Last day in Sougia was lovely - a walk along the cliffs to the east for a couple of hours, followed by second breakfast at one of the cafes on the waterfront that had internet; lots of time to read and plan where to go next. Since the weather, namely the wind, is not going to get any better I'm heading for another place I didn't quite get to last time I was in Crete - Sitia in Eastern Crete and the Minoan palace of Zakros.
So on Wednesday a bus turned up at last. The friendly French family that has been stranded here since I arrived were very relieved as their flight was that evening. Everyday they had packed up and gone to the wharf at 9.30 in the morning to wait for the boat and every morning it didn't come because of the wind. Then I would see them in the cafe and say "oh no, still here?" (in French of course) and they would shrug and say "there is no escape from Sougia!"
We left Sougia in the pouring rain - the stoic English couple got off at Aghia Irini to walk back through the downpours via the gorge. From there, I overdosed on buses, taking three to get to the small town of Sitia. And now I must gloat for here is the view from the balcony of my hotel:
It's still off season so rates are low in case people think I am being too self indulgent. Sitia is a sweet little town - very relaxed and easy to get around. From here I've been doing trips out to the countryside - it's not spectacular like the west but it's still rocky and hilly - just a lot more farms and beaches.
Today I walked down the Gorge of the Dead to reach Kato Zakros. It was yet another wonderful gorge walk, with the sound of goat bells from high up the cliffs, and a river that disappeared and then reappeared later as springs. The track is fantastically well marked because of a local man who maintains the signs. It's called Gorge of the Dead because there were Minoan burials in the caves.
All along this area there are patches of purple schist which makes it look like the paths and rocks are stained with grape juice. Lovely matching patches of flowering thyme too.
At the end of the gorge after a couple of hours, I emerged at Kato Zakros (lower Zakros to distinguish it from Zakros, up in the hills at the start of the gorge) and had my reward - second breakfast at the beach:
Then I walked around Minoan Zakros palace and town site just a little bit inland. It's sited so it could be a centre for trade with Egypt and it was very easy to imagine the boats arriving at the bay where I had had breakfast. The town has narrow streets and steps and must have looked similar to the older parts of Cretan villages where there are still narrow lanes between the houses.
So on Wednesday a bus turned up at last. The friendly French family that has been stranded here since I arrived were very relieved as their flight was that evening. Everyday they had packed up and gone to the wharf at 9.30 in the morning to wait for the boat and every morning it didn't come because of the wind. Then I would see them in the cafe and say "oh no, still here?" (in French of course) and they would shrug and say "there is no escape from Sougia!"
We left Sougia in the pouring rain - the stoic English couple got off at Aghia Irini to walk back through the downpours via the gorge. From there, I overdosed on buses, taking three to get to the small town of Sitia. And now I must gloat for here is the view from the balcony of my hotel:
It's still off season so rates are low in case people think I am being too self indulgent. Sitia is a sweet little town - very relaxed and easy to get around. From here I've been doing trips out to the countryside - it's not spectacular like the west but it's still rocky and hilly - just a lot more farms and beaches.
Today I walked down the Gorge of the Dead to reach Kato Zakros. It was yet another wonderful gorge walk, with the sound of goat bells from high up the cliffs, and a river that disappeared and then reappeared later as springs. The track is fantastically well marked because of a local man who maintains the signs. It's called Gorge of the Dead because there were Minoan burials in the caves.
All along this area there are patches of purple schist which makes it look like the paths and rocks are stained with grape juice. Lovely matching patches of flowering thyme too.
At the end of the gorge after a couple of hours, I emerged at Kato Zakros (lower Zakros to distinguish it from Zakros, up in the hills at the start of the gorge) and had my reward - second breakfast at the beach:
Then I walked around Minoan Zakros palace and town site just a little bit inland. It's sited so it could be a centre for trade with Egypt and it was very easy to imagine the boats arriving at the bay where I had had breakfast. The town has narrow streets and steps and must have looked similar to the older parts of Cretan villages where there are still narrow lanes between the houses.
No comments:
Post a Comment