The Shepherd in Crete; don't be afraid to get lost
Oct 6th, 2011 | 05:26 PM
#1
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Joined: Feb 2011
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The Shepherd in Crete; don't be afraid to get lost
We went to Greece - Crete, Santorini and Athens/Delphi in September. It was a 10 day vacation. I will post a full trip report, but I wanted to share something. First I want to thank the people who read our posts and provide suggestions. In particular BLL for his assistance with the Greece thread. We had a wonderful vacation and don't think it would have been the same without all of the advice we received.
The travelers are Kathy and Tom (50 something) and their daughter Allison and her boyfriend Karl (twenty something). Kathy and Tom are celebrating their 35 wedding anniversary, and the youngsters have just moved into an apt together.
Some of the best times we had on vacation were when we were lost. We got lost in Chania driving through those winding, one way streets trying to find our way to the waterfront and our hotel. We saw most of the city while lost. We got lost again leaving to drive to Heraklion.
While staying in Chania, we asked the concierge at our hotel to recommend a beach. She recommended a beach near Phalasarna. So we drove west from Chania through the mountains and valleys, past what we referred to as 'peninsula 1' and 'peninsula 2'. Karl is an off road dirt biker, so as we neared the coast (one more mountain to go, we thought) he decided to take a road that was clearly marked as a hiking trail. (we are in a nissan rental car). We bumped our way up the mountain and reached the top. We could see the beach far below us over a very steep cliff. A heard of goats was passing by on the mountain bleating and ringing their bells as they loped along in single file. And, then we met the shepherd. He had a beautiful weathered face. I wanted to capture him in memory forever. He must have been 6 feet tall and had a hand carved staff that had to be 8 feet long. He was very amused with us and our little adventure. We asked in English if we could continue down the dirt road to the beach. He smiled and replied in Greek using hand gestures that we could not. He stayed, even though the goats had passed out of sight until he was sure we were leaving. As we got back in the car, he got on his motorcycle and drove away. We went to the beach at Kissamos. We had some of our best times in Greece making mistakes, or getting lost.
Kathy Long
The travelers are Kathy and Tom (50 something) and their daughter Allison and her boyfriend Karl (twenty something). Kathy and Tom are celebrating their 35 wedding anniversary, and the youngsters have just moved into an apt together.
Some of the best times we had on vacation were when we were lost. We got lost in Chania driving through those winding, one way streets trying to find our way to the waterfront and our hotel. We saw most of the city while lost. We got lost again leaving to drive to Heraklion.
While staying in Chania, we asked the concierge at our hotel to recommend a beach. She recommended a beach near Phalasarna. So we drove west from Chania through the mountains and valleys, past what we referred to as 'peninsula 1' and 'peninsula 2'. Karl is an off road dirt biker, so as we neared the coast (one more mountain to go, we thought) he decided to take a road that was clearly marked as a hiking trail. (we are in a nissan rental car). We bumped our way up the mountain and reached the top. We could see the beach far below us over a very steep cliff. A heard of goats was passing by on the mountain bleating and ringing their bells as they loped along in single file. And, then we met the shepherd. He had a beautiful weathered face. I wanted to capture him in memory forever. He must have been 6 feet tall and had a hand carved staff that had to be 8 feet long. He was very amused with us and our little adventure. We asked in English if we could continue down the dirt road to the beach. He smiled and replied in Greek using hand gestures that we could not. He stayed, even though the goats had passed out of sight until he was sure we were leaving. As we got back in the car, he got on his motorcycle and drove away. We went to the beach at Kissamos. We had some of our best times in Greece making mistakes, or getting lost.
Kathy Long
Oct 7th, 2011 | 02:16 AM
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Joined: Jan 2003
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As my husband and I kept saying, "it's the journey that's important, as we made many wrong turns and got lost, but had some of our best experiences, too.
And I want to share one of my favorite stories while we were driving on Crete...
From Chania, we went to Elafonissi Beach, driving the inland route there and returning by the coastal route. We missed it the first time, but Michael realized it and we drove the twisty turny, switchback route all the way north. Spectacular! Dramatic views over & over.-- not for the wimpish!
Just as I thought I was going to have a heart attack, as we make yet another tight turn, we see coming up the hill towards us a large black goat with twisted horns --- followed by 2 racing bicyclists, barely keeping up! I could not stop laughing at the sight!
Paule
And I want to share one of my favorite stories while we were driving on Crete...
From Chania, we went to Elafonissi Beach, driving the inland route there and returning by the coastal route. We missed it the first time, but Michael realized it and we drove the twisty turny, switchback route all the way north. Spectacular! Dramatic views over & over.-- not for the wimpish!
Just as I thought I was going to have a heart attack, as we make yet another tight turn, we see coming up the hill towards us a large black goat with twisted horns --- followed by 2 racing bicyclists, barely keeping up! I could not stop laughing at the sight!
Paule
Oct 7th, 2011 | 01:12 PM
#6
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 3,500
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We've gotten lost all over the Peloponnese on our trips there in 2006, 2009 and 2011. And some of the detours turned into highlights of our trip My husband also has an affinity for questionable "roads" in Greece. I remember one particular road in Elia that started as a relatively level dirt road, quickly turned into a logging road with deep ruts, and ultimately turned into a goat path. I walked back down that one while letting DH drive ;-).
My husband also has an affinity for questionable "roads" in Greece. I remember one particular road in Elia that started as a relatively level dirt road, quickly turned into a logging road with deep ruts, and ultimately turned into a goat path. I walked back down that one while letting DH drive ;-).
