| Kritsa is a favourite place to head for in the | | | | one of the jewels of Crete. Some say |
| winter and is the best route to the isolated | | | | reminiscent of the Seychelles, the clear waters |
| plateau of Katharo which almost invariably, is our | | | | and tranquillity of this bay are now being disturbed |
| best chance of seeing any snow in Crete. The | | | | by the almost inevitable sound of JCBs and |
| solitary kafeneion, bedecked with posters of Che | | | | concrete mixers as the developers snatch |
| Guevara, is the only available place to warm up | | | | another piece of paradise from our grasp to sell |
| with a hot coffee and the local 4x4 club race | | | | to the highest bidder. |
| along the melt water filled river beds of the area. | | | | Continuing northwards to Siteia, I slowed the car |
| Today, however, Katharo would remain in splendid | | | | to be within a few metres of a migrating |
| isolation, at least from us. My friend Kostas | | | | Eleonora's Falcon (Falco eleonorae), perched on |
| Argyropoulos, a local mining engineer, had tipped | | | | the barrier on the roadside. Naturally, it flew away |
| me off about a new road which had recently | | | | before we had time to really appreciate it, but it |
| been completed which I wanted to investigate. | | | | was yet another magical moment in our |
| Just before the main street in Kritsa, we turned | | | | unplanned day. Through Agios Georgios and |
| left to ascend the road to Kroustas. With | | | | Maronia, we descended slowly to Siteia, another |
| panoramic views to the Gulf of Mirabello and a | | | | industrial centre and market town with a large and |
| church jutting out into the road on one of the | | | | well respected winery and some of the finest |
| corners, it is an interesting and spectacular drive. | | | | olive oil in Crete. For the first time, despite my |
| The village itself is one of the few places which | | | | many visits to the town, I saw the old Venetian |
| seems untouched by the passage of time. Old | | | | fortress, named Kazarma from the Italian word |
| men sit in the coffee shops sporting knee length | | | | for "barracks". This fortress was built to resist |
| leather boots and dressed in the traditional black | | | | invasion by the Turks and withstood a siege for |
| costume of Cretan villagers. The women of the | | | | three years (1648 - 1651). It has recently |
| village prepare horta, a variety of wild plants | | | | undergone extensive renovation work and |
| including dandelion leaves, or pick through fava | | | | nowadays hosts concerts and other events taking |
| beans before making their version of pease | | | | place in the town. |
| pudding to be served with onions and drizzled with | | | | It has long been rumoured that Siteia airport will |
| fresh olive oil. | | | | be accepting incoming charter flights so we went |
| The road wound down from Kroustas to the | | | | to the airport, along an unmade road, to |
| forested area with ribbons of sunlight peeking | | | | investigate. The airport still bears more |
| through the autumnal deciduous trees. Already, | | | | resemblance to the military airstrip that it always |
| the first rains had damaged the newly laid road | | | | has been, and flights to this particular area seem |
| and several areas had been washed away, | | | | to be as distant a prospect as ever. Perhaps it is |
| necessitating caution. A rudely written sign pointed | | | | not a bad thing to preserve the area from mass |
| left to Istron, a rough track which leads to Pirgos, | | | | tourism, although developers have now purchased |
| which I had travelled on many occasions. But | | | | the area near Vai palm beach and plan to build a |
| Kostas had advised me to continue on to Prina, a | | | | huge complex of golf courses, villas and hotels. |
| village near Kalamafka, the only place on this part | | | | The new road, all 3km of it, took us towards |
| of the island where you can see the Cretan Sea | | | | home before returning to the old road. Work is |
| and the Libyan Sea simultaneously. From Prina, we | | | | ongoing on this project and we passed bridge |
| followed a new road to the picturesque village of | | | | building projects which, along with the other road |
| Meseleri and diverted through winding streets of | | | | improvements and bypasses will reduce the 72 |
| the village itself before re-joining the new road. To | | | | km journey to Agios Nikolaos, the regions capital, |
| the right the reservoir at Vramiana glistened in | | | | to 45 minutes. The sea and mountains glowed red |
| the distance. The area is a major market | | | | as the sun began to set behind the Lassithi |
| gardening area and a constant water supply is | | | | mountains and, as desperation set in, we turned |
| necessary to ensure the quality and quantity of | | | | at Sfaka towards the coastal village of Mochlos. |
| cucumbers, tomatoes and fruit produced near | | | | We parked and walked past the kafeneions |
| here, much of which ends up on tables in | | | | where every head was turned towards the |
| Northern Europe. | | | | televisions for the live football match. As we |
| The semi-industrialised landscape that is Ierapetra | | | | turned the corner to the harbour, loud music |
| was something of a shock to the system after | | | | blared from a pickup truck. As we approached, |
| the sheer natural beauty that we had experienced | | | | we found the door wide open and no driver inside |
| previously on our journey, but the economics of | | | | and realised that this was the background music |
| the town have bestowed an affluent lifestyle on | | | | for the next kafeneion. Nobody seemed to be |
| the inhabitants and the sumptuous villas and large | | | | taking any notice of the music. They too, were |
| houses are testimony to this. We bypassed to | | | | enraptured by the football match. |
| the north of the main town and found ourselves | | | | The tiny village gave us a choice of two tavernas, |
| on the road to Siteia. | | | | both facing the island of Agios Nikolaos with its |
| We were, by now, feeling quite hungry and took | | | | Minoan town ruins. We chose to sit inside, the |
| a left turn to the village of Koutsounari, only to | | | | evening now having a chill in the air and turned to |
| discover nowhere open. We could have turned | | | | the menus. Lamb with Artichokes and a Mixed Grill |
| back to Ierapetra but decided to continue east, | | | | were off the menu, so we went for meze of |
| through Ferma and Achlia. We arrived at | | | | fava and baked feta cheese and tomatoes |
| Koutsouras, where there is a well known | | | | followed by chicken souvlaki (kebabs) and a huge |
| restaurant called "Robinsons", but this was also | | | | pork chop, both served with chips, washed down |
| closed. The desire for food, or at least a coffee, | | | | with a vintage diet cola. As usual, half a loaf of |
| was now becoming urgent. We found a place | | | | bread and some Cretan rusk appeared to keep |
| open in Makrigialos but, for reasons best known | | | | us going until the food was prepared, along with |
| to ourselves, continued onward towards Siteia. | | | | some delightful pickled anchovies and a rich brown |
| The road from Makrigialos climbs progressively | | | | olive pate. As hungry as we were at this stage, |
| northwards, with spectacular views of fertile | | | | we still could not finish everything, particularly the |
| valleys to the west. Churches on monolithic hilltops | | | | complimentary plate of fruit that came with the |
| dot the landscape, many of them built on ancient | | | | bill for EUR23.00 (£16.00, $32.00). |
| shrines to the pagan sun god. The taverna at | | | | It was dark when we left the taverna and the |
| Lithines had a tourist coach parked outside. In the | | | | driving, along with a very full stomach, had left |
| winter Sunday coach trips to religious sites and | | | | me feeling a little tired. The sign at Paxia Ammos |
| monasteries are a popular pastime for the older | | | | read "Agios Nikolaos 19km". In half an hour we |
| ladies, sometimes accompanied by bawdy songs | | | | were home again. It may have been the longest |
| on the return journey that would make a rugby | | | | journey we have undertaken to get a bite to eat |
| player blush. Just past the village is the turn to | | | | but it was completely justified by the wonder |
| Ziros, leading in turn to the spectacular | | | | that is Eastern Crete. |
| Xerokampos. Reached by a spiralling road, this is | | | | |