Today we have a weather suited for a walk. There was this contour-line water-channel around the bay of Plakias. After 15 minutes climb we reach the channel. This is made of concrete and leads nearly horizontally at the slopes. There are nice viewes and flowers and animals for one#s delight. A small bird - no it is a flying locust (Heuschrecke), some goldfinchs (Stieglitz), the crested lark (Haubenlerche), some dragonflies, a green lizard darts on the ground. Here and then there is a donkey and looks as stupid at us as we at him. The couple of Göttingen overtakes us with an old motor-scooter, we wave to each other. Then there are two chapels, an old one and a newer one. The older is a nice motive.

Beneath the village Mariou the path gets less nice. They bulldoze around to flatten new olive terraces. We wonder about that for we have heard at Corfu last year that the cultivation of olives is not profitable enough. The harvest of the olives by large black nets beneath the treetop is very costly. And until a new planted olive tree will bring fruits there may pass some years. At the fresh flattened areas there are lots of the yellow poppies.

We walk down to the village Levkoyia and sit at a tavern nearly on the road. We have a greek coffee and watch as they empty the mailbox. All is poured out on the next table and then they inspect nearly every postcard. May be they learn what their guests like. We walk around at the village and then wander back on the road. At a mighty group of the agave plants Heidi cannot resist to scratch out a couple of scions (sprouts).

We make a detour to the bay of Damnoni and have a look to the Hapimag institution. It is possible to get inside from the beach, there are comfortable sunchairs, a swimming pool, and sun umbrellars. Today there is wind force 6, the sea rolls with high waves and white crest. At the sport center there is a sign: "No water skiing today".

Tuesday: The Forbidden Beach

Damnoni Beach

We got the idea yesterday and choose the Damnoni Bay for our bath place today. One has to walk about 30 minutes to get there. At the beach there is a chamber-like spot amidst the cliffs. It is nearly round like a circle with an entrance 5 m wide. To some extent this is a shelter from the wind. For the sun-umbrellar and divan one had to pay 2000 Drm as a non-member of Hapimag. Of course we feel like members.

As usual I once get off to explore the region. There are two additional bays named Amoudi and Skineria. There is a path used by cars among the cliffs. At a small bay in the cliffs some nudists lie close to the rocks like sardines and shiver. The Amoudi bay looks like a big parking site - may be it is this during the main season.

As clouds come up we enter the Hapimag area and sit down for a coffee. With the coffe come some small paperbags with sugar and the printed Hapimag emblem on them. My suggestion is: stick this piece of paper to your chest and behave like an official or animator. Or you organize a green basket like those in supermarkets, in which the guests carry their clothes. Then you are a real member.

Thereafter the weather gets better again and we settle at the comfortable sunchairs of the pool. We detect some other guests of our hotel who have choosen to spend an illegal enjoyment here. We don't bother due to the fact, that the former dreambay of Damnoni has gone for ever.

Wednesday: The Hippie Beach

By the way it is my birthday today and this usually means socks, books and underwear. We are indetermined what to do today and stroll around at the bus stop. But there is no bus at this period of the season, they all start later when there are more guests. Shorthand we sit in a taxi and go to Levkoyia. From there we start for a walk to the Monastery Preveli. The road leads up to the village Giannou. At one point there are some skulls of goates nailed on a tree. May be against any kind of demon. The village is a small nest and it is hard to believe, that this village was bombed by the Stukas during the war. The monastry of Preveli was a center of the resistance and so the locals had to suffer from revenge attacks.

We are thirsty as we reach the village. And there a just two chairs and a table in front of a house. Inside sit two old men and doze before the runnig TV. One has a piece of cloth wrapped around his head as if he had toothache. Thoug it seems he had non of them yet... As I enter the room they calp their hands. The woman fumbles anywhere in her backrooms, but then comes up and I am allowed to get two Cola from the refrigerator. Then i Iput one coin after the other on the table until she says OK. So no one has to write or moreover to count or calculate. Then I must drin a Raki and finally I get an undefinable piece of vegetable. And never in my life I will know what I have consumed. But it tasted well.

From this place there is a phantastic view to the mountains as well as to the village street, where some locals stroll to and fro without any hurry. Then a van with a speaker comes up, this time he sells oranges. But he succeeds to sell one single bag only. We continue and (unvoluntarily) peer into a dark room with a woman and a burning chimney at this sunny morning. At the end of the village there is a washhouse. The orange driver turns his van at this place and kindly presents the half of an orange to us. So they are...

In a good mood w climb up the path. The wiew is nice but the path more boring, at the south coast there is less vegetation. Down zizagging the path reaches the monastery. There are some busses at the parking sit and the cries of kids yell around. In front of the monastery there is a fountain and a memorial plaque. It is dedicated to a gentleman named Geoffrey Edwards who has donated it. There was the well known Geoff Edwards Story due to an Australian soldier wo was captured by the Germans and could escape by the support of Crete inhabitants esecially by the monks of this monastery. You find it in the internet at:  http://www.explorecrete.com/preveli/story.html .

Monastery Preveli

Preveli Houses

Then there is a museum with lots of ecclesiastical garments, heirloomss and icons. The most famous are rebuilt in plastic and can be bought as souvernirs. As the cries of the children comes nearer we go to the exit and nearly forget to deliver the Turkish skirt. We start for the Preveli Bay or also called Palm Beach. It is said to be one of the most beautiful spots at Crete. At a big parking site we leave the tarmack road and turn to the wilderness. The descent to the beach is cultivated though by stairs, platforms and fences. It is somewhat airy again ad we remember the vertigo suffering. Heidi stays to look at the nearby rock and eventually we master to get down. If we had had a rope things would be better and the fellow tourists would have had their fun.

Preveli Beach

Palmlagoon

Exotic Rock

At the beach we see a fat woman - and "fat" is not enough if you have not seen her. She prepares for the ascent together with her droughty husband. We are very curious how she will mange the airy passage. After they have cleaned their feet and put on socks and shoes they eventually start. And we don't trust in our eyes: just not like a roe deer, more like an elephant she trudges uphill and soon appears high above the beach. May be we will success to go back too.

We must leave to get the bus from Preveli to Plakias at 5.15 pm. With many rests we climb up and then have to wait a long time for the bus. We meet the same conductor of our first tour. After a hard day one can smell why he got those thick eyes.