Tag 128 Sougia Challenge No.?

You already know what's going on today. Grandma and Grandpa have laced up their shoes in the sunshine. First along the promenade to the marina. In the rock there, an old waterline is clearly visible, which is 7m higher than the current sea level. This sudden increase occurred about 1500 years ago in western Crete. After opening a gate (there are plenty of them in Crete), the path begins upwards between slightly larger stones and up a rock. On the right side is an impressive rock wall with reddish tones, recesses, and a variety of plant growth. After about half an hour, we reach the junction. From here, we continue through a pine forest. Soon we reach the high plateau, which resembles more of a rocky desert. At the moment, the purple heather is very beautiful to look at, with gray stones in between and an occasional lush green pine. After walking down the hill, we find ourselves in the terrain of ancient Lissos. In ancient times, Lissos was a place where people from Crete, all of Greece, and the North African coast came. The purpose of their journey was to visit the Temple of Asclepius, which is famous for its unusual water that springs from the local sources. Allegedly, it had healing power, which was willingly used to treat all kinds of ailments. Today, only the walls and the enchanting Roman mosaic that covered the former temple floor remain of this sanctuary. Of course, we also drank the water (who knows what it's good for?). While wandering around the site, you can still see ruins of the ancient settlement of Lissos. Absolutely admirable for me are the ancient olive trees, whose trunks are true works of art. Allegedly, their age dates back to Roman times, which is hard to imagine. In the front former harbor area, there is a small beach. After the tour, we climbed up the hill again, walked through the high plateau, and descended through the pine forest to the bottom of the gorge. Burki wanted to walk the circular route to finally return to Sougia. Along the way, I thought to myself: hey, this guy is so tough, overcoming this distance with all his limitations. In the end, it was 12 km and 500 meters in altitude. I can only give him a thumbs up. Quite exhausted (I had already jogged in the morning), we settled down in the tavern passing by. Of course, we ordered too much, but it was delicious anyway 😉.