23/4 - Samaria
On Sunday since it was Easter Sunday everything was closed. Because of that, I'd planned to go to the Samaria Gorge on this day, since it was open and would occupy my whole day (and more, including recovery time). The Samaria Gorge is 16km long, making it one of the longest in Europe and plunges from 1250m to sea level.
Usually there're 4 buses a day leaving from the bus station in Chania starting from 5+, but on Sunday there was only one leaving at 8:30. It wasn't very crowded - there were maybe 10 people at most including me, but I reached there at 9:30 and set off at 9:45 so it wasn't that cool anymore.
Samaria - view from entrance
Mountain in the clouds
Marketing nature
"Although the beauty of nature is not marketable a minimal fee is the least asked of visitors to contribute to its preservation" - No, it's not just translation issues
Easter Sunday was making them scrape the bottom of the barrel to fulfill their labour needs - the ticket booth was manned by a girl on the verge of their teens.
The gorge was surprisingly civilized, with WCs, dustbins and water fountains scattered throughout its length. Then again, it's one of the top tourist attractions on Crete. There was also a mule patrol which I saw once - it's the first time I've seen someone ride one (so it can be done after all - they're not just pack animals); doubtless I'd have seen more on a normal day.
Mountain
Forest
I saw one couple entering the park with hiking poles which was a very good idea (though I suspect it was against the rules).
Water fountain
Mountain
Rocks in stream
Mountainside
Rocky ground
Most of the time there was no path so I had to walk on ground like this, which was hard.
Samaria is taxing, but this is not because of the distance. Rather it's because there's no nicely laid out path for you to follow so not only do you often get lost (I wasted 15 minutes in the abandoned village of Samaria trying to find the exit before realising the path went *past* the village instead of through it), you're walking on stones most of the time (and handrails like those you find at the top are the exception rather than the rule) which is not only painful, taxing on your balance and tiring.
Rapids
Mule grazing
Stream
Mountain
Stacked stones - small ones on top of big ones
They looked too numerous to be natural, but then who would be so free as to stack them all up?!
Mountains
I only reached the abandoned village of Samaria at 1:45pm. It was quite pissed off since the route was supposed to take 6 hours if you took your time, rested and took photographs along the way. Although I rested a bit, I certianly wasn't taking my time so I was wondering what I was doing wrong. There's supposed to be a doctor stationed there but the village was deserted (probably on Easter break) and so was quite eerie.
Dead thing in the village of Samaria
Gorge
Around this time I started walking faster, both because I didn't want to miss the last boat out and I finally saw people (besides the guy on the mule, I hadn't seen any since starting out) and they served to pace me.
Valley wall
The fauna in Samaria is supposed to be quite special, but I didn't see any. I think they were on Easter break as well.
River bed
Path
River
There were a few panels in gorge labelled "A challenge to discover" and listed some things to look out for, like the Iron Gates (an area where the gorge narrowed to less than 3m though it soared 300m above), flora and chapels. Indeed, I did find it a challenge to discover these things, even the famous Iron Gates. Why? Because even the Gates weren't labelled or signposted, so I had to do an educated guess as to where they were!
'Bridge' - I had to cross rickety-looking 'bridge's like this multiple times
Me on rocks
Me clambering across rocks
Gorge wall
Fake gates (maybe)
At first I thought these was the Iron Gates, but I think they're not
Despite appearances, this is a rock-strewn slope tapering into the distance above. I can see why they close the gorge when it rains.
Iron gates - this should be it
Cliff above
Wall
At exit control, there was supposed to be someone to take my ticket from me (to keep track of anyone still in the gorge) but I didn't see anyone. The guy was probably on an Easter break.
A sign I saw at the exit said (graphically) that high heeled shoes weren't allowed (won't it be more the women's problem than the park's?) and had a line through a figure of a man leaning on a stick - I'm not sure if this was a hiking aid or a walking stick/cane. I think "Samaria the Lazy Way" (you start at the bottom, go up to the Iron Gates and return) must be at least as popular as the full hike, since the entrance didn't have so many signs (or maybe I just missed them).
Algida - I was dying for one of these after the hike, but it was closed :( This is interesting because it shows the old logo.
Hairy Goats
All in all, Samaria was one of those unpleasant things that you nonetheless feel obliged (possibly even want) to do just once in a lifetime, like temple prostitution.
I clambered on board the (last) ferry out of the town of Agia Roumeli just before 4:30 (having taken just under 7 hours), and it left at 4:40 - I almost got stranded there. The thing is, the town is not accessible by road, so this was my only way out. There were rooms for rent, but I shudder to think what'd have happened if I'd missed it. As it was I fell asleep on the ferry from exhaustion but someone woke me up in time.
When I got on the boat I was ready to be fleeced, but no one wanted to fleece me. Bah.
I saw a maybe 11 year old Greek girl on the ferry wearing a pink baby tee which read, "Girls gone wild. 69." Uhh. Gotta love these Europeans. It'd have been great if I had a picture of her standing beside this American guy I saw a few days before that with a T-shirt reading "Girls gone wild film crew".
Fortune mouth - seen on the way back to the hotel from the bus station. It seems Greeks get conned by this shit too. This offered multiple language options - Greek, English, German and Italian!
Easter lamb roasting on a spit
The gods themselves were mocking me - for dinner that night I asked for water and got Samaria brand water; "At the foot of the White mountains of Crete where according to the Greek mythology Zeus paid regular visits to satisfy his thirst with the crystal clear water".
Greece is the first European country I've ever been in to have flying insects. Gah. I hope Utrecht doesn't become like this in June.