Subscribe: Posts | Comments | Email
Malia Crete
Written on April 21, 2010 by aris
Filed Under: Discover Crete, Sport news
The legend says at this place Jesus crusifier Kaiafas body thrown from boat going to Rome. The Cretan soil never accepted so the cape is always windy.
Now-days you can find a deserted lighthouse and a nice quiet beach.
Tags: Destinations ,Nearby ,Top beaches
Written on April 21, 2010 by aris
Filed Under: Discover Crete, Sport news
Milatos village lies on the north east coast of Crete about 20 mins.west of Agios Nikolaos and about 45mins drive east of the city of Heraklion, all in the prefecture of Lassithi.
Milatos is a quiet village with narrow streets and traditional houses. It has three main areas; one part along the shore with a few tavernas on the edge of the sea, these are connected by a short road to the traditional village. The 3rd area is the historic Milatos caves.
Written on April 21, 2010 by aris
Filed Under: Discover Crete, Sport news
Krassi is a small village in the northwest foothills of Mount Selena with a population of 350, 600 metres above sea level and 47 km east of Heraklion
Krassi has a giant plane tree on its square that is proudly announced as the oldest in Crete.
Written on April 6, 2010 by aris
Filed Under: Discover Crete, Sport news
A wonderful pebble beach in the middle of nowhere
Tags: Nearby
Written on September 17, 2009 by aris
Filed Under: Discover Crete, Sport news
The Samariá Gorge (Greek: Φαράγγι Σαμαριάς) is a national park on the island of Crete, and a major tourist attraction of the island.
The gorge is in the prefecture of Chania in southwest Crete. It was created by a small river running between the White Mountains (Lefká Óri) and Mt. Volakias. There are a number of other gorges in the White Mountains. While some say that the gorge is 18 km long, this distance refers to the distance between the settlement of Omalos on the northern side of the plateau and the village of Agia Roumeli. In fact, the gorge is 16 km long, starting at an altitude of 1,250m at the northern entrance, and ending at the shores of the Libyan Sea in Agia Roumeli. The walk through Samaria National Park is 13 km long, but you have to walk another three km to Agia Roumeli from the park exit, making the hike 16 km. The most famous part of the gorge is the stretch known as the Iron Gates, where the sides of the gorge close in to a width of only four meters and soar up to a height of 500 m.
Entrance to the Gorge
The gorge became a national park in 1962, particularly as a refuge for the rare kri-kri (Cretan goat), which is largely restricted to the park and an island just off the shore of Agia Marina. There are several other endemic species in the gorge and surrounding area, as well as many other species of flowers and birds.
The village of Samariá lies just inside the gorge. It was finally abandoned by the last remaining inhabitants in 1962 to make way for the park. The village and the gorge take their names from the village’s ancient church, Óssia María ["Saint Mary"].
A “must” for visitors to Crete is to complete the walk down the gorge from the Omalos plateau to Agia Roumeli on the Libyan Sea, at which point tourists sail to the nearby village of Hora Sfakion and catch a coach back to Chania. The walk takes 4-7 hours and can be strenuous, especially at the height of summer.
Local tourist operators provide organized tours to the Gorge. These include bus transportation from your hotel to the entrance (near Omalos village), and the bus will be waiting for you to disembark the ferry in Sfakia (Hora Sfakeon) to take you back. If you are on your own, you can make a one-day round trip from Chania (see below) or from Sogia or Paleochora. Note that the morning buses from Sogia and Paleochora do not operate on Sunday. The ferries leave Agia Roumeli to Chora Sfakeon (East-bound) and to Sogia/Paleochora (West-bound) at 18:00.
There also exists a “lazy way” – from Agia Roumeli to the Iron Gates (more or less an hour of non-challenging terrain) and back.
Information provided by the Chania Forest Protection Service
* Visits to the National park are allowed from May 1 to October 15.
* Park visiting hours are 07:00 to 15:00 daily. From 15:00 to sunset, visitors are allowed to walk a distance of only two km within the park, either from Xyloskalo or from Agia Roumeli.
* Within the park it is strictly prohibited to camp, stay overnight, light fires, or swim in the streams of the gorge.
How to visit from Chania
Upper entrance
* There are daily buses starting from Chania to the head of the gorge, called Xyloskalo. The buses, marked “OMALOS”, depart Chania Central Bus Station at 06:15, 07:30 and 08:30; the fare is €6.20
* The morning buses takes one hour. The gorge is 16 km (10 miles) long; you need five to six hours to walk it.
* The entrance fee is €5(no less money for childrens or students).
* There is plenty of drinking water all along the gorge. Sneakers or hiking boots are recommended.
* At the end of the gorge is Agia Roumeli, a village with restaurants and accommodation, and boats to Chora Sfakion or Sogia. To return the same day, take the 17:30 boat (fare: €7.50) to Chora Sfakion.
* From Chora Sfakion, buses return to Chania (fare: €6.50), departing at 18:30; the bus always waits for the boat to arrive.
* Tickets for the two buses can be reserved at the ticket office at the Chania bus station. The ticket for the boat can be purchased in Agia Roumeli only .
* There are daily guided tours operated by various travel agencies, cost is usually around €40 (2008). Price include bus fare, which stops at visitor’s hotels. The cost does not include boat ticket and entrance fee, which is usually collected separately on the bus.
Written on September 12, 2009 by aris
Filed Under: Discover Crete, Sport news
Chrissi (Golden) or Gaidhouronisi (Donkey Island) is an uninhabited island some twelve kilometers off the coast of the town of Ierapetra. It is five kilometers long and on average one kilometer wide. The island’s average height above sea level is ten meters; Kefala, the highest point of the island, is 31 meters above sea level. The island is renowned for its white beaches, sand dunes and forest of pines and junipers. The western tip of the island has some remains of past settlement: a few Minoan ruins and a 13th century chapel dedicated to Agios Nikolaos (Saint Nicholas). It was inhabited into Byzantine times. The main sources of wealth were fishing, salt export, and the export of porphyra (Tyrian purple), a scarlet dye made from shells. After the Byzantine period the island was abandoned, although later it was used as a hideout.
Nowadays the island is protected as an “area of intense natural beauty”. Especially in summer, the island attracts many tourists. As camping is forbidden on the island, only day trips are possible. Ferries leave the quay at Ierapetra daily at 10 A.M. and return at 5 P.M. Visitors are not allowed to roam freely over the island, but only on designated paths and some beaches close to the eastern tip of the island. There is a small tavern at the ferry landing. 700 meters to the east of Chrissi lies the rocky islet of Mikronisi (Small Island).
Written on September 12, 2009 by aris
Filed Under: Discover Crete, Sport news
Phalasarna is an ancient Greek harbor town on the northwest coast of Crete. The currently visible remains of the city were built around 335 BCE and include several imposing sandstone towers and bastions, with hundreds of meters of fortification walls protecting the town and a closed harbor. The harbour is surrounded by quays with mooring stones, and connected to the sea through two artificial channels. There is also a small acropolis above the city, which predates most of the surviving ruins. Most of these structures were revealed by excavations that began in 1986 and are ongoing.
Round sandstone tower at military harbor of Phalasarna
Stone quay and mooring stones from military harbor of Phalasarna
Today Phalasarna is an agricultural area and tourist attraction. The valley is filled with olive groves and greenhouses cultivating tomatoes. The seaside has large sandy beaches and crystal clear waters that are popular both with residents of Chania and foreign visitors.
Tags: beach ,Destinations ,go west ,ruins ,Top beaches
Written on September 12, 2009 by aris
Filed Under: Discover Crete, Sport news
Matala is the place of spectacular sunsets, a small fishing village where the caves became a paradise for the “hippies” in the 70′s. The hippies are missing, but Matala magic still flows and the village has been spruced up – well done!
Tags: beach ,Caves ,Destinations ,Nearby ,Top beaches
Written on September 12, 2009 by aris
Filed Under: Discover Crete, Sport news
West of Kissamos and north of the beautiful village of Kaliviani, stretches the impressive Gramvoussa peninsula. The peninsula is formed by steep rocks and is covered with thyme and origanum bushes and wild flowers.
On the north west side of the peninsula opposite to the island of Gramvoussa is the wonderful beach of Balos.
The beach is covered with fine white sand and is located between the two creeks of the Tigani cape. The same white sand covers the bottom of the sea and grants to the sea an emerald color. In front of the beach is the picturesque island of Gramvoussa and on the back is the Geroskinos mountain (altitude 762 m).
The road from Kaliviani is well paved dirt road, with amazing view to the steep rocky seaside of the east side of the peninsula. The road ends one-two km before the beach, and the visitor can follow a pave road to Balos.
North of Balos, at the Korykon cape, are the ruins of the small Roman city of Agnion, with a temple of the God Apollo.
Tags: beach ,Destinations ,go west ,top 10 beaches
Written on September 5, 2009 by aris
Filed Under: Discover Crete, Sport news
The palm beach of Vai is one of the largest attractions of the Mediterranean island of Crete. It features the largest natural palm forest in Europe, made up of palm tree Phoenix Theophrastii.
Coast near Vai
For tourism Vai was discovered at the end of the 1970s by the last Hippies who fled the hot-spots Matala and Preveli. At the beginning of the 1980s Vai was full of backpacker tourists from the whole world, leading to a mixture of chaotic campground and garbage dump. Vai was enclosed and declared as a protected area. The unique forest recovered, the beach became clean.
The palm beach, which belongs to the Monastery Toplou, is the touristic center of East Crete, with thousands of visitors each year. Vai lies close to Palekastro and Sitia.
Tags: beach ,Destinations ,go east ,top 10 beaches ,Top beaches
Written on September 5, 2009 by aris
Filed Under: Discover Crete, Sport news
The Cave of Zeus is a system of caves located on the slopes of Mount Ida, on the island of Crete, Greece. The deep cave has a single entrance and features beautiful stalagmites and stalactites. In antiquity it was a place of worship, because it was believed to be the cave where the goddess Rhea hid the infant Zeus, in order to protect him from his father Cronus. According to a variant of this legend, the Kouretes, a band of mythical warriors, undertook to dance their wild, noisy war dances in front of the cave, so that the clamour would keep Cronus from hearing the infant’s crying. Excavations have revealed a large number of votive cult offerings on the site.
Tags: Caves ,Destinations ,Landscapes ,Nearby
Written on September 5, 2009 by aris
Filed Under: Discover Crete, Sport news
Preveli beach and lagoon (Greek Λίμνη του Πρέβελη), sometimes known locally as “Palm Beach”, is located below the monastery, at the mouth of the Kourtaliótiko gorge. Behind the beach is an extensive glade of palm trees. The beach is regularly served by tourist boats from the nearby resort of Plakias.
You can reach it in two ways. As you drive south you will see an old bridge on the left side of the road. On the left side of the river you will find the unpaved (but not impossible) road that will lead you directly to the beach. Once at your destination you will be at Preveli beach, but you will still have to climb a hill to get to the other side to “Palm Beach”. At the beginning of this road they will tell you that the beach is 3 km away. Don’t be fooled: the road is much longer that that! Only if you are a well trained walker you might want to try, but be reminded that you have to climb over mountains up and down, plus you have to walk back again. The other possibillity is to take the paved road on the right side. You will pass the abandoned Lower Preveli Monastery and a little bit farther down the road there is a sign pointing you to Palm Beach. At the end of this road there is PARKING . Don’t think you are there yet, because after you have parked your car you still have a long way to go! There are many, many steps down on the old stairs if you want to reach the beach.
Tags: beach ,Destinations ,go west ,top 10 beaches ,Top beaches
Premier League live scores
