Adventures in Greece! Spring break 2013 in 3 parts.

Part 1: Crete

Felix and I spent a delightful week on Crete the last week in March. Low season for tourists, we discovered a lot of empty beaches and hiking trails. The weather was warm and sunny, but not too hot to explore ruins and gorges at mid-day. We flew into Hiraklion and stayed at the Park Hotel, on the quiet west end of town. 

We went to Bali our second day on Crete and hiked out onto a little peninsula to watch the sun set. 

Crete is incredible because it has huge snow-capped mountains which fall very steeply into the sea. Bali was a little village tucked on the shore, with Mount Ida looming just to the south. It's over 2400m tall! We found a little road on the map which wound up the side of the mountain and went exploring. At the end of the road, we came to a path. The path lead to a cave, which we explored - turns out, it's the very cave Zeus was raised in after his mother, Rhea, hid him from his father, Cronus. Cronus, unfortunately, ate his other children so they would not kill him, so Rhea had the gumption to hide Zeus so he also would not be eaten. But don't worry, Zeus ended up getting his siblings out of Cronus alive and well. Gods can do things like that, you know. 

Felix in Zeus' cave on Mount Ida, Crete

A windy, chilly view from the cave mouth on Mount Ida, Crete.

We also explored the Akrotiri Penninsula just east of Chania. We also followed a lonely looking road on the map and found ourselves at Monti Gouvernetou, high on a ridge overlooking the sea. A trail lead down to a narrow inlet and we followed it along. We reached a rustic chapel built in the mouth of a cave. The bare whitewashed floors and walls were rough but maintained, the walls were covered with religious icons. A bell hung from the entrance of the cave and a 1.5m water catchment pool was built just inside the entrance. We originally thought it was some type of pulpit. 

The mouth of the cave with the chapel on the left and the water catchment in the center with a 2m stalagmite which looked like a monk in prayer before it. 

Water collected from dripping stalactites. 

We continued hiking down into the gorge, towards the sea, and came across the entrance to another cave. This one also had a shrine at it's mouth, but it was much simpler. We explored the beginning rooms of the cave and found a mysterious white string leading to other rooms. We followed the string deeper into the cave and climbed through 6 or 7 large rooms. Every time we thought we were at the end, the cave opened up into another large room. 

 You can just barely see the white string running to the left of my left hand in this picture. 

Lots of stalactites and stalagmites - you can't see here, but where the cave turns black, it drops a story and opens into a large cathedral-sized room. 

The string did finally end in a small room with a stalactite hanging from the side of the wall, covered in religious icons and metal crosses. There were a dozen water bottles filled with an amber fluid and stubs of bees wax candles...creepy! 

After the cave, we continued down the trail and found the ruins of an few buildings with a bridge built across a narrow ravine. Of course, there was a tiny chapel built into the rock face! 

Felix on the bridge.

 We made it to the inlet! 

A quiet sanctuary at the tip of the Akrotiri Peninsula, Crete. 

Our hike back up to the Monti Gouvernetou monastery.

 Loved the multi-layers of rock at this beach at the NW end of the Akrotiri Peninsula, Crete.

 Enjoyed the beautiful little harbor in Chania, blue sky breakfast with snow-capped mountains behind. 

 The harbor in Chania, Crete. 

 Chania has been inhabited by people since the Minoan period almost 5,000 years ago! Old ruins falling apart next to recently built apartments, the two blending into each other. So many nooks and crannies for cozy outdoor cafes!

The view along the Gramvoussa Peninsula, hanging off the far northwestern edge of Crete. Lots of sheep and tiny white chapels.

 Belos beach, on the western coast of the Gramvoussa Peninsula. A steep but beautiful hike down to the beach. Gramvoussa Island, the big rock in the picture, has a wide sand spit which almost touches the opposite shore, but not quite. We crossed over to the island by hopping along the rocks which create a natural break wall, just barely visible in the left of this picture.  We swam across the channel on our way back - a bit treacherous!  We were alone besides a pair of fishermen and a lot of scaredy-sheep.

 Belos beach, Crete

 A view of Geroskinos Mountain from Gramvoussa Island, near Belos Beach, Crete.

Gramvoussa Island, Crete

 We were lucky to watch the full moon rise over the ocean as we made our way back down Gramvoussa Peninsula at dusk. 

 Based on our map, the main road from Paleohora to Elofonisi beach seemed to go wayyyyyy out of the way. We decided to take the shorter secondary road. Turned out to be a narrow gravely road which wound up the side of a mountain and then down, so steep my mother would disapprove. The road here makes a 180 degree turn and the edge drops off hundreds of meeters...good view of Elafonisi Island, though!

 Elafonisi Island, Crete. Great place to spend a sunny, warm afternoon. 

 We found a delightful little place to stay in Paleohora called Haris Studios, right on the water, with a great cafe next door that made the best yogurt I have ever eaten in my life. Thick and creamy greek yogurt without a hint of tang, mixed with fresh fruit and drizzled with local honey. We stayed for a few days and ate a lot of yogurt and fresh fish caught by the owner. We went for a hike to the next beach east of Paleohora along a rocky costal road. This beach was hardly the "sandy beach" the sign advertised, but was beautiful and isolated none-the-less. 

 Olive tree ready for grafting, found on a walk near Paleohora.

Imbros gorge - a great 18km hike starting in Imbros, Crete.

 Imbros gorge, Crete. 

 A peaceful breakfast with yogurt and honey, fresh squeezed orange juice, and individual french-press coffee (awwwww!). Plakias, Crete. 

 Knossos, an ancient minoan palace with 1,000 rooms, built around 1900 BC. Sir Arthur Evans purchased the land around 1900 and spent 35 years uncovering it and reconstructing parts. This dolphin fresco is a copy found in the queen's main room. Makes you wonder how much Evans got right and how much he made up because he liked it. 

Part 2: Meteora

After a week, Felix and I flew to Athens. Felix continued back to Frankfurt and I met up with Mom and continued exploring the mainland of Greece. We first headed north up to Meteora, about 4 hours north of Athens near a village called Kampaka. The little town is surrounded by towering rock formations with monasteries perched on their peaks. Really beautiful landscape. Greek orthodox monks still live in the monasteries, although now I think they are interrupted quite often by people coming to visit!

Our breakfast perch in Meteora. We had yogurt with honey and walnuts, of course!

Ladies were required to wear a skirt to visit the monasteries, and since the early morning air was still pretty chilly, we layered ours with pants. I am quite sure the monks found nothing tempting in this pair of fashion statements! Agios Nikolas Monastery. 

Varlaam Monastery. Exploring the monasteries of Meteora felt more like my idea of Tibet, than mainland Greece!

Agios Trios Monastery, Meteora

Part 3: Peloponnese Peninsula 

Chelsea and Dave joined us upon our return to Athens and the four of us headed south to the lovely, quiet Peloponnese Peninsula. We stayed in the little town of Nafplio, which is where a lot of greeks from Athens come for the weekend. We stayed in the Acronafplia pension in the old town, a really lovely spot, and spent a few days exploring the area.

Enjoying fresh oranges, olives, and local wine (which we bought in a plastic water bottle from the lady at the food market) at the rocky Arvanita beach in Nafplio. 

Chelsea and mom take a dip at Arvanita Nafplio. 

The sun sets on the Peloponnese Peninsula.

Sunset from the Akronafplioa, an old fort near Nafplio. 

Little swimming lanes built into a sheltered spot near the port of Nafplio.

We explored Mycenea, the ancient "fortified palace complex" just north of Nafplio, built during Mycenean times (1700BC - 1100BC). These dates amaze me. I though Ankor Wat in Cambodia was old, but it was constructed in 1200 AD. I was also really impressed by the Roman Forum, but that was built around 27 BC. The Minoan civilization on Crete (Knossos) actually predates the Myceneans (2700BC - 1500BC), but is on par with ancient egyptian civilization and the Xia dynasty in China. Amazing. 

We explored the ancient steps leading down into a cistern where the water was kept. Mycenea. 

Clay animals, made almost 4,000 years ago in Mycenea.

We also explored Acrocorinth, located at the northeast edge of the Peloponnese Peninsula. This hill-top fortress was once part of the largest Roman townships and has been utilized by every controlling power since Roman times including the Turks, Franks, and Byzantinians. Crumbling mosques and basic minarets stand beside rough foundations of churches in this relatively small area. 

Mom and Chelsea on the walls of Acrocorinth. Like Crete, the Peloponnese Peninsula has an impressive number of snow-covered peaks and quaint little fishing villages and more orange fields that you can shake a stick at. 

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Chelsea in an old mosque in Acrocorinth.

How have those stones stayed put for so many centuries?

Of course we had to visit the Acropolis in Athens. We spent a surprisingly windy afternoon visiting the Parthenon and petting stray cats. 

Dave, Chelsea, and Mom check out the Parthenon in all it's glory.

Finding our way to the Acropolis.

A cute little neighborhood below the Acropolis - The historical, symbolic flag of the Acropolis flies high above the city to the left. 

Our hotel, the Metropolis, picked randomly on hotels.com, turned out to have the best view of the Acropolis in the whole city! What a way to spend the last evening! What a trip, thanks Felix, Mom, Chelsea and Dave!