Collecting our friends from Iraklion Airport

Saturday 1st November 2008

This evening Keith's friend from his early school days will be arriving with his wife.  Ian and Julia joined us last year for their first visit to Crete and enjoyed it so much asked if they may join us again.  Their flight from Stanstead to Heraklion, via Athens, arrives around 6.50pm and so we have all day before we collect them from the airport. It was another lovely day and so we decided around noon to leave going the 'long way round' a journey we thought would take 4 hours.  

Leaving Plakias our route took us through the local mountain villages of Frati, Mixarouma, south to Ag. Galini, across the 'plastic valley' (a large plain full of greenhouses, which were once constructed of wood and plastic sheeting that after a period began to tear away from the structures and blow all over the land, becoming such an eyesore)on  to Mires.  Mires is the largest town in this area with a long line  of commercial shops, cafes and tavernas on each side of the road with houses constructed behind.  Not a very attractive tourist stop.  On to the ancient sites of Gortys, Ag. Triada and Phaestos before heading north.  The map shows this road up to Heraklion as long and winding with many villages for us to explore.  Before going much further we decided it would be a good time for a short picnic break.  We stoppped in an entrance to an olive grove where snails were clinging in groups to all the vegetation.  It wasn't a long stay and we arrived in Heraklion in 2 hours due to the long and winding road now being a fast highway bypassing all the villages!  

We joined the E75 on the north coast travelling towards the airport and continued on this road to see what the coast was like east of the airport.

We found ourselves on the coastal road in the village of Vathianos Kambos and parking the car by a small archeological site, which was closed but the sign made us laugh, went to explore.  Finding our way down to the beach was difficult despite signs outside tavernas pointing 'to the beach'. Eventually we found a way down between the houses but the path was littered with rubbish, overgrown plants and dog dirt!  The beach front 

was not that inviting either.  Small stretches of beach with rocky breakwaters in very shallow water.  The sturdy lamp posts on the 'promenade' could have done with a good coat of paint but at least the globes were still  in one piece. 

Several people were swimming and two young

boys accompanied by their puppy were patiently fishing off one of the breakwaters. We even saw one woman snorkelling dragging a large fishing net with floats alongside.  Late afternoon we stopped for a drink in one of the better looking tavernas where lots of locals were also coming to eat.  We found out that thistaverna is open every day from 1pm.  Although it had been cloudy for most of the day the temperature was 27C.  At 4.45 the sun appeared in time for us to watch it set behind the  mountains. 

We returned to the airport to read our books until Ian and Julia's plane landed.  By 7.15pm we were on our way to Plakias calling at 'Taverna Kastro' for supper.  Then it was on to 'Creta Spirit' where Maria and Theo, who was  wearing shorts so it must have been a hot day, were waiting to greet them.  A nightcap and at 12.30am we all retired, Ian well and truly rakied!