Monday, 26. July 2021
Veröffentlicht: 26.07.2021
On the road at 34 degrees
Today I started already at 9 o'clock. On the plan was actually 'Mires'. This is supposed to be worth a trip. Says at least the guide.... Well, I have a different opinion! So the way there is already worth a trip. But not the village itself.
But before that I had to stop briefly in Rethimno (there my today's way went anyway from the car road into the mountain road) to buy a mobile phone charger for cigarette lighter in the car. So my cell phone doesn't consume all the power for the navigation device. Not so easy to find such a plug! I ran back and forth and no one could tell me in the souvernir stores exactly where I can find something like that. But, I found it! Then, get fix out of the chaos of the city in the direction of the south of Crete.
Since Mires was not so cool, I went straight on to the next destination nearby: 'Sivas'. In this small village is a pottery store with a small selection of great handmade stuff. The potter was just working on the wheel and his wife is taking care of the store. When I told her I had come from Chania, she offered me a small bowl. Since I couldn't connect to the internet to show her my pottery, she grabbed my business card and said she would look at it on the internet tonight with her daughter. We exchanged and about pottery and techniques. Nice to buy items that come from here with 100% guarantee and not from xxx. In addition, they were mega happy that I praised their work so much.
On the way I spontaneously stopped at a women's monastery. The 'Lalyvani' is huge. Numerous accommodations, aviaries with birds and a beautiful church awaited me.
The mountain landscape is beautiful. Wide valleys, with tens of thousands olive trees and many white greenhouses. This seems to be where all the vegetables for the farmer's salad and especially all the tons of olives for the best olive oil in the world come from! A few wind turbines and gigantic solar panels can also be found here. Actually surprisingly few; because wind is extremely abundant here and sun anyway! Smile
The roads are mostly very good to drive on and some sections are completely new tarred or are just being rebuilt. But, all the potholes, tar spots and other bumps are more numerous. So driving is a big concentration thing and skillful dodging is a must. If you are lucky and a car is driving ahead, you only have to follow its evasive maneuvers. Unless it is a tourist!Oh yes, I saw something else 'funny': it was driving towards me. I could recognize it as a pick-up. The last ones I saw all had watermelons and workers sitting on top (!) loaded.... but this time there was something moving in the back of the truck. Hmmmm. So cool: that what I saw was a Dalmatian's ears blowing in the wind. Couldn't take a picture unfortunately. But here is my attempt to describe this: The dog stood with the hind legs on the loading area. The front legs and thus the whole head he had supported in front on the driver's roof and looked in driving direction. Full in the driving wind thus.
Finally I landed in the former hippie village 'Matala'. Wow, there is something going on! To find a parking place is a matter of luck. And I was lucky! Right in front of the beach I could use the slot and find a place. 3 Euro.The very small village is sympathetic, with colorfully painted streets and thus still bears the traces of the good old hippie times.In the Neolithic period, numerous dwelling caves were dug into the soft, porous rock of the bay, which were used as burial sites (somehow it still smells like that there!) during the Roman occupation of Crete. In the 1960s, hippies from all over the world (including many young U.S. citizens who refused to participate in the Vietnam War) settled in the residential caves and established a large commune there. Admission to the mountainous witnesses of time costs 4 euros and the visitor does well not to climb up there in flip-flops....Flipflops, on the other hand, are good again on the sand at the packed mini-beach section. My goodness, I almost burned my soles and had to sit down after the first 30 (fast) steps emergency to not have to scream out loud because it burned so hellish! Then quickly put the shoes back on and continue walking. Whew. That was really not funny!
Since my return trip to Chania is 130 kilometers and just under 2.5 hours, and it was already 5 pm, I sat down in a taverna right on the beach and ate. The wind was blowing extremely hard and my food almost flew out of my plate! But it was a great cool down after this extremely hot day.
On the way home, the landscape already had a completely different light; the sun was slowly setting and everything had warmer colors. Really beautiful. In addition Greek music turned up loudly and already the long way back became much more pleasant. On the Greek radio they even advertise the Covid tests!After Rethimno the sun was ready to disappear behind the mountains. So I looked for a parking place and waited until the orange-red-yellow natural spectacle happened. Since it still took about 20 minutes and I was not the only one waiting, I played photographer for the couples in love, who struggled with selfies. Smile. After all, if I have to stand here alone, then I can help the others to a great photo. Wink
Back in the hostel there was already a change of the room neighbors. Already yesterday. Whew. Soon I get new roommates every day. France, Holland, Poland are there today. I lose the overview. Hihi.
Today I started already at 9 o'clock. On the plan was actually 'Mires'. This is supposed to be worth a trip. Says at least the guide.... Well, I have a different opinion! So the way there is already worth a trip. But not the village itself.
But before that I had to stop briefly in Rethimno (there my today's way went anyway from the car road into the mountain road) to buy a mobile phone charger for cigarette lighter in the car. So my cell phone doesn't consume all the power for the navigation device. Not so easy to find such a plug! I ran back and forth and no one could tell me in the souvernir stores exactly where I can find something like that. But, I found it! Then, get fix out of the chaos of the city in the direction of the south of Crete.
Since Mires was not so cool, I went straight on to the next destination nearby: 'Sivas'. In this small village is a pottery store with a small selection of great handmade stuff. The potter was just working on the wheel and his wife is taking care of the store. When I told her I had come from Chania, she offered me a small bowl. Since I couldn't connect to the internet to show her my pottery, she grabbed my business card and said she would look at it on the internet tonight with her daughter. We exchanged and about pottery and techniques. Nice to buy items that come from here with 100% guarantee and not from xxx. In addition, they were mega happy that I praised their work so much.
On the way I spontaneously stopped at a women's monastery. The 'Lalyvani' is huge. Numerous accommodations, aviaries with birds and a beautiful church awaited me.
The mountain landscape is beautiful. Wide valleys, with tens of thousands olive trees and many white greenhouses. This seems to be where all the vegetables for the farmer's salad and especially all the tons of olives for the best olive oil in the world come from! A few wind turbines and gigantic solar panels can also be found here. Actually surprisingly few; because wind is extremely abundant here and sun anyway! Smile
The roads are mostly very good to drive on and some sections are completely new tarred or are just being rebuilt. But, all the potholes, tar spots and other bumps are more numerous. So driving is a big concentration thing and skillful dodging is a must. If you are lucky and a car is driving ahead, you only have to follow its evasive maneuvers. Unless it is a tourist!Oh yes, I saw something else 'funny': it was driving towards me. I could recognize it as a pick-up. The last ones I saw all had watermelons and workers sitting on top (!) loaded.... but this time there was something moving in the back of the truck. Hmmmm. So cool: that what I saw was a Dalmatian's ears blowing in the wind. Couldn't take a picture unfortunately. But here is my attempt to describe this: The dog stood with the hind legs on the loading area. The front legs and thus the whole head he had supported in front on the driver's roof and looked in driving direction. Full in the driving wind thus.
Finally I landed in the former hippie village 'Matala'. Wow, there is something going on! To find a parking place is a matter of luck. And I was lucky! Right in front of the beach I could use the slot and find a place. 3 Euro.The very small village is sympathetic, with colorfully painted streets and thus still bears the traces of the good old hippie times.In the Neolithic period, numerous dwelling caves were dug into the soft, porous rock of the bay, which were used as burial sites (somehow it still smells like that there!) during the Roman occupation of Crete. In the 1960s, hippies from all over the world (including many young U.S. citizens who refused to participate in the Vietnam War) settled in the residential caves and established a large commune there. Admission to the mountainous witnesses of time costs 4 euros and the visitor does well not to climb up there in flip-flops....Flipflops, on the other hand, are good again on the sand at the packed mini-beach section. My goodness, I almost burned my soles and had to sit down after the first 30 (fast) steps emergency to not have to scream out loud because it burned so hellish! Then quickly put the shoes back on and continue walking. Whew. That was really not funny!
Since my return trip to Chania is 130 kilometers and just under 2.5 hours, and it was already 5 pm, I sat down in a taverna right on the beach and ate. The wind was blowing extremely hard and my food almost flew out of my plate! But it was a great cool down after this extremely hot day.
On the way home, the landscape already had a completely different light; the sun was slowly setting and everything had warmer colors. Really beautiful. In addition Greek music turned up loudly and already the long way back became much more pleasant. On the Greek radio they even advertise the Covid tests!After Rethimno the sun was ready to disappear behind the mountains. So I looked for a parking place and waited until the orange-red-yellow natural spectacle happened. Since it still took about 20 minutes and I was not the only one waiting, I played photographer for the couples in love, who struggled with selfies. Smile. After all, if I have to stand here alone, then I can help the others to a great photo. Wink
Back in the hostel there was already a change of the room neighbors. Already yesterday. Whew. Soon I get new roommates every day. France, Holland, Poland are there today. I lose the overview. Hihi.
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