Rethymno

May 6, 2018

The day gets off to a poor start. I awake early, perhaps about 3, and get up to catch up on the journal. We’re staying in an excellent small apartment overlooking the sea, and it has a separate bedroom with a door. It’s a luxury when I’m up in the middle of night like this to be able to go into a different room and close the door so as to not disturb Rachael’s sleep.

An hour later, caught up on the journal and sleepy again, I’m about to head back to bed when I hear a loud crashing sound from the bedroom. Rachael often keeps a glass of water by the bed at night, and somehow she knocked it off her end table onto the hard tile floor. It was a glass glass, of the type that shatters when it breaks. Fragments, shards and slivers everywhere. A dangerous situation.

Rachael is pretty sleep-groggy, so I order her to stay on the bed and let me clean up. It probably takes me fifteen or more minutes before I’m done, on my hands and knees, undressed, wiping the floor repeatedly with wet toilet paper and using my phone camera to shine light on the floor and illuminate any missed slivers. A humorous picture, I’m sure.

Finally I’m done. There are still a few fragments, but they’re far under the bed and out of reach. I take the plate with the glass remains out to the kitchen. I’m concerned about the cleaning crew tomorrow, so I look around in the semidarkness for a place to put this that’s obvious but out of the way. On the kitchen counter behind the dish rack looks perfect. I slide the rack away from the wall to free up room.

Crash! There was a different glass on the counter, and I’ve knocked it to the tile floor, where it too shatters. I can’t believe it.

So, not the most restful night’s sleep. We slept in a bit, but I was still pretty groggy when it we went out to breakfast but was soon revived over a omelet, orange juice and a French press at a seaside table. It makes beautiful way to start the day, overlooking the bay, watching runners and walkers go by, watching traffic on the sea. This is really an excellent time to be here, with the weather settled but before the resorts are awash with tourists.

As we sit, a military vessel passes by in the distance, reminding me of the fact that we raced too quickly through the last miles of the day yesterday.Looking west up the street I see the Turkish fort atop of a promontory, taunting me for not stopping for a look yesterday.

It’s a fairly short day today, so we can afford the time. We bike seven miles back and 700’ up to Ancient Aptera and do it right this time. Good call - Koules, the Turkish fortress, sits on possibly the best viewpoint around, and this is the best part of the day.

Koules, the Turkish fortress, from Kalyves

The Turkish fortress, Souda Bay, and Cape Drapano

Koules, the White Mountains, a curious small-wheeled bicycle

The island-based fortress of Souda. Built by the Venetians in 1573, surrendered to the Turks in 1715; ceded to Greece (along with Crete) in 1913.

The Roman vaulted cistern, Ancient Aptera

Souda Bay hosts a base for the NATO naval fleet

The Roman cistern at Aptera. Surprisingly, the best viewpoint for this is from the opposite ridge, by the fortress.

The views in all directions from the fortress are wonderful. Here we’re looking east up Souda Bay toward Cape Drapano. Kalyves, where we stayed last night, is hidden behind the first small headland.

Aptera also gives us our best look at the White Mountains. This is the only perspective that shows the remaining snowpack.

Between getting a late start out of the room and this diversion back to Aptera, we don’t pass back by our hotel again until after noon. Time for lunch already, and we haven’t even left town. With still close to 40 miles ahead of us, we need to make some tracks.

Fortunately we have a good tailwind boosting us along as we work our way east, passing through several more attractive villages and working our way up the face of Cape Drapanos. This is really a pretty area and would be a good spot to base ourselves some year when (when, not if; think positive) we come back to Crete for a third time.

We pass through Almyrida and Plaka without slowing down. Rachael suggests stopping in a promising spot in Plaka, but I’ve got a higher village, Kokkino Chorio, in mind. I read last night that it was the filming site for Zorba the Greek, and worth a look around.

When we get there, we don’t find much - it’s a tiny place with little commerce. There is one store open though, which is all we need. We grab cold drinks and a pear and head over to the church (Saint Haralambos, I think) and have a pleasant, quiet lunch sitting on a bench in the shade.

When we leave, it’s just turning three. I see the storekeeper locking up to leave for the day (its Sunday) as we prepare to bike out of town. Lucky we got here in time.

Climbing up to Kokkino Chorio, the Red Village

Providing shade for our lunch was this Chinaberry tree, a species new to me. (Credit: Bill Shaneyfelt)

From Kokkino Chorio we keep climbing, curving around the south shoulder of the large rise that defines Cape Drapanos. The road is very quiet, the views are terrific, there are several temping paved roads branching off that look worth exploring. Looking at the map again, I see there are nearly twenty small villages peppered around the cape, connected by a lattice of minor roads. Definitely an area worth returning to.

After we cross the summit we face a long, looping descent back to the sea, arriving at the attractive fishing port of Georgioupoli at the mouth of the Almyros River. It’s past four, and too late in the day to stop and look around, which is a shame. We still have about fifteen lumpy miles to go, and I’m getting concerned about the weather besides - there’s a storm coming in, and we’re seeing patches of rain in the distance. I allow myself one photo of the boats at the mouth of the river that empties here as a reminder to tug us back some year.

This roadside tower on the slope of Cape Drapanos surprised me. It reminds me of the coastal Genoese towers in Corsica.

Look at that flag. We’re going the right direction today.

Dropping from Cape Drapanos to the Almyros River

Georgioupoli, at the mouth of the Almyros River, looks like it would be another fine overnight stop.

The final ten miles to Rethymno are really a beautiful ride over a series of low rollers on the Old Rethymno Road - one of those delightful roads that as left behind when a newer, faster road came through. Now it’s used mostly by the goats and locals. We arrive at our waterfront hotel in Rethymno at about six, and quickly wash up for dinner.

That’s enough for today. Come back tomorrow for a look at Rethymno, my favorite city in Crete.

Trapped! Mom is anxious to scurry out of the road, but kiddo insists on a refueling stop first.

Bike stats: today, 48 miles, 4,400’; for the tour, 332 miles, 31,600’

Today's ride: 48 miles (77 km)
Total: 376 miles (605 km)

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