After some serious hair-pin turns down the mountain and some breathtaking views, the bus driver dropped us off in what seemed to be a ghost town. Only greenhouses, olive groves, mountains, and a beautiful beach as far as we could see.
A few small hotels with terraces and outdoor restaurants called to us, but we could see no signs of life, so we headed down the path to the beach for a picnic and a look around. We had no accommodation booked, but we’d deal with that later.
Clear water, lagoons, an underwater world great for exploring with our masks and snorkels, and warm sand were all we needed for the afternoon. I really can’t show you in pictures how beautiful this place is. The mountains against the water, almost untouched by tourism – so amazing. We pretty much just lay around on the sand all day.
After some work and watching the sun set from our balcony (Bobby found a place with terrible beds but an awesome view and wifi for 30 Euros), we walked down the road to the only open restaurant we could find. Three dogs and a cat joined us at our table, as we watched Venus rise and dined on traditional Cretan food.
We enjoyed small fried fish, Cretan salads (cucumber, tomato, Greek croutons, and to-die-for creamy sheep cheese called Mizithra), lamb, potatoes, and pork. Everything was topped with fresh local olive oil, and everything was grown right here on Crete (most of it, literally, within a few hundred yards from where we sat).
We headed out on a walk the next morning, guided only by a sign with an arrow that said “Ancient Phalassarna”. After a few minutes of walking, nothing but the sound of distant sheep’s bells and the smell of olive groves filled our senses. We had no idea where we were going, but it didn’t matter. With views like this, not much did.
Olive groves and the Aegean Sea, Falasarna, Greece
Classic Crete – mountains and olives
I shed my jacket after a few minutes, as the Cretan sun beat down on us. As we hiked and hiked, we feared we would never find the ruins… Cora was becoming impatient, as she only wanted to get to a beach.
Then she spotted a sheep in the road, and as we headed towards it, I became aware of the shepherd out of the corner of my eye. He motioned to us to come close. As we neared, I saw two wet lambs stumbling on wobbly legs, as their mom still birthed the placenta.
New lambs, only moments old – near ancient Phalasarna, Crete
How special to be a part of this moment. This is the kind of thing you can’t plan when you set out on a hike! Cora and I noticed the umbilical cords and the babies butting at their mom’s udders to get the milk flowing. We watched for a few minutes while the shepherd threw rocks strategically to encourage the sheep in the road to come back in the fence. We smiled, saying, “Efaristo” (thank you) and turned to find the ruins just behind us.
Here, we learned a little bit about the sea-faring civilization of Phalassarna, which flourished from the 3rd and 4th century B.C. Naturally, they were masters of the sea and built an elaborate harbor here for themselves. Just like seemingly all civilizations in this area of the world, it was eventually wiped out by both Roman conquest and later an earthquake.
Since Cora was still begging for a beach, we noticed a small gate at the back of the ruins that would allow us to climb the rocks down to the water. I asked them man who was sifting through dirt for archeological finds, using handle signals and the word “beach,” where we could get to the water. He motioned to the gate, and we headed down cautiously as we had no idea what the terrain held for us.
It was a short easy hop from rock to rock, and the beach was private and glorious and beautiful and serene and surreal and everything else you would imagine a deserted Greek island beach to be. We climbed, swam, snorkeled, picnicked, and lay in the sun – soaking in the beauty all around us.
Cora jumped in and took off on her own snorkeling adventure, later exclaiming, “I shook hands with a sea plant. He had two eyes and two mouths, and he told me which way to go to find cool fishes!” I love watching her finding such joy in discovering the natural world – and doing it independently!
Our own private cove for snorkeling at the site of the ancient Phalasarna harbor
Bobby mentioned that we should probably get back, since perhaps the man sifting dirt was probably waiting to lock up the gate. “Oh, Bobby, you worry too much. I’m sure he’s here all day,” I said, and brushed him off.
After a good 90 minutes or so, we dried off and headed back up to the ruins. And, what do you know, that guy was in his pickup truck with a friend, just waiting for us to return so he could lock the gate. I thanked him with an embarrassed look several times, and Bobby shook his head at me. He did not show any signs of being annoyed or angry, but I still felt bad that we’d made him wait. I’m sure he’ll never let hikers down there again. But, it was a perfect afternoon in a beautiful untouched area of Crete, and I was so thankful!
We ended the afternoon with a meal at an outdoor bar overlooking the beach, where the Cretan salad was just as amazing as the best restaurants in Crete. I guess it’s hard to go wrong when the tomatoes, olives, and Mizithra are all grown in the restaurant’s backyard.
P.S. Since we are not able to post on the blog as much as we’d like, please find us on Facebook on our Bluebird Flies page for more posts!