this being the off season. Many buildings were abandoned, so that turned out to be a drive by as well.

Then I was headed for my first gorge hike at Sarakina gorge. It is a short hike, so I thought a good first walk. What I wasn’t prepared for was quasi rock climbing. Channeling my inner goat and using the foot and hand holds as well as strategically fixed ropes, I made it to the top of the gorge. It was worth the full body workout.

According to mythology, the giant Sarantapihos stopped here to drink from the river and his long beard slashed the rock into a canyon. Just like the dad in My Big Fat Greek Wedding says, the Greeks have an origin for everything.

From there I Kept driving down the mountain and past some sketchy road construction to get to the Minoan ruins at Pyrtos-Myrtos. Another uphill hike (I love my Lowa hiking boots!), and I was easy to see why they situated a city here. Clear view of anyone coming by see or over land!

Then I went into modern Myrtis which would have been a great place to get dinner as late as October, but it was mostly closed up. I went down to the ocean and soaked my tires dogs in the surf and sand for a bit. The water is so clear!

I still had some sunlight so off to Ierapetra for some food. As it happened, I was able to take in the Venetian fortress and see the house where supposedly Napoleon spent a night in 1798 on his way to Egypt, because I missed a turn with the GPS. Instead of avoiding driving in old town by parking in the city lot, I was navigating old town!! But it worked out since I found a mini market that was open where I got a Greek salad.

Next stop was Lidl for some groceries but again the gps was giving contradictory advice, so I pulled into what I knew was a Greek grocery chain instead. I needed toothpaste and a few other necessities like red wine. I also ignored the gps as I crossed the divided highway instead of the shenanigans it wanted me to do. Driving Greek is a thing I guess.

Once home, I had a needed shower,

Some left over pizza and wine before turning in for the night.