Sunday drive

Today I set out with the intention to drive back across the isthmus to the south side of the island and then drive east along the Libyan sea. I had a hike in mind as well.

But my first stop was Vasiliki, another Minoan ruins. Originally thought to be early and unsophisticated when first excavated in 1903, it is now understood to have been more advanced. There is even a type of pottery glaze named after the village.

Getting there proved to be a challenge at first because I blindly followed the GPS directions down a pretty sketchy one lane road. I was 300 meters from my turn when I was blocked by a farmer harvesting olives. I was not thrilled about the prospect of backing up for 700 meters, but I was happy to rely on the cabin up camera.

Fortunately, I was able to turn around in very tight quarters not too far along but not without doing some damage to my front fender. I think it got hooked on a bush or an irrigation pipe. Anyway, thank goodness I knew to get insurance on the car when I rented it.

Of course all of this drama could have been avoided had I bothered to preview the directions. AND if the programmers in California writing algorithms for GPS, understood roads in foreign countries and did not always assume that not overtaking a destination and back tracking is the fastest way.

Not 200 meters down the main highway was a road directly to the site that was just fine! I was to park along the road and take a short hike up to the site. Sadly it did not seem well maintained at all. It was fenced, but someone had cut through it. And I was able to crawl in.

The most prominent home is the red house due to the red cement they made to hold it together. There was absolutely zero signage at the site, but I could make out houses and major streets. It was a prime location on the isthmus and was rebuilt several times after fires and never seemed to have been invaded.

From there, I drove to Ierapetra, supposedly the southern most city in Europe, and headed east along the coast as planned. The road was surprisingly good and it was easy to see that in the summer this area must be swarmed with tourists.

I found the Milonas waterfall path, but the sign said No water and Inwasnt sure where to park. Greek style, I found a place where I could get the car off the road and turned in the driver side mirror for good measure.

I started up the path which was a narrow road. It turns out that I could have parked alone here, but I wasn't taking any more chances on sketchy roads. The road continues for quite awhile before there was another sign for the waterfall and I turned off onto a mountain trail.

It was another steep and rocky trail, but the scenery and the mountain air were amazing. I wish I could bottle the smell. It’s pine mixed with the wild Cretan sage and a hint of citrus.

Even with the rain from the previous day, the waterfall was still bone dry. It was easy to see how impressive it would be, much like the steep, cascading waterfalls in Hawaii. I certainly would not want to make this trek in the hot summer sun. I’m sure there is more than one medical emergency every year!

After I returned to my car, Indrove further east until the road started to get more narrow and I felt like I was at the end of civilization for while. I stopped to walk down to the beach to watch the waves rolling in. As I did, a non Greek man approached me and was using google translate to aske me directions in Greek. Then a truck came down the road and it was his buddies and they stopped and picked him up.

From there, I drove west back to Ierapetra to get something to eat. I previewed the directions so I knew where I needed to turn, which was good because once I got into the city the GPS was going nuts. I knew basically where I was from my last visit and I found the public parking easily. From there, I walked around the city a little bit. I needed to buy a pen because I wanted to write in my journal and of course, I left all the pens I bought on Friday at home. :(

A lady at a mini market had one under her cabinet and charge me one euro. I was able to use my little bit of Greek to say sorry as I was fumbling with the coins to find the right ones. From there, I walked down to the waterfront where I knew there were many cafes.

I found one where i could sit near the ocean, and Inhd tzatziki and vegetable pies. I red a bit of my Greek archeology book and did some journaling. I was able to ask for ένα κουτί, a box for takeaway and then a man with a loud group asked if Inwantes to have raki with them. I declined since I had a 30 minute drive home and it was starting to rain again. I’m not bullish on my rental car in the rain.

It was a tedious drive home because of the rain and the roads with faded lines on the first section. Thankfully, on the twisty mountain roads, the lines are good. Angels watching over me, I was in for the night!