Still the Summer meltemi wind trapped us. Shocking though it seems, B’s practical solution to preserving hair and makeup for the wavey trip ashore for our full moon party night at Ak Zakros still at the eastern extremity of Crete – at last the wind died enough to sail the next day!...
... after one night in Sitia to replenish our now almost empty water tanks, we arrived at Agios Nikolaos, still in the east of Crete. ‘Ag Nik’ is mainly renowned for its ‘bottomless’, but picturesque small lake in the middle of town – actually a volcanic crater 67m deep. The town is OK but quite full of tourists.
A Banksie lookalike graffiti artist appears on the walls of Ag Nik.
We parked Deep Blue for 6 nights in Ag Nik marina and took a bus to the capital, Heraklion (to be avoided mostly) where we were met by our dear cruising friends, Pippy and Richard from NZ.
We did the obligatory visit to the largest Minoan settlement of Knossos. The 19th Century archaeologist, Sir Arthur Evans rather over restored (with liberal use of concrete) the excavated remains of this grand palace surrounded by a town of maybe 12,000. Purported to be the home of King Minos, keeper of the legendary Minatour in the labyrinthan palace.
Sir Arthur thus gave the name ‘Minoan’ to this most ancient of Mediterranean, highly developed people. We’ll never know what they knew themselves as!
It was great to be guests on P&R’s 42’ Beneteau Matelot in the marina at Rethymno – Richard has a good singing voice, is known to break into song and turns out to be OK at the Ukele too – is there no end to this man’s talent?!
Day 2 touring together we visited the lovely town of Hania, the capital before modern Heraklion.
The mix of Venetian (‘Venice of the East’) ...
...and Turkish influences are preserved most attractively in the narrow streets around the old port and Venetian fortifications.
We then headed to the extreme west to Falassarna – a fabulous beach with crystal clear water where you can see the whole island has been tipped up about 6.6m from the old tide line.
Even more interestingly is the site at the top of the bay where a large, fortified, Minoan settlement is being excavated; at its peak between 4th and 1st centuries BC it was “...destroyed by the Romans, most probably because it turned to piracy and its harbour went out of use. Destroyed finally by the earthquake of 365AD, which raised the land, simultaneously sinking (we suppose) the ancient port at Ak. Zakros in the East where we had first landed.
A 3500 year old mooring? Amazing to stand of the ancient quay and see the mooring holes cut from stone... imagining the ancient mariners lined up in port.
Next day we drove to the south and took a ferry to the start of the huge Samaria Gorge to hike up it.
The ‘Iron Gates’ are only 3m wide, but the gorge towers 300m overhead.
The scale (and the heat) were awesome! We saw the unqiue, indigiinous ‘Kri Kri’ goat in the gorge.
Back in Rethymno with R&P for a simple dinner out together, we found a vast migratory flock of swallows resting for the night overhead.
Sad to say goodby to Pippa and Richard, back on Deep Blue we left Ag Nik for the short motor up to Spinalonga Island and lagoon.
The vastly strong Venetian fort was modified over the centuries as warfare evolved...
...from bow and arrow, to cannon
From 1903 the island was turned into a leper colony where lepers, who are also people lived, fell in love, got married, had lives and of course died (this is the cemetery), though we learnt the treatment of this horrific disease improved greatly over the decades.
This chap (note the hands, in 1961) Epaminondas Remoundakis was only 21 when banished to the colony, where he fought passionately for better living conditions for lepers until the colony closed in 1957. The Island remains uninhabited.
The light on these magnificent mountains viewed down the lagoon to a narrow entrance was superb every evening. We understand why this place has become a favourite for the stars these days.
Dieter, the 67 year old inflatable canoeist – “Crazy, but not stupid!” he proudly proclaimed. Such a lovely man and so interesting! Not a Luddite, but just "homo sapiens, not homo digitalis!" (no e-mail address).
Time to leave Crete. After an overnight passage NE and 115nm, we arrived at small Greek Island of Tilos; Livadhia, the main port...
... is incredibly busy!
The birdlife of the island is protected and we saw a good amount – here is a Mediterranean Shag.
Our 3 hours walk in the heat took us to the town of Mikro Chorio, abandoned just after WW2 – several of these olive presses remain among the ruins. Would you want to live in a house here?...
...or run a night club here? Bit of a 'horror movie set'
Sooo, we just had to take a look!
At the port earlier, we had witnessed a ‘cultural event’ which largely comprised some quite nice costumes and the slowest dancing I think I have ever seen.
However, the whole town seemed to be enjoying the event, of all ages and sizes. A real thriving community with recently established schools on the island. Great!
Next day, Sunday, we took the vertiginous bus trip up to the splendid monastery of St.Pandeleimon on the west coast; actually what we had come to Tilos for! (Nisiros at distant left) Some debate about when first established, but probably 15th century (by Jonas?).
Though clearly well built and well tended with a dozen monks cells...
... only the abbot remains here – the small church is full of artwork and fine murals from the centuries.
The abbot was very friendly and welcoming, asking for no money; though we paid for and lit a candle each for friends who have lost children.
The best water on the island is up here
– the monastery could not have ever been viable without this sweet water.
Back to the megayacht Deep Blue, with a smaller, Russian one just behind (joke!). We prepare to leave to return to ‘home’ in Turkey...
And here we are - our last morning at anchor, in Gerbekse Cove near Marmaris, for how long? Not sure!
A small shoal of cuttlefish were intrigued by our anchor...
As we weighed for the last time, their large eyes observed me curiously - "when are you coming back?"
Watch this space!
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