Hi all,
We hired a jeep this year for three days and went to three diferent places.
On day one we went to the archaeological museum in Heraklion,well worth the drive and even though it was full of coach parties there were many wonderfull things to see includind the Phaistos disk. Its hard to imagine just how old these things are and they have survived! (bet my Asda plates wont)
We then walked around the city streets, hot busy and people trying to sell you stuff on the streets and drag you into their shops! not nice at all. Walked around the venitian fortress but unable to get in for a closer look.
To sum up, museum 10/10 but the city itself 4/10. Took ages to find the way out again even ended up on the wrong side of the carriage way once! (blast those car horns!)
Day two. Drove to the Arkadi monastery another wonderfull place 500m above sea level with surroundings of olive trees and vineyards. A lot of history here about the Turks invading and killing everyone there, even the skulls of the heroes with sword marks are still kept. Nice little taverna for a cold one after and a shop to buy monastery made raki, which is still in my fridge!
Day three we went to the Diktean cave, a long drive from Plakias but well worth it.
You snake up twisting winding roads stopping at the little villages to look around at the local merchandice (?) and then finaly after reaching 900m above sea level you are on a fertile green plateau which used to be the home of thousands of windmills pumping water up for the people, still a few left but the sight is amazing, how can we climb this far up a mountain and find this?Then on to the cave which is said to be the birth place of Zeus. Another long climb up then down, down into the cave of which the sights are absolutely amazing! Well worth it. After the climb down, have a cold one in one of the tavernas overlooking the plateau and try to weigh it all up.
A very good three days travelling. The only downfall for me was that in a tiny little village in the middle of nowhere i came accross a CAT digger is there no escape? (i work for CAT in Leicester).
Barny.
