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Last week I was killing a bottle of wine together with my friend Christine, a German lady my age who lives here in Pitsidia, and we were talking about nice places in Crete. She told me she used to go with her (then) little son to a beach near Plakias on the South coast where she slept on the beach for 6 weeks during summer... I guess we were talking about life in Crete some twenty years ago.
So, yesterday morning she called me to inquire if I had done all the work I had on my conscience when we last talked, and I had to admit that I had not been quite as busy as I was supposed to, still having a lot to do for delivery Monday afternoon. Well, what a pity, she said, I was going to suggest that we could go together to Plakias all the day Monday, but I guess you can't make it then..... I assured her that I would love to come along and worked like a maniac all Sunday, delivered everything by 22.00 hrs and was ready this morning for a trip to whereever this Plakias was.
Before we left Christine inquired if I had a map. I said no, since I always get lost anyway, map or no map. OK, she got her own map from her car and we went along, agreeing that she would tell me where to go. First we go to Timbaki. OK, I said, at least I know that way. In Timbaki, Christine directed me to the right, towards Rethymno.... and then all the fun started!
To go to Plakias on the South coast we actually managed to see the mountain areas around Klima... Agios Ioanis... Elenes... Meronas (stopped for a drink of water and to ask for directions)... along the macaroni-road from there towards Spili (stopped for a frappe)... and then finally we found the right way to Plakias. So much for having a card-reader with you! ahahahh
Plakias is very touristy, nothing much to see which you could not find anywhere else: the sea and some tavernas. We decided we would have our lunch in a nice taverna which Christine remembered in Mirthios, just over Plakias. Up, up, up and Mirthios actually has a fantastic view over Plakias and the sea. Unfortunately, the taverna was not open and we were starting to get hungry. So we went towards the beach where Christine had spent her 6 weeks on the beach - Damnoni - which turned out to be a bit of a disappointment because somebody had had the great idea of building an enormous group of timeshare villas (which we heard from a local were almost all empty all year round, not much business in that project). But Damnoni had one wonderful thing: an open taverna which announced "fresh fish". We sat down outside in the sunshine and enjoyed a Greek salad and our wine while we waited for the fish. And when the fish finally came an almost religious silence fell over the table while we enjoyed it, it was SO good, and the little vegetables on the side of the dish did not disturb me too much, I concentrated on the fish.
Well, since we were in the area, we thought we would go have a look at the palm beach in Preveli, and having such an excellent card-reader with me, who surely knew the way by heart (at least so she told me) we went to find a way to Preveli. After a while we actually found a small road with a sign: "Palm Beach", so we turned left. This road was a so-called "dirt road", but as we went along up in the mountains it sometimes turned out that half of this dirt-road had disappeared over the edge, leaving a very, very tiny space for the car to pass. On one side were the cliffs and whatever they had dropped on the road in form of stones and blocks, on the other side I actually didn't dare to look, I kept my eyes on the "road" although Christine assured me that the view was fantastic.
When we actually made it down to the beach, it turned out that this was actually NOT the Palm Beach of Preveli which we were looking for. To reach that we had to climb the rocks on some rudimentary steps cut into it, I'll probably not be able to move my legs tomorrow, it would have taken some Olympic athlet to manage the trip, not common mortals like us two ol' ladies. Well, it seems that Christine and I have a thing in common: we don't give up. So finally we managed to climb down another 722 steps to reach Palm Beach on the other side. Of course, nobody was there, and that was the pretty part of it, so we rested our sore bones on a couple of beach chairs for half an hour before we took the 722 steps up and the 615 steps down again. (OK, maybe I'm exagerating, maybe they were only 721 and 614).
Now, the fun part: Getting the car back on the same donkey-track which had taken us there. The view was still marvelous, Christine assured me. And when we finally reached the end of it she said that had she been alone she might not have dared going that way. Now you tell me!
It was time to go back, and since we enjoy seeing new things we decided to take the right road back towards Agia Galini. And when we were almost in Agia Galini we decided to finish the day at the port there to have a cool drink.
When finally heading home I suggested we could turn left towards Heraklion and have a Pizza there before going home, but Christine seemed to have enough for that day, even though I ensured her that she would not have to keep her eyes on the map, I could easily find it myself.
I used to hate the first Monday after the start of summertime, having to wake up almost in the middle of the night just because some lunatic had decided to move forward the clock for an hour. But going back to Pitsidia around seven in the evening it was quite nice to still be able to enjoy the sunset over the sea.
So, yesterday morning she called me to inquire if I had done all the work I had on my conscience when we last talked, and I had to admit that I had not been quite as busy as I was supposed to, still having a lot to do for delivery Monday afternoon. Well, what a pity, she said, I was going to suggest that we could go together to Plakias all the day Monday, but I guess you can't make it then..... I assured her that I would love to come along and worked like a maniac all Sunday, delivered everything by 22.00 hrs and was ready this morning for a trip to whereever this Plakias was.
Before we left Christine inquired if I had a map. I said no, since I always get lost anyway, map or no map. OK, she got her own map from her car and we went along, agreeing that she would tell me where to go. First we go to Timbaki. OK, I said, at least I know that way. In Timbaki, Christine directed me to the right, towards Rethymno.... and then all the fun started!
To go to Plakias on the South coast we actually managed to see the mountain areas around Klima... Agios Ioanis... Elenes... Meronas (stopped for a drink of water and to ask for directions)... along the macaroni-road from there towards Spili (stopped for a frappe)... and then finally we found the right way to Plakias. So much for having a card-reader with you! ahahahhPlakias is very touristy, nothing much to see which you could not find anywhere else: the sea and some tavernas. We decided we would have our lunch in a nice taverna which Christine remembered in Mirthios, just over Plakias. Up, up, up and Mirthios actually has a fantastic view over Plakias and the sea. Unfortunately, the taverna was not open and we were starting to get hungry. So we went towards the beach where Christine had spent her 6 weeks on the beach - Damnoni - which turned out to be a bit of a disappointment because somebody had had the great idea of building an enormous group of timeshare villas (which we heard from a local were almost all empty all year round, not much business in that project). But Damnoni had one wonderful thing: an open taverna which announced "fresh fish". We sat down outside in the sunshine and enjoyed a Greek salad and our wine while we waited for the fish. And when the fish finally came an almost religious silence fell over the table while we enjoyed it, it was SO good, and the little vegetables on the side of the dish did not disturb me too much, I concentrated on the fish.
Well, since we were in the area, we thought we would go have a look at the palm beach in Preveli, and having such an excellent card-reader with me, who surely knew the way by heart (at least so she told me) we went to find a way to Preveli. After a while we actually found a small road with a sign: "Palm Beach", so we turned left. This road was a so-called "dirt road", but as we went along up in the mountains it sometimes turned out that half of this dirt-road had disappeared over the edge, leaving a very, very tiny space for the car to pass. On one side were the cliffs and whatever they had dropped on the road in form of stones and blocks, on the other side I actually didn't dare to look, I kept my eyes on the "road" although Christine assured me that the view was fantastic.
When we actually made it down to the beach, it turned out that this was actually NOT the Palm Beach of Preveli which we were looking for. To reach that we had to climb the rocks on some rudimentary steps cut into it, I'll probably not be able to move my legs tomorrow, it would have taken some Olympic athlet to manage the trip, not common mortals like us two ol' ladies. Well, it seems that Christine and I have a thing in common: we don't give up. So finally we managed to climb down another 722 steps to reach Palm Beach on the other side. Of course, nobody was there, and that was the pretty part of it, so we rested our sore bones on a couple of beach chairs for half an hour before we took the 722 steps up and the 615 steps down again. (OK, maybe I'm exagerating, maybe they were only 721 and 614).
Now, the fun part: Getting the car back on the same donkey-track which had taken us there. The view was still marvelous, Christine assured me. And when we finally reached the end of it she said that had she been alone she might not have dared going that way. Now you tell me!
It was time to go back, and since we enjoy seeing new things we decided to take the right road back towards Agia Galini. And when we were almost in Agia Galini we decided to finish the day at the port there to have a cool drink.
When finally heading home I suggested we could turn left towards Heraklion and have a Pizza there before going home, but Christine seemed to have enough for that day, even though I ensured her that she would not have to keep her eyes on the map, I could easily find it myself.
I used to hate the first Monday after the start of summertime, having to wake up almost in the middle of the night just because some lunatic had decided to move forward the clock for an hour. But going back to Pitsidia around seven in the evening it was quite nice to still be able to enjoy the sunset over the sea.
I remember a holiday near Plakias about 8 years ago and we visited Damnoni beach and another close by. A Donut seller used to come by "Vitamins, lovely vitamins eat a donut a day with lots of vitamins and keep the doctor away". The trading standards people may have had an issue with him but we enjoyed the vitamins with far less guilt that if we had been munching ordinary donuts!!!!!
Back to work tomorrow Dinny he he he