My hotel in Chania, Hotel Niriis. It took me two rides on the local bus and one confusing and frustrating conversation with some locals to find it -- but find it, I eventually did! Bonus: the beach down the street was a serious upgrade from the previous one.
The beach down the street...
.... MANY notches better than Heaven Beach!
On my first day in this Western part of Crete, I hiked the 18km-long Samaria Gorge. This is easily the most popular walk in Crete, with over 1,000 hikers per day in the summer. Fortunately, the off-season is just now beginning, so it's not too crowded.
Hmmmm... Looks a bit like the Canadian Rockies....
Trying to be artsy
A kri-kri mother and her kids suddenly pop out of nowhere as soon as I take my apple out for my snack. These inquisitive animals, also called Cretan goats, were thought to be indigenous to the area, but were actually imported during Minoan times. There are only about 2000 left on Crete and so, are considered vulnerable to extinction.
This little guy wanted his photo taken I think...
Ruins of the village of Samaria. Its inhabitants got kicked out when this area became a National Park in 1962. Most of them were either bee keepers or goat herders.
Can you find the kri-kri?
The Iron Gates, where the walls of the gorge are only 4 meters apart.
Cool textures
And I'm out of the gorge! It's another 2 kms to the beach, where a ferry will pick me up.
The Libyan Sea awaits me at the end....
The ferry ride reveals a beautiful Southern coast. Pictured is the village of Agia Roumeli, where I arrived after the hike. It is only accessible by foot (via the gorge) or by boat.
And there you go! A beautiful end to a beautiful day.
Next, I will take you on a tour through Hania, a beautiful historical city here on Crete. Easily one of my new favorite European cities....
Hi Nat, Crete looks Beautiful! Hope you are having a blast!
ReplyDelete