Eastern and Western Crete (2)

...continues... Loutro is a little village a 20-minute ferry ride away, reachable only by sea (at most on foot for those who love trekking, along marked trails) and it's the perfect place to take photos in Greek style, with little bars and tavernas on the sea with white, yellow and blue tables and behind them white little houses clinging to the rock. We used the two and a half hours between one ferry and the next to cool off in the freezing water of the tiny pebble beach, after stopping at a bar in scorching heat watching a fisherman mending his nets. On the way back we continued the tour eastwards towards Frangokastello because we wanted to go to the beach right below the castle ruins; in reality it was the beach that came to us, brought by an impetuous wind that allowed us at most to look at it from above while trying to stay on our feet.

We then set off for Rethymno, where we dined lavishly at Samaria, a restaurant on the seafront, with a wide choice of dishes, cooked excellently. On the last day on the west coast we set out to round it off in style. Off to Elafonissi (85 km with several stops); as we crossed the mountains, on reaching the Koutsamatados gorge we stopped at the Aya Sofia cave from the Neolithic period, today turned into a sanctuary. We then continued among millioooons of hairpin bends, curves, goats and little vans of sellers of excellent honey, and finally arrived at Elafonissi. Here you can walk on the water!! Elafonissi is the islet in front of the coast, reachable on foot with the water up to your knees, and you can choose where to settle.

We arrived around midday and so we decided (for the first time) to take a parasol, which luckily we chose in straw, at least we had real shade!!! The afternoon passed between swims and walks between the beach and the islet in the white, blue, shallow water...WHAT WONDER!!! We then moved to the east area, more precisely to Istro, a little seaside village about 10 km after Agios Nikolaos. The studios are in a small building (Istronio apartments) on the hill of the village with a wonderful view over the bay. In the afternoon we relaxed on the beach at Istro, which, for the area, isn't bad, but is still very far from the standards of the beaches of the west area!!! Our first outing in this area is to Vai. Reading through guides, travel diaries on the internet, etc... the beach at Vai is not recommended because of its excessive crowding.

This is partly true, but if you can get there early, that is by 09.30 in the morning, you can enjoy all the tropical atmosphere that the date palms on the beach give this place!! As it's in the area most frequented by tourists because it's a classic destination of all-inclusive flight/hotel packages, unfortunately by midday it becomes unbearable, so it's really worth getting up at dawn to enjoy a Caribbean corner in complete calm and quiet for a couple of hours!! Ok, around midday we literally flee Vai and go to have a stewed octopus in one of the two little restaurants in the centre of Palekastro, then we decide to visit the extreme east of the island. We head towards Kato Zakros in an arid, mountainous area with very steep, winding roads and follow the sign for Xerokambos beach.

Where have we ended up? We're on a dirt track that passes through wine-coloured mountains and olive trees, there are no houses, no cars, no people......luckily the children are asleep!!! But are we sure the road is right? We're here now and it's almost impossible to turn back, let's see where it takes us!!!! After 8 kilometres at 10 km/h, our fears dissolved in the face of the panorama before us....wine-coloured earth and blue sea...we finally reach the main road and, following the coast, find our beach!! Here there's no one...the water is extremely clear, it's not blue...it's transparent!!! Little fish come right up between your legs...you can only hear the sound of the wind, at times a bit too impetuous....this is the beach that stayed in our hearts!!! If you want to do some shopping and you're in these parts, try visiting Kritsa, a town where artisans work and sell their products in lo

ts of little shops along the street. Although this too is an area for tourists on coach trips, if you avoid the morning and early afternoon, you'll be able to wander practically alone and undisturbed among the shops of embroideries, lace, T-shirts, ceramics and souvenirs of every kind. Another "Caribbean" beach is on the island of Chrissi. Arriving at Ierapetra, we didn't stop at the agencies to buy ferry tickets, but went straight to the pier and there we boarded not the normal so-called fast ferries, but a ferry turned into a floating disco with music at full volume, a dj and entertainers, fun but much slower than the others.

At 11.30, finally landed on the island of Chrissi, a bit hesitant we decide to follow the crowd heading towards the other coast and, with a 10-minute walk, we reach Golden Beach, which has nothing golden about it but instead has a white beach and a sea of a beautiful variety of blues. The sea is rough so we spend loads of time jumping the waves, which are so transparent you can see the colour of the swimsuit of whoever is swimming in them. For Jacopo "This is paradise, never mind Mirabilandia". At lunchtime we eat our sandwiches in the shade of one of the many cedar trees that enclose the beach, looking at this wonderful sea and thinking that our holidays are about to end. On a proper holiday in Crete, you can't not talk about the palace of Knossos.

There are a thousand reasons to go and visit the archaeological site and another thousand not to, we decided yes, also because our two little tourists, who by now knew the whole story of the labyrinth and the minotaur, wanted to check for themselves. The choice then turned out to be right because, although a good part of the palace has been reconstructed according to the hypotheses of Evans, the archaeologist who discovered it, it's very evocative to find yourself inside works built over 3000 years ago, multi-storey buildings extending over a surface of more than 22,000 square metres including royal apartments, places of worship, homes of priests and commoners, treasuries and storerooms. And what about the minotaur? Our little explorers didn't find him....but only because he'd hidden well! We spend the last day of the holiday touring the area north of Agios Nikolaos.

Elounda is a very pretty little town that we remember above all for a galactic baker!! Continuing north, you come to face the island of Spinalonga, in the town of Plaka, where we refreshed ourselves with a stop on its beach of big white pebbles and clear, cool water. We have the whole journey home to think back on all we've done and seen during the holiday and we know that many things about Crete will stay with us, from its landscapes with rugged mountains and a beautiful sea, to its quiet mountain villages; from its cities crowded with tourists to the kindness and helpfulness of the inhabitants. In short.....Crete is worth seeing. Bye from Hilary