Jerusalem way - Page 12

Kissamos Kastelli - Likos

Equipped with new financial means, I chose the long-distance hiking trail E4 on Crete as another path towards Israel. Landed in Heraklion, I drove first to the West Coast to Kissamos Kastelli by bus. Bus driving is already a funny chaos there 🙂. From the port Trachilos there starts the E4. The selected campground there was no longer, the owner was deceased, they said. So I took first a room for rent and then walked to the port, the starting point. After a typical Cretan dinner I sat down at the longed for sea.

The following day I started early, was very hot here. It went first away from the coast towards Polyrrinia through dry area uphill. In the small village I just wanted to drink coffee and was suddenly in the middle of a family celebration. Since one came away only with good excuses again 🙂. Continuing through remote villages, came at some point the beautiful west coast in sight, on which I ran to Sfirnari. There you were allowed to wild camping on the beach, all shady places were occupied. But I could swim beautifully again. I then took a room for rent and enjoyed the first sunset over the sea.

It was very mountainous, in the morning I first had to climb some switchbacks before it went steeply down again along the coastal roads. It was very hot and little shade, which made some bar visits on the way necessary. In Chrisoskalitissa I had to look longer for accommodation, but then found a loophole. After cooling down on the shady terrace there, I hiked to the well-known monastery here. A monk and a nun should still live here, but I only saw tourists. The orthodox churches are very overloaded with pictures. Unfortunately, I could not walk further to the nearby beach, all full of buildings.

The path led out of the village in the morning, after which a brilliant view opened up. One of the most beautiful beaches I had seen: Elafonisi. I had to stay here, some of the romantic bars on the sandbanks were already open. Unfortunately the way led then further in the sand along, kilometers, difficult to run, in the blazing sun. Here and there were wild campers in the shade of the low trees. Many kilometers in the sand alternated with stony cliffs. Partly climbing on all fours was the order of the day. But lonely beaches and brilliant views rewarded. In larger distances the poles of the E4 signposts protruded from the ground. Arrived in Paleochora, the thermometer shows 37° at 6 pm. It was meanwhile vacation season, also here I had trouble to get a room. When that was cleared, I discovered the evening Paleochora, beautiful. In one of the countless bars I let the day end.

Along the sea, the path pulls out of the village, then past Anydri Beach. In Lissos I paused for the first time in the shade, some goats besieged the fountain here. It was mostly a climbing tour today, uphill, downhill with great views. At the end it went again steeply high before the way through a gorge turned into Sougia. After again longer accommodation search, I enjoyed the evening in one of the many taverns and the beautiful beach. In the guide it was still said about the place that one hardly finds tourists here. So fast-moving is the time, here it is full of tourists 🙂.

Packed with plenty of water, then began many steep ascents and descents, but with impressive views, especially at the Prophet Elijah Chapel during the descent into the Tripiti Gorge. From here we continue past Sendoni beach, often over large stones to the idyllic Domata beach next to the exit of a wooded gorge. From here it goes uphill again, partly through woods, up to more than 500 meters, before it goes steeply down to Agia Roumeli. I arrived late, this time I went first for a drink in a bar before I looked for a place to stay.

The following day was a little less mountainous, but again extremely hot. Except for an hour relaxing pine forest with shade I thought the rest of the way, I was walking on the moon. Only that it was warmer. In addition, you should be free of giddiness on the E4, often the path runs close to the slope. After a descent I refilled my water supplies, in the bar Saint Paul on the beautiful beach with the colorful stone church Agios Paulos. Again uphill, first through the forest and later an endless high bare cliff along, I wanted to take accommodation at Marmara Beach. There, however, everything was full, somewhat dejectedly I ran over the next mountain, a heavy stony way. In Phineka Bay were a few white houses, Lykos Beach, and immediately in the first I was lucky and got a small, very cheap room. An idyll, I relaxed the evening on the stone beach with good food and a few beers.