28/12/24
It was a bleak night. The first night on a ferry without a bed had been a novelty. This just felt like torture, especially with an annoying steward deliberately waking up anyone who dared to try and sleep. Jonathan was also coming down with a cold of some kind. A sleepless night was not ideal.
At about half four we arrived in Heraklion. A fair few people got on, some with the intention of sleeping on the seats and others going to a cabin. At seven, the Sun finally made an appearance. Only an hour and a half left. We were sailing east along the north coast of Crete, which was now finally visible. We were getting off the ferry in Siteia, the most easterly port of the island.
It wasn’t raining anymore despite the forecast, which we were thankful for, though it was cloudy and a little windy. The first thing on our minds was to find a coffee shop in the town, having avoided the expensive boat cafe this time around. After a quick coffee, during which we contemplated visiting the Lidl and decided against the extra 100m of elevation, we set off to Kouremenos.
Crete wasn’t quite what we were expecting. Not that we knew what to expect. It’s mostly limestone, which makes it very grey, and combined with the arid climate makes for a very dusty place. Even in their winter. It’s far from a green island. Apart from the excessive number of olive trees.
Luckily the wind was favouring us and we raced along the coast. The first hill was a little one and it went up and round a hill on the coast just before the weirdly, perfectly rectangular village of Dionisos. It looked a little off but we didn’t go in. Later investigation shows it’s an abandoned timeshare project from the nineties which has made it a destination for a very different reason.
The next hill was bigger and longer, as we crossed over to the eastern coast. It wasn’t difficult but we weren’t at our best after a sleepless night. Fortunately the house we were staying at was ready for us, even though it was only 11am. We descended victoriously into Palekastro, and reviewed the shops we would be relying on for the week. There were several mini markets and a greengrocers as well as a shop titled ‘Meat and more’, which we hoped was more ‘more’ than meat.
The house was a further mile from the village and we picked the best route, ignoring google maps as it tried to send us to the rear of the house and have us jump over an olive grove. The road that led to the quiet and windy beach was concrete and, intermittently, a dirt track. This side of the island is known for being ideal for wind surfing and there was a surfing bar closed up for the season.
There were big puddles on the sandy road between the beach and the house. It appeared to be a popular camper van stop. There were a couple of them dotted around. The gate at the bottom of the driveway was closed but unlocked and slid open. The key to the house was in the door. An indication of a quiet and safe area, hopefully.
The house had tiled floors throughout and was a little chilly. There was no central heating, just air conditioners. We took the bikes round the back and unloaded them. Then lifted the bikes onto the patio and took them through the double doors into the bottom floor of the bedroom. It had a maisonette where the double bed was.
We trekked to the shops, taking an even less well paved route. Then starting at the bottom of the town we inspected each of the shops to find the best prices. It was worth it, each shop seemed to be competitive on one or two items and often wildly expensive for others. It was amazing how many shops one small town could support. We ended up at the fruit and vegetable shop which excitingly had Cretan bananas. They were expensive but it had to be done.
Jonathan was feeling even worse now, and the welcome relief of being able to curl up inside while the skies outside were overcast was appreciated by both of us. We made wraps, with the peppers, for dinner and then went for a short walk to the beach. The wind continued to blow wildly. We’d been told that Crete is so large it doesn’t feel like an island. It definitely felt like the edge of the world though.
Surly They Won't Make It 