Footnotes from Crete

The largest of the Greek islands seemed to have it all: quaint villages perched on hillsides above the Mediterranean, ancient ruins of historical interest, wide sandy beaches, and rugged mountains that shelter Europe's longest gorge.

Knossos, Minoan Palace

We talked our Norwegian friends into joining us in Heraklion before setting off to explore the island. Our first stop was Knossos, the site of an ancient Minoan palace and settlement that thrived between 2000 and 1250 BC.

Excavated and partially reconstructed by British archaeologists, the former palace was largely intact and visitors were allowed to roam freely among the ruins. We did so on a glorious spring day in May just ahead of the tourist season and were grateful to encounter few lines or groups crowding around signs and sites.

After lunch at a nearby cafe, we drove the scenic coastal road to the city of Chania on the western side of the island. Chania is a popular destination on account of its picturesque harbor lined with shops and restaurants.

Chania

Basing ourselves in a hotel in the heart of the old town turned out to be a mixed blessing. We could walk to shops and restaurants and enjoy the colorful lights of the fort and harbor by night, but we also heard thrumming music from nearby bars and tavernas until four in the morning.

We decided to spend subsequent days and nights at a seaside hotel only four kilometers outside of town. The hotel had suites with kitchens and living rooms at reasonable rates, along with a huge outdoor pool where the water was a chilly 68 degrees.

While browsing in Chania, my friend and I ventured into a fish spa where we paid 10 euros to immerse our feet and legs in a fish tank and let tiny Garra Rufa fish eat the dry skin from them with suction cup snouts. It tickled at first, and it left my feet feeling squeaky clean.

Hiking on Crete

The highlight of our week in Crete was a hike through the Samaria Gorge about an hour from Chania. We hopped on a tour bus at six a.m. for a nail-biting drive into the White Mountains, careening up a winding road with steep switchbacks to reach a plateau dotted with sheep grazing and patches of snow.

With no concession stands in Crete’s only National Park, we had to bring our own water and lunch ,and of course, sturdy walking shoes. Dozens of other hikers from our bus quicky fanned out and left us to walk alongside our friends.

Samaria Gorge

The path was well maintained with handrails in steeper sections as well as footbridges over difficult crossings. The gorge was full of spring flowers and goats nibbling on patches of grass, although we had to keep our eyes trained on the ground and step carefully over rocks and gravel on the steep descent.

It took us two hours to reach the river at the bottom of the gorge. That’s when the real adventure began as we picked our way carefully around rocks and over slick steppingstones in a river swollen with snow melt. We followed the river through canyon walls that were barely 12 feet apart in some segments.

At wider gaps, hikers could rest and picnic in secluded valleys among the ruins of old churches and settlements. We crossed the river 30-plus times before emerging from the narrowest part of the canyon and eventually reaching the park gate. After six hours in the gorge, we toasted each other at the first cafe we came across.

We still had to walk another mile and a half to reach the coastal village of Agia Roumeli. With a long wait for the ferry boat that would take us to a town where the bus could retrieve us, we put on swimsuits and braved a dip in the frigid Libyan Sea.

Then we ate a late lunch at one of the tavernas on the beach. The ferryboat ride along the rugged south coast was an added treat as we drifted past whitewashed Greek villages above rocky hillsides at sunset.

The bus carried us back up and over the steep mountains along another precipitous road, deposing us in Chania at 8 p.m. after a long and taxing day. Already I could tell that sore calf muscles would compel me to avoid going up or down steps for a few days.

Back in Heraklion

Toward the end of our week in Crete, we returned to Heraklion via the coastal highway and checked into a hotel with a rooftop restaurant overlooking the port. The following morning we set out to explore the old Venetian fort that stretched for nearly a mile into the harbor.

Heraklion is a working city with masses of young people clogging its pedestrian streets and restaurants. It has a slightly shabby bohemian feel to it with sidewalks and roads in need of repair.

Prices for food and drinks, hotels and transport were lower than in most European countries, and people were friendly and helpful even though we couldn’t understand much Greek.

Heraklion’s Archaeological Museum with its rich collection of Minoan pottery and jewelry from 2700 to 1200 BC was a fitting last stop for us, as was the former church of Saint Catherine which became a museum of Icons.

Despite the economic downturn and Greece’s financial trouble, tourists continued to flock to Crete. From our rooftop restaurant, I watched as chartered jumbo jets took off or landed every fifteen minutes at the nearby airport.

A taxi driver told me that 250 flights had arrived on Friday and Saturday even before the summer season was in full swing, and giant cruise ships pulled into the harbor every morning. Yet Crete is big and diverse enough to absorb its many visitors.

I long to return in late September or October after the summer travelers have gone, to explore more of those whitewashed Greek villages and venture further into the mountains.