Our last day on the islands and it was a fun one. Started off very cool, windy and with passing clouds. We spent the afternoon back down in Avlemonas as we know it is warm and sunny along the coasts. We sketched the older church this morning, bundled up in sweaters, jackets, etc. Stopped at “home” to lighten up on the clothes to go on to Avlemonas. The afternoon was warmer but the wind was still quite strong, even blowing our pencils around and making interesting marks. 

 

We approached Avlemonas from a different road….the view was amazing! 

 

We had lunch at the same place as Sunday and, since they had grilled squid again, we ordered one to be shared. However, we were served 2….it was not a problem! The potato salad was warm with onions, dill and just a tad of oil. Delicious! The view was slightly different…..we changed tables. 

 Rock Challenge:

Flórida did not change my arrangement, but since I had added plant material, she did too! Very cool. 

 

AND NOW: The big treat of the day was when we stopped by to drop sweaters etc and Flórida was there! We were so happy to meet her and we all had a good laugh about the “challenge.” Here she is! 

 

Today we fly back to Athens and fly home tomorrow. It has been such a fun trip.

We started the day in Mylopotpmos, the third Traditional Village of Kythira. It is famous for a 90 foot waterfall and the stream going to the sea has many old water mills. We hiked to the mills our last time here, but just went as far as the falls today. The town is beautiful and very shady with all their plane trees. 

 

 

  

Half a mile further brings us to another Venetian castle, begun in 1545. There are still many buildings standing. The view to the west is beautiful. Most of the west coast is only accessible by boat as the mountains drop straight to the sea. 

   

 

We returned to Mylopotomos for lunch; no sea view today, but we were on a terrace above the falls and we could hear the water. Restaurant  was new last year…..not a taverna, so no free desert. YEAH! Food was delicious. Pork was cooked with Kytheran honey, basalmic vinegar and paprika; best fried potatoes of the whole trip!  

 

Tuesday’s Rock Challenge:   

This is really fun! We will leave them again tomorrow in a different shape and see what Flórida does 😃 with what I have left this morning. 

  

We headed to,the north this morning but only went as far as the paved roads. Dirt roads are not healthy for rental cars. We were at Ámmos Beach…nothing but beach and apartments and a long way from anything else. But it was beautiful! 

 

We spent some time in Karavás, the last “big” town to the north. We hiked down to a spring that was cool and lovely, but the road down to it was really too small……we walked it! But the delivery truck made it. He had come from in front of the cafe….very good driver! 

 

  

 We went to the famous bakery in Karavás as our 1 pound of rusk is almost gone and it is soooo good. We sketched for about an hour there and then…. 

 

….we went back to Ay. Pelaghia for lunch where we ate a few days ago. The restaurant is owned by a very young couple and they are doing a wonderful job. Straposada is a mixture of eggs, tomatoes and cheese (and some oil, of course!) and it was delicious. 

 

NOW! for the laughs of the day:

1) We have had to stop for animals in the road in the past (sheep, goats, cattle, sheep dogs) but today was a first. In the middle of the main highway there was this ball of fur rolling around. We stopped the car, beeped the horn, and 2 ferrets gave up their tussle and walked away. 

2) Our maid is a person of order!! Things must be left a certain way or she will move them….shower gel and shampoos in a line, descending order, please, etc. So this morning I left some rocks on the table as a smiley face along with a thank you note to her as she always brings in our dry laundry and even folds it! I wanted to see what the rocks would be like this afternoon….in order!! of course! 

3) Cars: We finished lunch, went back to where we had parked behind a white car, and as we approached I thought, “no, our car has a green sticker on the front window, I think, and this one is white.” I did not say anything, but the key did not fit. OH! The car in front had left and someone else had pulled in behind us….duh! (Honestly, the wine was not that strong!) 

 

There were also a few near misses on the narrow roads today. We swear that after an hour of not one car, if we start to drive all the trucks are on the road and we meet them at the tight spots or at blind curves. Tuesday we are off to the west to a small Venetian fort and the last of the three villages that have the Traditional designation.

Another beautiful day! The photo at the top of the blog is from Avlemonas; in the southeast corner of Kythira where the architecture is very different. The influence is from the islands to the east….white buildings with blue trim. Avlemonas is the birth place of Aphrodite and it is a beautiful, tiny place. Again, we visited with the Aussies we flew in with…see, I told you it was a small island! They are staying at the north end and thought nothing of driving to the south for a snack….and to take in the beauty. 

    

Flowers are everywhere…..often old feta cheese cans or olive oil cans are used as pots….sometimes they are painted, sometimes not. 

 

And, of course, lunch! It was delicious!!! 

 

Heading to the north end for today’s adventure; weather is clear again and perfect!

All the way to the southern tip one finds the biggest city on the island, Chora and its magnificent Venetian castle high on the point…..and more churches than one can count! At one viewpoint we could see 6 or 7. The castle area is huge and has at least 3 churches within the walls. 

   

  

The narrow streets are beautiful.  

 

One very special story…..see the little girl and the lady circled in the photo? The little girl turned around, ran up and gave the lady a big hug. I stopped, looked at the lady and asked, “και έρώ?” (me too? in English) She gave me a huge hug, thanked me big time, and said she is everyone’s “γιαγιά.” (Grandmother) It was a very special treat for me! 

 

We went down to Kapsali beach for lunch and ate where we did 4 years ago. No photos….shared a grilled red snapper, beet root salad and something new…..like cold smashed potatoes with olive oil and a lot of garlic to be spread on grilled slices of bread with oregano….sounds odd, but was very good. The view was gorgeous. 

 

We stopped in the tiny town where our friends own property and as we were walking around a man came out to see if he could help us. We told him of our friends, he knows them and their daughters from previous visits. He then showed us his garden and the beautiful terraced garden he created for some doctors from Athens who come for the summer. Another special treat for the day. We are spending Sunday in the southeast corner where there is a Venetian Fortress.

Clouds were rolling over this part of the island this morning, so we stayed at “home” doing laundry….with a washing machine!!!! and doing some sketches here in town; In the afternoon set out to find 2 more old Byzantine churches on the way to the north east coast town of Aghia Pelaghia…..never found them, so continued winding down to the beach for lunch. Decided on one, sat down at a table on the beach and then noticed that at the next table was the Australian couple we flew in with from Athens. His father left this village in 1910 seeking a better life. Many from here went to Australia and now, due to the current economic conditions, many families are again leaving the island for Australia. Very sad.

Here are a few shots of our house…..everything is concrete and white. Very nice, very Zen and very relaxing.

 

  

We had a beautiful view….again….and a delicious lunch. There were 4 cats; three were thin and there was one that did  nothing but sleep…we named it, Ton of Fun, as it was quite well fed. 

   

And then there are the sweets…..The ones we bought in the box and Friday night Morfia came with a plate of traditional Greek Christmas cookies……except on Kythera, they eat them all year long. 

  

WHEW!!!

Stareted the day looking for Ag. Dimetrios near Livadi…..had to stop and ask where the “road” was. Nice lady at pastry shop got us straight and after seeing what she had, I told her we would be back! Quite a road…the “main” road, down the middle of the island, is very narrow and the side are really something! After we sketched the “big” Ay. Dimetrios, we went to the lady’s shop, had a café bought baklava and some cookies to take home. She told us of another Ay. Dimetrios and showed us on the map how to get there. So, we went for it! Not the easiest place to find…..a few turn arounds, but we made it and it was wonderful…..after a short hike. The first one is from late 13th C and the “old” one from early 13th C. New one on the left; old one on the right.

Lunch was good and the Greek salad was different as they added plants from the sea! And they were good. The stuffed zucchini blossoms were delicious (stuffing was soft cheese). Then calimari and candied lemon peel. we were at the port and the colors of the water were spectacular! It is quite a decent to the port.

   

You can see the mainland in the background…. 

 

NOTE:  I prepared this post Wednesday afternoon….went to Kafenion Thursday morning to post it….power not working…we waited 15 min…..maybe in a half hour power company said…..which, in Greek time means sometime today. We went to Potamos to the bakery…now power is on! Espresso time!

We made it! Broken ferry did not stop us. Morfia, the lady whose cottage we rent, was at the airport when we arrived. I did not see her coming and was suddenly in a bear hug, then she hugged LDM, backed up and hugged both of us at the same time. What a nice welcome. We followed her to the cottage in our tiny car and then we visited for a while. She was anxious to see LDM’s drawings. Then we went to lunch up the road….kept it very light today as we are so stuffed from Crete….yes, we had cake before leaving the hotel this morning! 

This is the street we walk along to get to the Kafenion where there is WIFI…. NO solar water heaters with silver tanks allowed here as it is a traditional village…..yeah!

Lunch was meatballs and Tzatziki and the vegetable dish that they made for the day. All I knew was that the dis was vegetables, called “brim.” It was zucchini, eggplant, green pepper and tomatoes, potatoes and with a bunch of oil. Similar to Italian Caponata. 

 

  Thus is “our” Kafenion, outside and inside; the best espresso of the trip. It is so clear today that the mainland is clearly visible.

For the first time we had clouds and sprinkles today. We still made the loop through the “Wild West” of Crete….and wild it is! Rugged mountains, winding roads, very narrow at times, spectacular views of the valleys, gorges and beaches below. No sketching, but there was a bakery at Elos, so we sat on a wall and ate pastries! 

   

…with chocolate! Yummy! The small villages were clinging to the sides of the mountains and the beaches were far below.

 

We made our way to Sfanri beach for lunch…..again, the family ate at the next table. We do not know what they were drinking, but they were having a great time laughing. We ate inside…..in the kitchen basically, because it was cool and windy.

 

We stopped for an espresso before finishing our drive (wine, and Raki…..need espresso!) The lady brought us cookies with the coffee and then a plate of citrus peel in syrup that she was making right then. It was warm and delicious! 

 

We are staying by the beach in Kissamos and the waves are spectacular!  

 

Crete has been great…..but a few parting thoughts:. 1) Solar heat for hot water is not a good deal! At the rentals we NEVER had hot water in the mornings so we learned to shower and wash hair at night after the sun had heated the water….no overnight retention. 2) The showers rarely had a hook for the shower head and the shower gel was in hard plastic containers so that balancing everything, trying not to flood the bathroom AND get some soap…was a challenge! 

 

3) If I lived on Crete, I would want to be the guy who made/sold black tubing. These valves are everywhere diverting water to the olive groves and all along the roads are miles and miles of the tubing. Or maybe I would be the guy that makes the manifolds….

 

THE PEOPLE ARE WONDERFUL and GENEROUS and we have had a terrific time and the food has been so delicious. We were told that WIFI was “iffy” but it has been super everywhere. This will not be the case on Kythera; we have none in our cottage, but have to go to the Kafenion and have a coffee to use it…..not a bad deal!  I am posting this early as we have to leave for the airport early Wednesday morning. 

We visited the tiny villages on the Rodopou peninsula….Stopped at the first one to look at te view back to Kissamos. Decided to have a coffee at the only little place in town. So we had our Greek coffee, and Maria brought us 4 cookies along with it. Then the bread man showed up, honking as he came through the village. Maria bought 2 loaves. Then she brought us a plate of Loquats, which are very good, if messy….THEN, she brought me sprigs of herbs (oregano, mint and sage.) Very generous people. This is the village of Ravdouha: 

     

Then we drove on out to Rodopos, the end of paved road down the middle. We were sketching  when a man pulled up in his car, got out and started talking to us in broken English. After a bit he invited us to his home for a drink of water, coffee, or something. We never turn down such a generous offer. We followed him a short way and he called to his wife, introduced us, and showed us into their dining room where we sat and she made one trip after another to the kitchen and back with something else to eat! Artichokes, candy, cookies, cake, water AND, of course we started with a toast of Raki….his own! We visited for about an hour….he was a barber for 46 years at the military base in Souda and cut hair of US Navy men who came there. When we left, it was with hugs and kisses from her and 2 fresh cut lillies. So much kindness and generosity! 

 

Next, we continued to the east side of the peninsula and down to sea level for lunch….the drive was quite interesting and we thought we made a mistaken turn….twice…so there was a lot of turning around…. 

 

The view at lunch was worth the effort. It was only our second restaurant (all others were tavernas) but we saw on a Danish website that this was very good…..and it was! We did not expect a free desert, but one came anyway. The small dish had sun dried tomatoes and butter made from goat’s milk to go with our bread.

 

We made a short stop in another village on the way home and were surprised by finding a lovely spot for an espresso. It was a wonderful day in every way 

 

Tuesday is our last day on Crete. We are driving the western loop 7 miles back up the gorge and then turning to drive through villages above the western beaches and to Kissamos for the night.