Crete

Many of you will know I have a great love for Greece and that Bryan's ashes were scattered off the coast of Crete so that island in particular. I generally go every other year, there are after all still some other islands I haven't visited! This time I went for 10 rather than 7 days so took in an area I hadn't visited before.

So I visited Sissi which is on the north coast past the tourist resorts of Hersonisos and Malia and was described as 'quiet'. I suppose in comparison to Malia etc it was but still fairly busy. However it has a pretty harbour with bars and restaurants.

Just look at that sky!

I stayed in a very pleasant apartment complex on the outskirts of the town right on the coast which is rocky and hence the reduction in visitors I imagine, it had the benefit of including amazing breakfasts which as I was only there 3 days I had booked and they were large enough to provide me with lunch! Mine was the apartment with the blue balustrade round the outside seating area overlooking the pool and the sea.

It was also a great place to watch the sun go down

Afternoons were enlivened by a sailing tour boat from further along the coast, arriving so the tourist shops could be visited before the music was ramped up on the way home and no doubt the bar was well and truly open, unfortunately for the crew the same music was played everyday so we always knew when it was 4pm! Still it was a fine looking boat.

 On the middle day of my stay I decided to explore the Lassithi Plateau, a large agricultural area with many windmills in theory at least. it is high in the central mountains of crete, however these are the only windmills I  saw with working sales and this is a museum on the way!

The plateau is large though with a winding road which encircles it.

This photo was taken from outside the entrance to a cave which is renowned as the birth place of no lesser God than Zeus, up many steps from the road which of course meant that one then went down many steps to view the inevitable stalagmites and and stalactites

before having to climb up yet again to get out!

Fortunately frozen yoghurt for sale at the exit to aid recovery.

It was a pleasant stop off place to stay before I headed off much further east for the rest of the time. This was my first view of my favourite beach this visit, taken from the place where the ashes were thrown into the sea.

It is generally fairly quiet

and the hill I'm standing on looks like this, it is a hellenic castle but there are minoan ruins as well so will never be built upon.

 On the way down I noticed a flower which I don't remember seeing before possibly because I usually go a bit later in the year, doesn't have much leaf and clearly some kind of bulb, very pretty though.

This is the view from 'my' spot on the beach

 The beach is a pleasant drive from the small town  I stay in and on the way back there is a view which I'm sure will have a resonance with my welsh relations who have a similar hill formation in their location.

As you can see not very built up!

There are many other beaches in the area and the nearest one to the hotel is a large beach with regular winds and good for windsurfing. This year the hotel has opened a cafe on the beach as an opportunity for the next generation of the family to make a business, and very pleasant it is too especially if you get a free drink!

 

However I still like my beach best so a last view of that, can't wait to go back, mind you the sun is lovely too.

So now when I say I'm going to Crete you will know what I see, I'm always fearful that it will change with more visitors but so far so good.