Everyday, except for the last two days we were there, it rained in Crete. It wasn’t a bad rain, very windy, with sudden down pours and then gentle misting until around lunch time when the wind would blow the clouds off to sea and the warm sun would come out and inspire us to get out of bed and go to the beach.
The beaches in East Crete are varied, but the majority are small swathes of pebbly sand protected on all sides by high rocky mountains. The water is clear and cool and nearly wave-less as it gently rolls the rocks into smoother and flatter shapes, perfect for skipping across the water.
We arrived in Palekastro during a huge thunder storm. We met up with Amalia and Yorgo, shared some delicious homemade soup, lemony pork broth with pork meatballs and zucchini stuffed with pork. Amazing! As the storm blew itself out we sat in the warmth of Amalia’s big house on the hill and gazed out at Kouremenous Beach. We agreed that as soon as the storm was gone we would walk down and explore. Around 4 pm the sun came out and we packed up our water bottle and camera and headed out. (Amalia was going to meet us down there with her old dog, Maggie, later).
We set off along the road but then decided to take a “shortcut” through the olive groves.
The olive branches were wet from the rain and soaked out backs as we ducked under and around the glistening branches. The smell of the damp earth mixed with the smell of the salty, fishy sea and it was then I fell in love with Crete.
Our “shortcut” may not have been the quickest way to the beach, but it was the most fun and we arrived at Kouremenous Beach damp and happy. We kicked off our shoes, rolled up our pants and began to explore out first beach. The flat rocks at Kouremenous are beautiful. Most are worn flat and smooth and most are black with veins of white quartz crisscrossing the surface. We gathered a handful and brought them back to our apartment, but they just are not the same once you pull them out of the ocean.
We walked from one end of the beach to the other end (where we named the hill “Snail Hill” as all of the rains had washed piles of snails down onto the beach.) As we walked back to our apartment, the sun was starting to set and we looked out across the dramatic rocky landscape and spotted our neighbor goats climbing the hill in front of our place, their clanking bells calling us home for dinner.
The beaches in East Crete are varied, but the majority are small swathes of pebbly sand protected on all sides by high rocky mountains. The water is clear and cool and nearly wave-less as it gently rolls the rocks into smoother and flatter shapes, perfect for skipping across the water.
We arrived in Palekastro during a huge thunder storm. We met up with Amalia and Yorgo, shared some delicious homemade soup, lemony pork broth with pork meatballs and zucchini stuffed with pork. Amazing! As the storm blew itself out we sat in the warmth of Amalia’s big house on the hill and gazed out at Kouremenous Beach. We agreed that as soon as the storm was gone we would walk down and explore. Around 4 pm the sun came out and we packed up our water bottle and camera and headed out. (Amalia was going to meet us down there with her old dog, Maggie, later).
We set off along the road but then decided to take a “shortcut” through the olive groves.
The olive branches were wet from the rain and soaked out backs as we ducked under and around the glistening branches. The smell of the damp earth mixed with the smell of the salty, fishy sea and it was then I fell in love with Crete.
Our “shortcut” may not have been the quickest way to the beach, but it was the most fun and we arrived at Kouremenous Beach damp and happy. We kicked off our shoes, rolled up our pants and began to explore out first beach. The flat rocks at Kouremenous are beautiful. Most are worn flat and smooth and most are black with veins of white quartz crisscrossing the surface. We gathered a handful and brought them back to our apartment, but they just are not the same once you pull them out of the ocean.
We walked from one end of the beach to the other end (where we named the hill “Snail Hill” as all of the rains had washed piles of snails down onto the beach.) As we walked back to our apartment, the sun was starting to set and we looked out across the dramatic rocky landscape and spotted our neighbor goats climbing the hill in front of our place, their clanking bells calling us home for dinner.
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