Up North

MONDAY 19^th JANUARY

We are behaving like tourists getting out and about before we return home!

Today as it was a beautiful morning we discussed returning to Georgioupoli, the small resort we briefly visited with Ian and Julia back at the beginning of November. It was a quick decision and so we were soon driving along the northern highway admiring the views of the snowcapped mountains, and the male nudist on the beach!  Surprised to say the least but the temperature was around 20C.  

In less than an hour of leaving ‘Creta Spirit’ we were parking the car down by the river and wandering along the sea front.  There is a lot of hotels facing the sea and in the back streets, studios and apartments.  A lot of building work is taking place, new builds and modernisations.  We found ourselves walking down a street and seeing a lovely stone building with many arches.  Stood around were life size terracotta statues, one or two in a very distressed state but held together with wide sellotape!  Some of the statues had even been placed on the building's roof.  

Down by the river which was a lovely colour we saw in the season one could hire a ‘cannoe’ or a pedal boat and explore further inland. The other side of the bridge leading out to sea was where the fishing boats were tied up.  Since leaving the car we had been escorted round the village by two stray dogs.  They weren’t that much of a nuisance but did tend to get under our feet at times.  As we walked down towards the sea we passed a field containing a flock of geese. Great - one of the dogs decided to chase them and so we were treated to a spectacular flypast and watch the birds land in the sea.  Luckily Keith had his camera running, mine was in the camera bag!  When I did take the camera out and began to focus I discovered the geese were more interested in coming to see me!

There is a taverna at the entrance to the river but it is closed on Mondays, and it seems every day out of season, however no-one had told the cat who had got itself onto the rocks and was mewing pitifully as we looked down.  We also discovered another small beach and if we had walked across the cove we could have visited a church under the cliff and close to the sea. From the empty taverna terrace we had a good view of St. Nicholas Church sitting at the end of a long rocky walkway that we had visited with Ian and Julia. Today this walkway was covered in thin brown strips of dried seaweed. (This is a common sight on the shoreline after a strong wind.)

We were getting hungry and returned to the village square where several of the cafes were open but offered nothing more than omelettes or salads.  Luckily down another side street we found a small taverna open run by a friendly lady called Alexandra.  The meal was enormous and then she brought out a plate of doughnut ribbons covered in honey and drizzled with desiccated coconut and icing sugar along with a cup of Greek coffee to finish with.  It was so hot and we had made the mistake of sitting by the window in the sunshine.  Thankfully Alexandra suggested she open the sliding full length window and so whilst we enjoyed our meal we could hear the birds singing and watch  the locals as they passed by, especially the young children coming home from school, each one carrying a heavy rucksack. On leaving the taverna we wandered further before returning to the car passing a large Church with a lovely terracotta tiled dome and of course a suitable resting place for the pigeons.

Leaving the village we drove over the bridge along the road signposted to Vamos. On the outskirts we passed a lovely house with some of the raised flower beds full of purple petunias which contrasted beautifully with the grey stone used to make the beds.  ‘Riverside Garden’ was owned by a couple with English sounding names ‘Cliff and Jane Gibson’ and with many of the plants being marked with plastic name stakes I wondered if they ran a small garden centre. Along our route the scenery was pleasant but everywhere seemed to be fenced off so there would be no walking through the olive groves here.  Before long we found ourselves crossing over the main highway and arriving in Vrisses.  We have been through here before and found it awful.  It is a large village on the main road leading to and from Chora Sfakion via the Imbros Gorge.  

Today we stopped and had a look around.  Parking by the river we crossed over the big bridge and down to the lower level that had been paved into a pleasant setting.  The ducks were having a wonderful time sitting or standing on the edge of the waterfall. Around the back streets we came across a large church where again the pigeons seemed to have made themselves at home.  Considering it was late afternoon there was a lot of people about, old men sitting outside the kafenios playing backgammon, people eating in the tavernas and outside one o two homes old ladies sat chatting to each other.  We soon found ourselves walking into the countryside, having walked by several nice homes all behind gates with gardens full of laden orange trees.  What did upset me was the amount of rotting fruit laid on the floor.  The smell of orange was just wonderful and with great sunshine and the backdrop of the snow capped mountains I saw Vrisses in a completely different light. 

Just after 4pm we set off to return home.  

Keith had suggested we take the Imbros route but it had been a busy day so I preferred the main highway.  We came home the main highway but in Armeni took the road to Fotinos.  We hadn’t gone far when we came across a donkey at the side of the road opposite the site of a lovely small church with a very unusual bell tower.  As I got out to (a)  take a photo of the donkey and (b) a photo of the bell tower an old man came out of the property next to where the donkey was tethered.  I noticed he was keeping an eye on me and asI returned to the car said “hello” to him.  After replying he disappeared back into his garden. 

We continued on this road which we discovered early on enjoying the late sun shining in the valleys and in one area looking at large standing rocks that reminded me of the ‘Stone Forest’ in Kunming, China, but of course on a much smaller scale.

It was not so good in Plakias and at ‘Creta Spirit’ Maria greeted us saying the weather had been very warm, especially when she had been cleaning our rooms.