GREECE - CRETE.
01/May/2017 to 11/May/2017.
Monday 01/May/2017.
Home to Crete journey.
Crete.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crete
- Aegean Airlines flight A3631 from Marseille to Athens, 11:15-14:55, 2h40.
- 2h05 transfer time at Athens.
- Olympic Air flight OA336 from Athens to Chania, 17:00-17:50, 0h50.
|---| Argo Beach Hotel, Chania, 46€/n including breakfast.
Tuesday 02/May/2017.
01/May/2017 to 11/May/2017.
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| Greece. |
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| Crete, the largest of the Greek islands (satellite picture, not mine!). Fifth largest island of the Mediterranean, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, and Corsica. |
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| Weather forecast for Crete, as on 28/Apr/2017. Only one rainy day. |
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| Economic Aegan lunch. |
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| Still snowy mountains in continental Greece. |
Crete.
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| Sunrise. |
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| Breakfast. |
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| Chania. |
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| Chania, the Venetian lighthouse. |
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| Chania, with snowy montains in the background (2450m summits). |
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| Chania, yesterday's dinner restaurant |
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| Chania, three stage house decline. One maintained, one inhabited, one ruins. |
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| Main road (marked as highway on the map !). |
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| 6km of dust road through the mountains to reach Preveli Beach. |
Wednesday 03/May/2017.
Hiking Dionyssos Beach - Preveli Beach (Palm Beach) - Gefyra Taverna.
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| Start of the hike at Dionyssos Beach. |
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| Trail between Dionyssos Beach and Preveli Beach. |
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| Reaching Preveli Beach (Palm Beach). The trail then crosses the river and climbs on the other mountain slope. |
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| A hart shaped rock. |
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| At the river crossing... no bridge. |
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| Preveli beach and the palms, now observed from the other side. Dionyssos Beach can still be observed (in front of the little island). |
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| Beautiful palm oasis along the river. |
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| Venetian bridge near Gefyra Taverna, halfway the hike. A good place for an ice cold beer. |
Moni Piso Preveli monastery.
|---| Alexander beach Hotel, Kalamaki, 55€/n including breakfast.
Thursday 04/May/2017.
Odigitria Monastery.
http://www.cretanbeaches.com/en/religious-monuments-on-crete/monasteries-in-crete/odigitria-monastery-near-sivas
Agiofarago Gorge hike (Gorge of the Saints).
http://www.cretanbeaches.com/en/gorges-and-canyons-in-crete/central-crete-gorges-heraklion/agiofarago-gorge
|---| Alexander beach Hotel, Kalamaki, 55€/n including breakfast.
Friday 05/May/2017.
Matala.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matala,_Crete
Vrontisi Monastery (Ayios Antonios).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vrontisi_Monastery
|---| Esperides Hotel, Mirtos, 42€ including breakfast.
Saturday 06/May/2017.
|---| Agios Ioannis, Ierapetra.
Sunday 07/May/2017.
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Fountain bearing the palindromic (symmetrical) sentence
NIΨONANOMHMATAMHMONANOΨIN:
'Cleanse my sins, not only my face'.
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| Not sure whether the fountain cleaned all of my sins. |
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| The 'bell tower'. |
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| Private beach of the hotel. |
Odigitria Monastery.
http://www.cretanbeaches.com/en/religious-monuments-on-crete/monasteries-in-crete/odigitria-monastery-near-sivas
Agiofarago Gorge hike (Gorge of the Saints).
http://www.cretanbeaches.com/en/gorges-and-canyons-in-crete/central-crete-gorges-heraklion/agiofarago-gorge
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| Sant Anthony chapel, halfway the hiking trail. |
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| Cape Kali Limenes, a long way from the postcard image of Crete, however with an excellent fish restaurant, Taverna Panorama. |
Vrontisi Monastery (Ayios Antonios).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vrontisi_Monastery
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| The fountain at the entrance of the monastery, Adam, Eve, and four faces representing the four rivers of the Garden of Eden. |
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| Moni Toplou monastery. |
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| Moni Toplou monastery. |
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| Panagia Akroteriani. |
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| Vaï beach. |
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| Voila village ruins. |
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| Hiking a little part of Crete's E4 long distance walking path. |
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| Excellent seafront restaurant 'Robinson' in Koutsouras. |
Saint George of Psychro and the "natural pipeline".
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| Water well supplied through a natural pipeline (syphon) coming from the french Alps (Evian?)... according to this man (Kouklos). |
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| Leaving Agios Ioannis. |
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| Back in Chania (hotel room window view). |
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| Morning (hotel room window view). |
Kolymbari.
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| Kolymbari port, in front of the excellent 'Argentina' fish restaurant, overlooking the gulf of Chania (25km away). |
Gonia monastery.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gonia_Monastery
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| Monastery courtyard. |
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| Archangel Michael icon. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_(archangel) |
Episkopi.
|---| Villa Venezia, Chania, 55€ including breakfast.
Thursday 11/May/2017.
Crete to Home journey.
- Olympic Air flight OA333 from Chania to Athens, 9:10-10:00, 0h50.
- 4h40 transfer time in Athens.
- Aegean Airways flight A3630 from Athens to Home,14:40-16-30, 2h50.
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| Church of Rotonda in Episkopi, Byzantine church of Archangel Michael. |
Chania.
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| Sunset over Chania's Venetian port. |
