Well, less ambitious at least; and much more relaxed than our recent outings. Very therapeutic. Agreeing this morning that we could both use an easier ride but still wanting to explore the region, we scaled back our original planned route (a 45 mile loop north to Finokalia) to a more relaxed 30 mile loop. Short enough that we can go slow and still leave some time for the beach that beckons just outside our hotel window.
The ride begins with a ten mile run up the coastline through the resort town of Elounda, and then beyond that to Plaka. The coast road starts climbing immediately after leaving town, rising gradually to a saddle at 500’ where we cut through the low ridge and drop down to Elounda. The view south toward Agios Nikolaos is fine, and probably the best view of it from this side of the bay. A hundred yards later, through the gap, there’s another stunner looking north along along the coast.
A fast two mile drop brings us to sea level again, and to Elounda - my candidate for the least pleasant spot on the island. It’s in a beautiful setting, but clogged with tourists; and the road is awful - narrow, jammed with cars. We’re relieved when we work our way through its sprawl and come out the other side, where we once again are on a reasonably quiet road.
After a flat five miles we come to Plaka, at the end of the accessible coastline. It’s all uphill from here if you continue north, as the town sits under the towering south wall of a high, long ridge. We’ve only come ten miles, but we don’t know where our next meal is coming from so we stop at a beachside cafe for a juice break, and order a sandwich to carry along as emergency rations.
The best views of Agios Nikolaos are atop the headland to the north, but you pay a steep price to enjoy them.
While we sit at our table enjoying the shade and the view, we read about Spinalonga, the tiny island just offshore. It looks like an obviously interesting place to visit, and tour boats are constantly shuttling back and forth. With an extra few hours it would be worth ferrying out there ourselves, but we satisfy ourselves with a distant look.
Spinalonga (or Kaladonia, in Greek) was a fortress island in ancient times, protecting the bay and the port settlement at Elounda. The Venecians greatly enhanced the fortifications in the 1500’s, creating one of the most important fortifications in Crete - thought to be impregnable, but it fell to the Turks a century later after the end of the War of Crete, as the final bastion of the resistance.
A small community developed on the island over the next centuries, but in 1903 Spinalonga found a new calling as a leper colony. From the literature on our table, it looks like the village of Plaka owes its existence to this - Plaka was the depot for transporting lepers to their new residence, and for shuttling supplies to the hospital residents. The hospital was closed in 1957, and it is now a premium tourist destination - the next most visited site on Crete after the famous Minoan ruins at Knossos.
In Plaka, enjoying our first rest break of the day. We should schedule more days like this.
From Plaka there are three roads out of town: back the way we came, or by climbing the ridge to the north. One angles up its face to the northeast, and eventually crosses over to the northern side of the peninsula - this is the route we had initially planned for the day. The other, our choice today, angles up in the opposite direction, before crossing over and dropping into the trench on the other side.
This is our big climb for the day - 1300 feet over five miles, at a fairly steady 5% grade. Not bad at all, when you’re pedaling unladen bikes and taking your time to enjoy the fabulous view back to the coast and the rugged surroundings. This part of the ridge is protected by a large wildlife reserve, though I couldn’t find any information about it. It’s an empty but fascinating landscape, scarred by a latticework of stone walls that look like they could have been here for millennia.
Climbing west away from Plaka, we earned our fine views of the bay and Spinalonga.
Over the top, we coast down to tiny Fourni where we pull up at the village kafenion for our lunch break. Twenty miles, two breaks - a perfect pace for a rest day.
We stay in Fourni for nearly an hour, savoring a slow-paced lunch and soaking up the ambience of the village. The meal is a long time coming, but we don’t mind - it’s nice to sit, there’s a lot to look more closely at, and when it arrives it’s amazing - the best salad we’ve had here in Crete.
In Fourni, a self-described traditional Cretan village, we had lunch on the central square at this kafenion.
A very odd cat joined us for lunch today. She didn’t meow - she almost chirped. I think she is almost blind too, and was slow to discover that a morsel has been dropped nearby.
The ride from here back to town is mostly downhill, and would go fast if we didn’t keep finding reasons to stop and look around. Another really great cycling road, it makes me wish we could explore every minor, left behind road on the island.
We make it back to town about four, where we stop in at the bike shop. We’re down a water bottle because we left it behind somewhere along the way; and as long as we’re here, I have my gears adjusted again. They’ve never really been right, even after the first fast adjustment I had done back in Chania - for most of the tour I’ve been suffering along without the use of two of my lower gears. This guy seems like he knows what he’s doing though, and they work great when we bike off.
Another line of eucalyptus, this time leading us from Fourni to Kastelli
Bill ShaneyfeltTo Scott AndersonWell, it is a close match to google images, but that is all I can say... Not positive by any means! I am no expert, just able to do a bit of internet searching. Reply to this comment 6 years ago
Scott AndersonTo Bill ShaneyfeltIt certainly looks right to me. Right habitat, and I found some other photos that show its unique starburst pattern. A pretty plant. Reply to this comment 6 years ago
Three times I stopped to photograph the beautiful winding roads the way down to this spot, but it just kept getting better. Rachael is way ahead, a tiny speck far up on the shoulder of the road to the right.
We carry swimming suits around with us, but seldom use them. We’re just not beach people, I think. With a beach just yards from the hotel though, and with swimmers paddling well out into the bay late into the evening, we have to try it out.
How was it? It was amazing. Why don’t we do this more often, we ask each other. We mentally walk through the rest of our itinerary and list off candidates - maybe on Naxos, maybe on Tinos, maybe Corfu, maybe the Albanian Riviera. Maybe on all of them!
For dinner, we tak a long, fifty yard hike to the waterfront restaurant Mistraela, and enjoy one of the best meals of the trip. Thinking back, the only other that ranks this high is that wonderful meal on our second night in Crete. Wonderful food, great service, and the bliss of sitting at the end of the day watching sundown set in on the mountains across the bay.
Let there be food photos!
For those that like food shots, here’s a meal to remember. Scott’s main: pasta, Cretan style, with pork, mushrooms and peppers.
