"Reflections of Crete"

                                      IMAGES OF CRETE
                                            
                                

                 

                   

                                                                               

           

                                                                               

"Crete - a sketchbook journey" 3. " Elounda to Aghios Nikolaos"

                                                     

" The steep hill out of Elounda towards Aghios Nikolaos"

I'm strolling to the bus stop to catch the local bus that will take me to 

the town of Aghios Nikolaos a few miles west of Elounda.

As I reach the brow of the hill I can see what looks suspiciously like

my bus sailing past the stop! I decide that it's either, twenty minutes early,

or thirty minutes late as it bears no relation to the timetable!!

I'm debating what to do when I see a man gesturing to me and waving his hands.

It seems that I have missed the bus and that he'll take me to Aghios Nikolaos 

in his old Mercedes taxi. Does he hang around here hoping this might happen?

Anyway within minutes we're speeding along in air conditioned luxury, and he

only charges me 12 euros instead of the usual 14 so maybe he was being helpful.

I'm dropped in the heart of the busy town and stroll around the harbour 

where charter boats and cruise ships anchor and where the smaller boats take 

day trippers to the island of Spinalonga.

Linked to the harbour is a narrow channel that feeds the adjoining

"Lake Voulismeni"

The lake is surrounded by tavernas and has a tiny "Fisherman's Church"

carved into the cliff face.

I stroll around the perimeter and watch as youths jump from the cliff top

into the lake , once rumoured to be bottomless , but since proven to be over

sixty metres deep .

"Doors of the old church"

I eat in the bustling lakeside taverna "Karnagio" that serves Cretan dishes.

I order rabbit stifado , washed down with Cretan red wine, whilst families chatter in

large groups and young children play in the main square.

"Crete - A sketchbook journey" 2. "By boat to Spinalonga"

                                                         

"Kolokytha , Plaka and Spinalonga"

I'm taking the short boat trip from the harbour at Elounda

to the island of Spinalonga.

Located opposite the town of Plaka ,this small island

used to be part of  Crete. During the Venetian occupation

the island was carved out of the coast and a fort was built to

maintain its strategic position.

In more recent years it became infamous as a leper colony.

"Spinalonga "

I step from the boat amidst the crowds of tourists jostling my

way forward and make my way steadily upwards towards the fort.

"The Fort"

Wandering through the ruined buildings I come across two

cats , grooming each other in the sun.

Onwards to the highest point of the island and the magnificient

views across the Gulf of Elounda.

  

 " Ruined buildings on Spinalonga "

After a couple of hours I stop for a drink in the island's 

small taverna , before catching the boat for my return journey.

"Caged bird at the taverna"

"Returning to Elounda"

"Crete - A sketchbook journey " 1." Elounda to Kolokytha "

                                   It's early. There seems to be a bright light shining outside
                               the patio doors to my hotel room. I peek through the curtains
                                  to see that the the sun is rising above the sea, bathing the
                                              whole of the bay in a crimson glow.

                                                                 

To the West is the town of Elounda, from here I'll walk across to

the island of Kolokytha, linked to the mainland by a causeway.

Passing the salt pans the causeway reaches the

island proper and the landscape is dominated by two 

disused windmills.

Nearby, at a spot formerly known as Poros, are the sunken

remains of the ancient city of Olous. Inhabited since the 

Minoan period, it was one of the hundred most important cities

of Ancient Crete.

A little way on , beyond the fish taverna, are the 

remains of the Byzantine basilica and it's decorative

mosaic floor.

I stop for a drink at the art retreat "Elounda 

Island Villas" and meet the artist Leda Alexopoulou.

She showed me her work in her studio/gallery and told

me that she would return to Athens at the end of the summer.

After a swim in the warm sheltered waters, I

walk back to the outskirts of Elounda, stopping for 

lunch at the "Taverna Paradissos".