So the first day we decided to take a day trip to a village mainland called Anogeia (Ανώγεια). It's a very cute and traditional village, with residents staying there the whole year! These are mostly Cretans who have lived there their whole life and continue to uphold the customs and traditions of the place. As you can see in the photo, they gave me a traditional Cretan "sariki" to wear on my head. It's a hand made lace head turban of sorts, worn by both men and women. Although men usually prefer the black one. Then we walked around the village and had some delicious Greek food in a quaint little tavern called "Aetos" which in Greece means eagle. All in all it was a lovely day, but we couldn't wait to continue the trip and see the rest of the places!
The second day we headed east, to the city of Agios Nikolaos, also know as the city of Saint Nicholas ("Agios" in Greek means "Saint"). From there, you can take a little boat that takes you across the sea until you arrive to a very very small island, called Spinalonga. The island is known for being a dedicated leper colony from 1903 to 1957, and much evidence of their community still remains there. People infected with leprosy would be taken there in order to keep the rest of the population from getting sick. It seems heartbreaking that they had to be segregated in this way and suffer in isolation. However our tour guide mentioned that in a way these people were lucky because they always had food and fresh produce on the island while the rest of Greece went hungry in these trouble times. The city of Spinaloga has two gateways, the most famous one being "Dante's" gateway, which was where the lepers would enter from, not knowing what was going to happen to them after that. I highly recommend to take the guided tour if you are ever in this area as it is very interesting to learn about the history of Spinalonga in more depth. You can stay on the island for as long as you want and then come back with the ferry, which leave every hour or so.
The next day, it was time go west, until we reached the region of Chania! It's a very pretty city, with beautiful architecture mostly comprised of old Venetian and Greek buildings. But we didn't really see it yet because the first day there we visited one of my friend's home town, called Paleokastro. As you can see in the photo, it has a small picturesque marina and a very pleasant walkway along the water. When you reach the end of the walkway you can climb up a little hill where there are some ruins of an ancient fort. From there you can also enjoy the amazing view over the whole village, the sea and the nearby mountains.
After spending the night in Paleokastro, it was finally time to go to the beach! We decided to try on of Crete's most famous and beautiful beaches, called Phalasarna. It was truly breathtaking!Miles and miles of white sand and crystal blue waters was all you could see in the horizon! It stretched on forever so it was very easy to get away from the crowd to where it almost felt like you were in your own private beach! Swimming there is an experience of a lifetime and I definitely recommend it for your bucket list!
That night we wanted to visit the center of Chania, and we were lucky to get there just as the sun was setting. Its a very beautiful and fun city, with lots to do if you're willing to walk around and explore! Inside the city you'll find many cute little shops selling anything from jewelry to homemade jam and raw honey! When you reach the marina you can walk along side the water, enjoy the architecture and the view of the sea at the same time. If you end up staying there until nighttime you'll find many restaurants to eat and an abundance of cafe's and bars to have a drink. The city seems almost magical at night!
The next day the alarm Rang at 5:30! Oh my, we could not get out of bed! But we somehow managed to do it since we had a really great day planned! This was the last day of the trip and we went to the beautiful gorge of Samaria! It is famous for being very steep and taking quite long to complete, but we managed a very good time of 4 and a half hours! This was truly a highlight of the whole trip. Just being in that raw, untouched part of he planet and seeing the nature all around you was amazing. Also, if you get too tired or injured there is a mule that can pick you up and take you to the end! Thankfully we managed without it though! When you reach the end, you find the village of Agia Roumeli, where you can take a much needed swim in its little beach! Just make sure to bring a pair of flip flops so you don't burn your feet running towards the water like I did!
At the end we were exhausted and sad that our trip was over, but very happy that we had the chance to experience Crete this way. Of course there is a lot more worth seeing on the island, but that is for another time hopefully! Have you every been to Crete? If so, which was your favorite place? Let me know in the comments!
Thanks for reading, and happy travels!
If you want to see more photos from Greece and my other travels please visit my Instagram: greece around.the.corner
By: Danai-Christina Theiopoulou
Country: Greece
Medical Student
Nice place 😍
ReplyDelete