We began the day by walking downstairs to the restaurant, enjoying a good, typical buffet breakfast with the same unbeatable view we enjoyed last night. Returning to our room we startled a camera shy calico by our door, and we’re greeted from the neighboring stairwell with a cheery Kalimera from the lady next door, out examining the mouse remains her cats had left for her. Should be another great day, from the evidence so far.
Our innkeeper came to the road to see us off when we left. He has steadily warmed to us since our arrival, especially since showing him a photo at his hotel from the journal from our 2012 tour of Crete. He was obviously taken by the fact that we are repeat guests, and enjoyed having me point out that his English is much improved (though still quite limited) since our first visit.
He’s an enthusiastic man, and obviously loves and is proud of his home. He held us there as we were ready to leave, talking of all the trees and crops that grow here and describing it as a small paradise. I was sorry to not be able to communicate better.
Our enthusiastic host in Tzermiado. He’s the second guy on this tour who’s tried to take my Bike Friday off my hands!
Our plan setting out was to begin by circling the small plateau, but through mapping error (we loaded the wrong route) we started in the wrong direction and before we realized it we were well up the 700’ climb to the gap that will take us out of the basin. With another long day ahead, we decided to just keep climbing. Disappointing though - we’ve been here twice now, both times intending to circle the plateau. It looks like one of those dreams that’s just not fated to be.
At the summit, we pull in at a stand to take in our last views of the valley.It is a really beautiful spot, so I vote for us to grab a drink and sit for awhile. Rafael takes advantage of the spot to also buy a pair of sandwiches for lunch. Finally we leave the Lassithi Plateau for what is likely the last time. If we return to Crete someday, I doubt that we’ll be up to climbing up here a third time.
I’m not sure how practical these are any more, but they sure are beautiful. An information panel stated that in the 1950’s there were twelve thousand of these windmills in use on this tiny plateau.
Once we pass through the gap, we drop along the south face of a large east/west ravine. Dropping west and downward, we circle the head of the gorge and cross to the opposite slope, and then drop eastward toward the sea for the next twenty miles. We’ve ridden a lot of gnarly roads over the past two weeks, but this one seems like it tops them all, dropping through one dizzying loop or hairpin bend after another as we pass through a string of tiny villages and lose nearly three thousand feet.
Finally, a few miles shy of the sea, we change direction and bear south, more or less parallel to the coast. For the last twenty miles we cycle a large fishhook shape, climbing over a significant pair of ridges before finally dropping to the sea and doubling back north on the Old Highway to Nikolaos.
It’s a splendid ride -never much traffic, awesome scenery - but I think we’re both getting a bit road weary. Riding on my own I probably would have cut the ride short by about fifteen miles, dropping to the sea from Kritsa. I hint at this, and point to the darkening skies as an enducement - we’d just as soon get in dry, after all.
Rachael is game to keep going though, and fortunately I get a second wind climbing steeply up the first of the ridges and am fine for the rest of the ride. But now Rachael starts to flag and struggles with the final miles. She’s fallen into a gumption trap I think, the victim of her expectations. She’s misclassified today’s ride mentally, thinking of this as an easy one; and now she wonders why she’s so tired at the end. 50 miles with 3,500’ of climbing isn’t an easy ride though, for us at least; it’s just easier than the previous two killer days.
Time for an easier day, do you think? Good thing we’re leaving Crete after two more days, because Crete doesn’t actually have any easy days.
Shooting the gap, we leave the Lassithi Plateau behind and begin the long drop toward the sea.
At first I passed this stand by, seeing only the honey and oil. Having second thoughts, I circled back and bought some cherries and walnuts. Not having exact change, I overpaid by a euro and received an effusive blessing as my reward.
Kritsa, a beautiful traditional village a few miles up mountain from Agios Nikolaos. The village would be well worth a longer visit, but we were just passing through.
Somewhere near Kroustas and Prina, on a nearly deserted road. It turned to gravel for about a mile - long enough to concern us a bit, and we were glad to reach pavement again.
Andrea BrownThis is verbascum, or mullein. It likes recently disturbed soils so very common on logging roads and construction sites. Reply to this comment 6 years ago
Scott AndersonTo Andrea BrownThanks! It looks like a large, diverse family, but it looks like this must be thapsis. Great to know what this is after seeing it over here for years. Reply to this comment 6 years ago
